Publication

This briefing analyzes the position of the Ajara autonomous region within Georgia. It argues that the Ajara case provides an important example of how President Saakashvili's government plans to remould Georgia's internal state structures, including local government. It is committed to greater decentralization and giving local self-government an elected character. With Ajara's autonomy so tightly curtailed, however, the likelihood that there will be significant decentralization of decision-making seems in doubt.