The Rose Has Thorns

When Mikheil Saakashvili led Georgia's bloodless "revolution of the roses" to oust Eduard Shevardnadze as President in November, he demonstrated formidable political skills: an ability to excite a crowd, a flair for clandestine organization, a taste for brinkmanship. Now President Saakashvili is using those skills to try and bring Ajaria — one of three breakaway regions — back into the fold.

An economically important Black Sea region, Ajaria is run by Aslan Abashidze, a tough, rich autocrat Saakashvili has called a "feudal chief." When the President turned up on Ajaria's borders, ostensibly to campaign for allies running in...