Since remote antiquity nestled between the Black and Caspian
Seas on the majestic Caucasus mountain chain, the Republic of
Georgia today continues its centuries old relations with its
neighbors as it seeks to create new alliances. One of the 15
federated republics of the Soviet Union throughout most of the
twentieth century, Georgia declared its independence in 1991.
Its diverse population has since that event actively explored,
created and used the new electronic environment both to foster
their emerging democratic state and present themselves to the
world community. The sites listed in each category of this selective
portal page have been chosen for their utility in providing accurate
narrative (either brief or extensive) information, as well as
directories, extensive portal pages and other resources concerning
all aspects of Georgian life and culture. Most originate within
the confines of the Republic itself. All are either English language
alone or bilingual, unless noted in an annotation which follows.
Many sites offer down- loadable Georgian fonts to make them easily
accessible. For a variety of reasons, the links to Georgia and
the NIS countries in general often are inactive; we recommend
that you try again, should you not be successful in connecting.
For Library of Congress contact information and research and
bibliographic materials on Georgia, consult the Georgia
Country page of the Near East Section of the African and
Middle Eastern Division. See also the Library's
online catalog for books, and materials in other formats
held by the Library and the Library's Thomas
Legislative Information page for legislative materials, bills,
hearings, acts, etc.) on relations between the United States
and the Republic of. Finally, see also An
illustrated chapter on the Georgian collections for an illustrated,
historical analysis.
Narratives about the present governmental and political structure,
listings of official governmental agencies, news groups dealing
with political developments.
AgroWeb Georgia (http://agroweb.home.ge/)
Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org)
‘Amnesty International is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to
promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other international standards.' The English language homepage
provides articles on human rights questions and abuses in countries around the
globe.
Archives of the Georgian
Republic (1914-1958) (http://oasis.harvard.edu/html/hou01502frames.html)
The Archives of the Georgian Republic in Exile were lent to Harvard University
in 1978. After filming the entire collection, Harvard returned these extraordinarily
important documents to the government of the newly independent state. The present
site is an electronic finding guide to the materials in the filmed collection.
Initially Harvard and now the Near East Section of the Library of Congress as
well possess this collection.
AsylumLaw.org (http://www.asylumlaw.org)
"Run by an international consortium of agencies that help asylum seekers
in Australia, Canada, the United States, and several countries in Europe. Over
95% of the content on this site is open to the public, including asylum seekers
from any country and the lawyers or advocates who represent them."
BISNIS (Business Information Service for
the Newly Independent States) (http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/)
Maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce, BISNIS is the U. S. Government's
primary resource center for companies exploring in Russia and other newly independent
state which were formerly part of the USSR.
CIA -- The World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html)
An annual publication of the CIA, contains up-to-date information on all aspects
of the political, social and military history of a particular country.
Case Transcaucasus: Center for
Social and Economic Resources (http://www.case-transcaucasus.org.ge/)
Founded in 1991 by a group of Polish economists, this NGO ‘ has actively
been engaged in research, technical assistance, and training activities, supporting
the economic transition to democracy and market economy in a number of countries
of Eastern Europe and NIS.' Its Georgian page offers reports and related
information on the economy of the country in English.
Center for Strategic and International Studies (http://www.csis.org/)
A Washington, DC based think-tank which sponsors seminars and conferences and
issues reports on terrorism, United States foreign policy, and several regions
of the world including the Middle East and Africa.
Central Asia Studies Worldwide (http://cesww.fas.harvard.edu/)
Sponsored by the Harvard Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus, CASWW provides
extensive resources for the scholarly study of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Chiefs of State and Cabinet
Ministers of Foreign Governments (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/)
Constantly updated lists of important governmental officers and their position
of all the world's countries is published by the CIA as a part of its website.
Civil Georgia (http://www.civil.ge)
This online trilingual (English, Georgia and Russian) magazine is ‘devoted
to delivering quality news and analysis about Georgia. The United Nations Association
of Georgia, a Georgian non-governmental organization, created Civil Georgia in
order to fill a critical information gap.' It is up-to-the-minute and with
features on domestic and international affairs.
Clandestine Radio Intel Web (http://www.clandestineradio.com/intel/)
Includes essays as well as very specific information about non-government sponsored
radio stations, and related web sites.
Collection of the Laws of Georgia (http://geocities.com/kanonebi/)
A selection of the laws of Georgia in Georgian. Downloadable fonts are made available.
Council of Europe Office (Tbilisi) (http://portal.coe.ge/index.php)
Bilingual (English and Georgian) homepage of the COE's office in Tbilisi.
Derechos Cafe - A Human Rights Hangout (http://www.derechos.net)
Offers documents, web links arranged by region and country, news reports as well
as a directory of human rights organizations.
Encyclopedia.com (http://www.encyclopedia.com)
From the Electronic Library, searching the Encyclopedia.com by country provides
numerous narrative articles on its history, culture, politics.
