The most recent elections in the three states of the South Caucasus and in Kyrgyzstan have all represented strong setbacks for the development of democracy. While the specific situations are different in each case, they all reflect the common problem of a close connection between politics and property rights. In each state, the incumbent authorities feel compelled to hold on to power through any means possible because losing their public office would likely force them to give up their access to wealth and, potentially, even their personal liberty. Typically, leaders have focused on destroying free media and repressing any form of opposition, or apparent opposition, which arises. Progress toward democracy will be impossible without breaking the connection between political and economic power, which facilitates high levels of corruption in each case. […]
