Protests lay bare a clash of values and interests as Georgia navigates a Russia-West standoff

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia is convulsed by political upheaval again after its pro-Moscow government, fresh off parliamentary elections denounced as rigged by its critics, decided to suspend negotiations for the small former Soviet republic to join the European Union. The small but ancient Caucasus country has long inhabited a crossroads between Slavic, Turkish and Persian cultures, and has recently found itself navigating the geopolitical standoff between Russia under strongman President Vladimir Putin and the democratic, wealthy West. Some see the protests in Georgia as similar to earlier events in Ukraine.