Sunday, December 1

Violent protests have broken out across the capital of Georgia, with the entire city of Tblisi in chaos after the country backed out of their attempts to join the European Union.

Georgia has long been one of the strongest advocates to enter the EU since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but those efforts were recently stopped by the government. Very few Georgians are pro-Russia due to the fact that USSR annexed the territory in 1921, making it all the more important for the people that the country joins the EU.

In last month's parliamentary election, the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party took a controversial win with 54% of the vote, and they recently elected Irakli Kobakhidze as Georgia's newest Prime Minister. Opposing parties claimed that the election was rigged, while the EU reported bribery and violence occurring during voting, leading to manipulation of the votes. However, the Dream party has strongly denied these allegations.

The country's current president, Salome Zourabichvili, has refused to step down after her term comes to an end next month. While the Georgian President does not have much power, she is still a prominent figure. Zourabichvili described the recent election as "illegitimate" and refuses to accept the allegedly rigged results, taking the side of the EU and opposition leaders.

After the election, which took place on October 26, protests took place across the country, but they finally came down during the last few weeks. However, Kobakhidze's recent move to back out of EU talks for at least four years has reignited those protests. Over 80% of the Georgian population believes that they should join the EU at some point in the future, and others stated that the move to halt talks for such a long period of time goes against the wishes of the entire country.

In fact, it is even enshrined into the country's constitution-- the document clearly states that Georgia will strongly pursue full integration into the European Union. However, Kobakhidze has passed this off, mentioning that the government at the time was extremely pro-Western due to their recent independence from the Soviet Union and the intentions of the government of the past might not necessarily represent the intentions of Georgia today.

Protestors filled the streets on Saturday, wreaking havoc across Tblisi. Walls and miscellaneous objects obstructed roadways, windows were shattered, and loud firecrackers were set off outside the parliament building-- several were directed towards police officers. A small fire was also reported on the parliament building. Police were forced to intervene with tear gas and water cannons, preventing further damage to buildings and other infrastructure, but reports showed that at least 32 officers were injured in the violent protests. At least 107 people were detained, but no information has been reported regarding civilian injuries among the protestors.

Kobakhidze has accused the opposition parties of attempting to overthrow the government and take power, as well as representing a strongly anti-Russia Western world. He also accused the European Union of trying to blackmail Georgia into changing the results of the election, as the European Parliament has instructed member countries to impose sanctions on Georgia. Meanwhile, the EU and other Western powers are criticizing the Dream party's pro-Russian views as authoritarian and have called for a re-election, which would be under close global scrutiny, within the next year. However, Kobakhidze is not necessarily anti-EU. He stated publicly that the talks would be put on hold until 2028, but he aims to get the country into the European Union by 2030.

Georgia was not planned to join the European Union anytime soon, though. Earlier this year, the Georgian Parliament passed a major bill establishing that organizations which receive more than 20% of their funding from foreign donors would be forced to specifically register as "bearing the interests of a foreign power." Georgia's Justice Ministry would keep a close eye on those organizations, and they may face large fines if they refuse to share sensitive information about their business. This bill is extremely similar to a law of the same type that was passed by Russia, putting the EU on high alert. Soon after it was passed, the European Union announced in June that they were indefinitely suspending Georgia's application.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The triangular, V-shaped pad of tissue on the underside of a horse's hoof is called the frog.

Quote of the Day: Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear hardship today. (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Frugal (adj)- Someone described as frugal is careful about spending money or using things unnecessarily. Frugal can also describe something that is simple and plain in a way that reflects such carefulness with money and resources.

In a Sentence: By being frugal and limiting unnecessary purchases, the family is able to stretch its monthly budget.