31 Oct 2008

Tbilisi favours McCain's experience

People in the former Soviet republic of Georgia have been following the US presidential campaign intently - although their fascination is largely based on self-interest.

The Georgian perspective on the contest between John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, and Barack Obama can be reduced to one question: Which one of them will do more for us?

Since the "Rose Revolution" brought the pro-Western government of Mikheil Saakashvili to power in Tbilisi five years ago, Washington has been Georgia's main international supporter - politically, economically and militarily.

Many Georgians appear to believe that the man most likely to maintain and even increase that support is McCain.

McCain has been a regular visitor to the country in recent years, is highly critical of the Kremlin's policies in the region, and during Georgia's recent war with neighbouring Russia, he declared that "today, we are all Georgians".

Al Jazeera