Georgia: NATO by way of BMD

As Tbilisi extends its hand to the US and the latter's missile defense plans, some analysts believe it is also signaling its NATO aspirations.

In a 2 May interview with the UK daily Financial Times, Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili suggested that Tbilisi was ready to consider the installation of US ballistic missile defense (BMD) facilities on its territory. Bezhuashvili's words came as a surprise for many observers: Exactly two months before, Georgian officials denied that the US had made a request to host parts of its controversial missile shield. [more]