Previous governments ignored the issue, wanting only, as one politician puts it: “to have their bit of the cake.” But after Saakashvili was denied entry to Adzharia last month, tempers flared. Strongman Aslan Abishidze has been accused of heading a Mafiosi clan, earning millions from drug smuggling while his people suffer. The acrimony between him and Saakashvili has threatened to escalate into civil war. Saakashvili has made inroads in reducing corruption in his country. But unless he can bring Adzharia under control, life for Georgians remains insecure.