Georgia on my Mind

Yesterday I received an e-mail inviting me to once again participate as an international elections observer with the Organization for Security & Co-operation in Europe or OSCE - this time on their mission to the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Georgia.

Alright, first things first...

Forget "Atlanta" and think "Tbilisi"

Forget "U.S. Civil War" and think "Rose Revolution"

Forget "Newt Gingrich" and think "Eduard Shevardnadze"

This will be my third mission with the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions & Human Rights, or ODIHR - which is active in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and rule of law.

OSCE member-states include the United States, Canada, the nations of the European Union, and the nations that were part of the former Soviet Union.

I am tentatively set to leave on May 15 for a 10-day mission - unlike my missions to Albania in 2005 and Armenia in 2007, I probably won't be able to squeeze in an extended post-mission layover in Europe this time.

If you would like to read about my most recent adventure as an observer to the 2007 parliamentary elections in Armenia and my subsequent wandering in Tuscany, scroll down to the "Again? Yes - Again" entry - subsequent post appear above this.

If you would like to read about my first adventure as an election observer to the 2005 parliamentary elections in Albania, scroll all the way down to the bottom entry.

As always - much more to come!

SPB