Eurasianet (http://www.eurasianet.org/)
Operated by the Central Eurasia Project of the Open Society Institute and based
in new York, ‘EurasiaNet provides information and analysis about political,
economic, environmental and social developments in the countries of Central Asia
and the Caucasus, as well as in Russia, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.
The web site also offers additional features, including newsmaker interviews,
book reviews and a discussion forum.'
Federation of American Scientists (http://www.fas.org)
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) "is the oldest organization
dedicated to ending the worldwide arms race, achieving complete nuclear disarmament,
and avoiding the use of nuclear weapons for any purpose." Whatever one's
views are on its goals, a search of the site yields valuable information on a
country's armament found only with difficulty elsewhere.
General Courts of Georgia (http://www.court.gov.ge/index/main/)
Developing bilingual (English and Georgian) site dedicated to the judicial courts
of Georgia.
Georgia
(Caucasus) (http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/g/ge/georgia%5F%5Fcountry%5F.html)
A lively electronic multi-lingual encyclopedia (Wikipedia) in narrative meant
as a reference source for college students and above. Chapters range from history
to geography to demographics. Each narrative contains multiple related links
to the terms, peoples and subjects mentioned in the text.
Georgia Net (http://www.georgia.net.ge/)
Powered by Sanet Internet, this is an extensive English or Georgian language
portal page arranged by subject. Particularly useful are the many and varied
native Georgian sites. This should be consulted for additional electronic resources
under all the subject headings in the present portal page, e.g., culture, health,
etc.
Georgian Foundation for Strategic
and International Studies (http://www.gfsis.org/index800.php)
Bilingual (English and Georgian) site of the organization that is an ‘independent,
non-profit policy think tank dedicated to helping improve public policy decision-making
in Georgia through research and analysis, training of policymakers and policy
analysts, and public education about the strategic issues, both domestic and
international, facing Georgia and the Caucasus in the 21st century.' Its
activities, resources and publications are described.
Global IDP Project (http://www.db.idpproject.org)
"Raising awareness on the plight of people internally displaced by conflict."
HR (Web Page on Human Rights
in Georgia) (http://www.humanrights.ge/eng/index.shtml)
Bilingual (English and Georgian) page on human rights conditions in Georgia provides
reports, bulletins, news and contact information.
Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/)
"Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported
by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide." Search
its records for reports on the human rights records, abuses, etc. of any given
country.
INCORE: Conflict Data Service: Regional Internet
Guides (http://www.incore.ulst.ac.uk/cds/countries/index.html)
Founded in 1993, INCORE (Initiative in Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity) offers
a number of publications and services, including internet guides to particular
countries involved in conflict. "Each guide lists sources which have unique,
relevant and preferably substantive content relating to ethnicity and/or conflict
in the country/region concerned."
Institute of Legal Reforms (Georgia) (http://www.geo.net.ge/reform/)
‘The Institute of Legal Reforms (ILR) is the only research institution
in Georgia, which connects professionals, politicians, scholars and representatives
of different NGOs, as well as members of International Organizations. The center
carries out joint projects and exchange of information between scientific, governmental
and independent organizations of many different countries.' The site is
in English, Georgian and Russian, although many of its links seem broken.
International Foundation for Election Systems (http://www.ifes.org)
The IFES "provides professional advice and technical assistance in promoting
democracy and serves as an information clearinghouse on democratic development." The
sites offers reports on anticipated and past elections and progress towards democracy
around the world.
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (http://www.isfed.ge/)
This bilingual (English and Georgian) site describes the efforts of the International
Society for Fair Elections and Democracy to create fair and democratic elections
within Georgia. Reports, project descriptions and a narrative about the organization
are provided.
Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (http://www.jha.ac/)
Published at the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford,
U.K., this site may be searched for articles in the journal concerning a particular
country.
Kartuli.com: Link Catalog (http://links.qartuli.com/)
An extensive Georgian language portal page for those who want access to electronic
links in many languages, but principally Georgian.
Legal Acts of Georgia (http://www.tech.org.ge/dor/legalacts.html)
Though covering only 1994-1999, the laws presented in English and Russian translation
are valuable for those interested in business, commerce and the contemporary
legal scene in Georgia.
Minister for Special Affairs of Georgia (http://msa.gol.ge/)
An English and Georgian homepage of the Ministry which ‘implements resolution
of special state affairs" and has the responsibility for ‘internal
conflicts resolution.' Basic information about this ministry and its programs
is given.
Ministry of Culture of Georgia (http://www.mc.gov.ge)
The bilingual (English and Georgia) homepage of the Ministry of Culture deals
with all aspects of contemporary Georgian cultural life, from the arts, to film
to libraries and festivals.
Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia (http://www.economy.gov.ge)
Principally Georgian language homepage of the ministry charged with the domestic
and international economic development of the Republic.
Ministry
of Environmental Protection (http://www.grida.no/enrin/htmls/georgia/soegeor/english/institut/moe/moe.htm)
This undated English homepage provides both basic information about the Ministry
as well as links to electronic resources relating to the environmental conditions
in Tbilisi and the various regions of Georgia.
