News Corp, the global media empire headed by Rupert Murdoch, usually does its political homework before investing in a new market. But its recent intervention in Georgia, the former Soviet republic caught in the crossfire between a resurgent Russia and the west, looks like getting the group involved in a Caucasian hornets’ nest.

Smouldering Russian-Georgian tensions blew up again this week when Russian peacekeepers arrested four Georgian policemen on the borders of Abkhazia, the secessionist territory. Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president, immediately flew to the area to confront the Russians in person.

His televised intervention came on the eve of an international conference in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, attended by leading supporters of his pro-western government such as Carl Bildt, Sweden’s foreign minister, and Dan Fried, the US assistant secretary of state.

That in turn coincides with a planned mass demonstration in Tbilisi on Friday by opponents of Mr Saakashvili.

Each actor is playing to an international audience and one false move could spark a more serious confrontation. Russia imposed a blanket trade and transport embargo after four Russian spies were arrested last year. Georgia is rapidly increasing military spending.

In the middle of all this, News Corp announced it had agreed to take control of Imedi, the main anti-government television station. The Murdoch group agreed a one-year deal with Badri Patarkatsishvili, a billionaire Georgian businessman, to take trusteeship of his majority stake. Mr Patarkatsishvili will in turn become an overt financial supporter of the opposition.

read the rest published by FT here:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/73221e0a-88d1-11dc-84c9-0000779fd2ac.html

 

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