By empty (8/23/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Opposition National Movement head and former Justice Minister Mikhail Saakashvili told journalists in Tbilisi on 23 August that the Russian bombing raid was a response to President Shevardnadze's pathological helplessness and inability to protect the country's interests. Saakashvili said that between 80 million-90 million laris ($36 million-41 million) have been spent annually to maintain Shevardnadze' presidential guard, while funding for the Border Guards is one-tenth that amount. (Caucasus Press).The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is a biweekly publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council, Washington DC., and the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. For 15 years, the Analyst has brought cutting edge analysis of the region geared toward a practitioner audience.
Sign up for upcoming events, latest news and articles from the CACI Analyst