Nationmaster (http://www.nationmaster.com/countries.php)
A search under a country's name in this interesting site yields a multiple
of chapters on all its life and culture. Started to supplement raw and dry statistical
data, the end result is a reference work for rapid retrieval of factual data.
Parliament of Georgia (http://www.parliament.ge/)
This bilingual (Georgian and English) homepage to the Parliament of Georgia provides,
in addition to narratives about its structure, membership and all other aspects
of its mission, timely news reports, an online journal and links to important
external sources.
Permanent Missions To The United Nations (http://www.un.int/)
This English language home page offers statements of mission, policy, articles,
and other vital information relating to individual countries' missions
to the United Nations.
Political Resources on the Net (http://www.politicalresources.net)
Website covers all aspects of government, the ministries, the political parties,
elections, as well as the news media.
Questia - The Online Library of Books
and Journals (http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp)
From Questia Media America, Inc. for academics, students, librarians, publishers
and a wide variety of researchers, 'Questia is the first online library that
provides 24/7 access to the world's largest online collection of books and journal
articles in the humanities and social sciences, plus magazine and newspaper articles.
You can search each and every word of all of the books and journal articles in
the collection.' A search under country name yields a wide variety of bibliographic
citations. Full text is often available to subscribers.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (http://www.rferl.org)
This U.S. funded news service is searchable by country name and subject. There
is also access to the news provided in the languages of the targeted countries.
Broadcasts are also made available.
Sarke Information Agency (http://www.prime-news.com.ge/)
Begun 1n 1992, the bilingual (English and Russian) Sarke Information Agency provides
news in general about Georgia and in particular, about its business activities
and economy. Daily and weekly reports are supplemented by legislative updates
and a searchable archive.
Supreme Court Of Georgia (http://www.supremecourt.ge)
The official tri-lingual (English, Georgian and Russian) of Georgia's highest
court.
U.S. Library of Congress.
Law Library of Congress. Guide to Law Online. (http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/nations.html)
Guide to legal materials of all types gathered by the Law Library of the U.S.
Congress. Searchable by country name.
UNRISD On-Line (U.N. Research Institute for
Social Development) (http://www.unrisd.org/)
"UNRISD carries out research on the social dimensions of contemporary problems
affecting development. Through its research, UNRISD stimulates dialogue and contributes
to policy debates within and outside the United Nations system.
United Nations (http://www.un.org)
The official site of the United Nations provides articles, reports, etc. in several
languages on all aspects of the initiatives and mission of that organization
as well as on the contemporary life, culture, society, international relations,
etc. of all the countries and peoples of the world.
United Nations Observer
Mission in Georgia (http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unomig/)
‘UNOMIG was established in August 1993 to verify compliance with the ceasefire
agreement between the Government of Georgia and the Abkhaz authorities in Georgia.
UNOMIG's mandate was expanded following the signing by the parties of the 1994
Agreement on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces. ‘ The homepage provides
background information, facts and figures, a Human Rights Map, a photo gallery
and reports on other regional mission.
United States Committee for Refugees
(USCR) (http://www.refugees.org/index.cfm)
Founded in 1958 to complement the UN's initiative to aid refugees, the
USCR's site offers brief and detailed reports on refugee status in and
from the various countries of the world.
United States. Department of State (http://www.state.gov)
Numerous documents concerning diplomatic and international relations, travel
advice and warnings relating to the countries of the world are available on the
State Department's official site by searching under a particular country's
name.
United States. Department of
State Report on Human Rights Practices (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/)
This web site lists the reports for 1999-2001
United States. Library of Congress Country
Studies (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/)
A series published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress
under the Country Studies/Area Studies Handbook Program sponsored by the Department
of the Army.
The World Bank Group (http://www.worldbank.org)
A search by country yields numerous English language reports on the economic
development of regions of the world and the World Bank Groups' advice,
initiatives and warnings concerning them.
World Statesmen (http://www.worldstatesmen.org)
"World Statesmen is an attempt at a comprehensive and accurate list of
the heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders
occupying neither of those formal positions) for all countries and territories,
going back to about 1700 or in some cases earlier. Some go further back, some
only from their creation. Some subdivisions of some countries are present including
native or traditional polities, provinces, or states. This sight also lists the
leaders of international, religious, and governmental organizations." Searchable
by leader or by nation, offers a map of the country, audio and text versions
of the national anthem, and text of the national constitution for most countries.
World Trade Organization (http://www.wto.org/)
Headquartered in Switzerland the WTO, made up of member governments from around
the globe, is dedicated to topics concerning international trade and development.
Its English language "website contains material for a range of users, from
the general public to students, academics and trade specialists. It includes
introductions to WTO activities and a large database of official documents."
Worldwide Governments on the
WWW (http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/world.html)
Provides links to governmental institutions and political parties around the
world. |