Vendetta Politics in Georgia  Vendetta Politics in Georgia
MOSCOW —  Last night I got a call from friends in Georgia.
They’re worried about the political situation in their country.
This seems to be happening a lot lately.  Last week the
authorities in Tbilisi issued orders for the arrest of Vano
Merabishvili, a former prime minister who more recently was
serving as the head of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s political
party. (The officials behind the arrest answer to the government
of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the victor in last year’s
parliamentary election and a convinced opponent of the
president.)  Merabishvili’s detention is once again deepening
the divide in Georgian society. Many Georgians are eager to see
all former police and military officials, including President
Saakashvili, behind bars. Others are just tired of political
prosecutions and scandals. My friends sounded more frustrated
than happy, and with good reason. Instead of reviving the
economy and creating jobs as he promised, bill