Shevardnadze, Eduard

(1928– )

   Georgian diplomat and politician. As minister of foreign affairs of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1990, Eduard Shevardnadze was charged with implementing Mikhail Gorbachev’s “New Thinking” in foreign relations. He presided over the Soviet departure from Afghanistan, the termination of Soviet domination of the Eastern Bloc, the decision to allow the reunification of Germany, and the end of the Cold War with the United States.

   Following Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s flight from Georgia during the Georgian Civil War, Shevardnadze won the presidency of his homeland. Shevardnadze, who had led the country before becoming foreign minister, faced challenges on all sides, including separatist movements, as well as from Gamsakhurdia, who attempted to return to power. Ultimately, Shevardnadze gained control of the country but was forced to accept de facto independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as well as limited control over Ajaria.

   He assumed a decidedly pro-Western orientation and won economic support from the U.S., as well as a strategic partnership that was intended to lead to eventual North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership. This created friction with the Kremlin, which saw the Caucasus as part of its exclusive sphere of influence. Problems between Tbilisi and Moscow were exacerbated after the initiation of the second Chechen War, as anti-Russian fighters began taking refuge in northern Georgia. Following Washington’s decision to distance itself from his regime due to rampant corruption, Shevardnadze was swept from power by the 2003 Rose Revolution. He refused asylum in Germany, and returned to private life in Georgia.