Economic Achievements of Postrevolutionary Georgia: Myths and Reality

The author attempts to show what actual achievements have resulted from economic reforms carried out in Georgia since the 2003 "Rose Revolution," and to debunk some fundamental myths surrounding these reforms.This analysis leads him to conclude that Georgia can be regarded as a symbiosis of neoliberalism and neobolshevism rather than as a country of liberal reforms.Georgia is not free from corruption;it has developed new and more complex forms of elite corruption.Georgia is not oriented exclusively toward a European model:the country's leadership has officially declared as one of its goals a "Singaporization" of the national economy; the government is artificially impeding attempts to establish free trade with the European Union.After the war of August 2008, Georgia maintained its economic ties with Russia, including trade relations.