Fighting Russian Tanks With Patriotic Defiance

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There was a long line at Georgia's southern border crossing as a growing number of cars, trucks and minibuses queued into the night to get out of the embattled country. With Russian tanks rolling down Georgia's highways and Russian fighter jets in the skies above, embassies were evacuating hundreds of tourists, fearing yet more air strikes and exchanges of rocket fire.

The tourists had come to trek along Georgia's spectacular mountain trails, to hike through the unspoiled forests of the country's national parks, to photograph its picturesque cave monasteries and to sample its vibrant culture of food, wine and song. But instead they were treated to a punishing display of the Kremlin's military might.

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Many Georgians believe that the Kremlin should be forced to pay reparations. "We need to take this to the international courts," says Giorgi Gaganidze of Tbilisi's Caucasus Business School. "Once the occupying troops leave, the top economic priority will be to repair our infrastructure. But we also need to force the Russians to pay."

Gaganidze remains optimistic about Georgia's economic outlook, predicting that it will take less than a year to revive the country's fortunes. But he admits that his outlook is shaped by the kind of patriotism that has grown defiant under enemy fire.

http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/1043/42/369858.htm