Political and business leader Bidzina Ivanishvili plans to restore an abandoned Georgian spa resort, where Joseph Stalin used to frolic in radioactive waters, to its former glory.
While it is not unusual to have outsiders argue about what is best for Uzbekistan, it is less customary to see such spirited debate inside the country.
Samvel Babayan was effectively disqualified after the de facto parliament declined to change a law requiring the president to be resident in the territory for the previous 10 years.
Amid a spat with Turkey, the momentum appears to be on the side of those seeking formal American recognition. But some supporters wonder if this is the right time.
From openhanded hospitality to fierce blood feuds, centuries-old customs are fading in Svaneti as the remote Caucasus highland becomes a trendy tourism destination.