Georgia Reassesses its Region

Georgian Dream coalition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili announced nominees for key Cabinet posts Oct 8. The same day, a party spokesman said that the new government will begin a dialogue with South Ossetia and Abkhazia without Russia's participation.

As the Georgian government begins its transition following the Georgian Dream party's victory in parliamentary elections Oct. 1, the process opens many questions about Georgia's relationships in its immediate and broader neighborhood. Georgia's relations with Russia and other former Soviet states could see some changes, though issues like Tbilisi's standoff with the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are more deeply engrained.