Nov 27, 2009
I am Thankful for Georgia
Michael Cecire
Newport News, Virginia
In the United States today, it’s Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving holiday is supposed to represent a day when we are supposed to reflect on our blessings in life and be thankful for the things we have. There are always more things to get and more things to do, but it’s considered an important part of American culture to recognize that despite these things, we are profoundly blessed.
So, what am I thankful for? Well, many things! Freedom, love, family, friends … I could go on. But for our readers at Evolutsia.Net, I think I’ll list a few things I’m thankful for when it comes to Georgia.
Georgia is independent. When the August war flared up, I would not have taken a bet that Georgia would have continued to be independent (and not just in name only) a year and some later. Georgia came close to domination then and has come close to war several times since then from an aggressive Russia seemingly bent on having its way in the Caucasus. But Georgia remains independent. I am thankful for that.
Georgia is [mostly] free. Georgians have much to complain about when it comes to their government. The media often appears stifled. The opposition is harassed. Police sometimes tend to beat their prisoners. Minorities feel discriminated against. Many women are prisoners to cultural expectations. But what is remarkable about Georgia isn’t its illiberality or backwardness – but it’s rapid emergence in the very recent past as one of the most democratic, liberal societies in the region. This doesn’t give anyone a pass – the government has much to improve upon and Georgia needs a credible, loyal opposition – but what Georgia has would be unthinkable for many of its neighbors.
Georgia seems to be coming back. While in much of the world the economic recovery is an elusive specter, Georgia seems to be slowly making progress. There are indications, though mostly anecdotal, that tourism is coming back. Another couple of years of peace and Georgia will surely regain its place as the ‘Caucasus tiger.’
Georgia has a promising future. Although we agonize about the little country’s perennial difficulties with Russia and the economy and democracy issues, etc., Georgia’s lucky geography and the economic foresight of the current government has made it a definite hotspot when it comes to potential. If Georgia can get through the next few years unscathed, the country could become something of a miracle in the next decade. Yes, it has that much potential.
Georgians are an amazing people. Georgians of all ethnicities – from the Adjarans to the Tushi to the Azeris to the Laz and to the Javakhetians and everyone else – are a fascinating, proud, and unique people that have the potential to do very great things in the years to come. There are few places in the world that I, an American of mixed ancestry, feel as much at home as in Georgia. And it’s not just because of the snowcapped peaks and fantastic saperavi, but more about the warm, thoughtful, hospitable people of that country that I call my second home.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
thanks for believing in us!
and thanks to your country for the great support. without it we would be on our knees.
What a great post! Thanks!
-Remy
Thank you Michael! Not only for your recognition but also for your contributions :) Thanks!
Great post Mike, fully agree!
Happy thanksgiving everyone (I know, one day late, but it’s the thought that counts right?)
And Mike, thank you for being a great friend and a super colleague!
Inge
Dear Michael,
Thanks a lot for your friendship, understanding and special thanks to you for being still devoted to the idelas of FREEDOM! We will never give up, even if we’ll remain as “Last of Mohicans” fighting agains evil empire – so we will fight them again and agin unless last of evil’s soldiers is in Georgia.
Thanks for believing in Georgia.
God bless Georgia.
God bless America.
Zviad
My retelling of your article in russian on http://kizikhi.livejournal.com, I think that all people from Post-Soviet countries should know your position in this question, because a lot of them doesn’t know english.
unfortunately Thanksgiving day has been transformed into an eating frenzy where everyone in the US is encouraged to outdo the next person in forcing down turkey meat, followed by pumpkin pie followed by more turkey meat etc. It is just as well that the rest of the world hasn’t followed this bizarre ritual, but no doubt many are working hard to ensure that ‘less civilized folk’ get into this habit as well.
Then, you would be able wish Georgians and others happy Thanksgiving and instantly receive an identical greeting!
Yes Georgia as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan etc should all be able to exercise their independence. But independence is relative. How independent is Mexico? How would the US react if Mexican leaders started entering into talks with a military bloc deemed hostile to US interests?
Would US warplanes be over Mexican skies? You bet they would!
Serge, maybe you haven’t celebrated Thanksgiving or you’re trying to score points by taking cheap, meaningless shot, but I can assure you it’s quite a bit different than your impressions.
I think your question is a poor analogy. Didn’t you pull this from Matthew Yglesias, who said very much the same thing a few months ago. First of all, it’s hardly a foregone conclusion that the U.S. would invade Mexico. The U.S. has plenty of adversaries in its hemisphere that have gone quite un-invaded. Also, Mexico is a relatively developed, populous country with a rather strong economy and formidable military. A threat from that is far and away different than from Georgia.
Always happy to hear your interesting, if somewhat recycled, thoughts! Happy holidays!
-MHC
I don’t know Matthew Yglesias at all, sorry, never read any of his posts!
Yes I have participated in Thanksgiving ‘celebrations’. I fully support the idea of giving thanks, but not the way it is done in the US