Russia, China and Iran use the decay of democracy in Georgia

Russia, China and Iran use the decay of democracy in Georgia

a decade ago, Georgia was considered a model model of post-Soviet countries on the way to democracy and freedom. The government undertook steps to combat corruption that flourished civil society and grew the economy. American companies invested in the country.

Georgia and his role in international operations

in 2004, although Georgia was not a member of NATO, the country sent troops to Afghanistan to join the United States and other members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). This became Georgia's greatest non-Nato member of the mission. In 2005 US President George W. Bush visited the capital of Tbilis, and the road that leads to the airport was renamed "George W. Bush Straße".

democratic setbacks in Georgia

Today, more than 10 years later, democracy in Georgia, a small, strategically located country with 3.7 million inhabitants, collapse . On the Capitol Hill, both Republicans and Democrats are committed to the adoption of the Megobari Act.

The word "Megobari" means in the Georgian friend, and the supporters of the law strive to strengthen democratic practices, human rights and the rule of law in Georgia. The law would impose US sanctions, visa restrictions and asset locks against civil servants who are held responsible for election fraud, corruption and political oppression. In view of the rapid approach of Georgia to Russia, China and Iran, the US legislators warn against increasing influence of these states.

The shadow rule of Bidzina Ivanishvili

For over 200 days, demonstrators have been filling the main street in Tbilisi and carrying flags of Georgia, the USA and the European Union. Many are now wearing masks to identify through an increasing number of Chinese To withdraw surveillance cameras that the government has installed. Violations of what Amnesty International as Laws describes, can be punished with fines of up to $ 2,000.

repression and protests

According to Transparency International, one of the anti-corruption groups, demonstrators were violently arrested and tortured. Last year, the United States imposed sanctions against the then Interior Minister of Georgia, Vakhtang Gomelauri, because of “brutal and violent suppression of members of the media, the opposition and demonstrators.”

The protests were mostly peaceful, Levan Makhashvili, a member of the "Georgian Dream" party and chairman of the Committee for European Integration in the Georgian Parliament, told CNN. However, he claimed that there were some violent demonstrators who were to be persecuted. "There is a law: If you challenge state institutions, you have to be ready for the consequences," he said.

political uncertainty and international relationships

The last parliamentary elections in Georgia, which took place in October, were classified as neither free nor fair by international election observers. The opposition decided to boycott the new parliament, and without someone who was the MPs of the "Georgian Dream", they pushed through a number of draconian, Russian -style laws that are deeply polarized and The relationships polluted to important western allies.

growing influence of China and Irans

China's influence in Georgia also grows. Last year, the government terminated a contract with a Georgian, US and European consortium to the establishment of the Anaclia-Frekwasserhafen on the Black Sea. Instead, the contract was awarded to state-related Chinese companies, some of which are under US sanctions.

The contacts between "Georgian dream" and Iran also deepen. In May last year, the newly appointed Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze traveled to Tehran to take part in the burial of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and joined the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. In July he returned to the inauguration of the new Iranian President.

Georgia between West and East

The Once Strong Relationship Below Georgia and the United States is determinating. The outgoing US ambassador in Tbilisa, Robin Dunnigan, criticizes the government's "anti-American rhetoric". She reported that leaders of the "Georgian Dream" a private letter to the Trump administration would have sent, which was perceived as "threatening, insulting and dubious".

"Georgia is more than ready to work with the Trump administration," emphasized Makhashvili and said that the country had "made it clear" that relationships with the new American administration, especially in the area of trade, economy and logistics, wanted to revitalize.

Although the government is increasingly geared towards Russia, the Georgian citizens mostly support the integration with that West . The Georgian constitution contains the order for full integration into the European Union and NATO. In November 2024, the government controlled by "Georgische Dream" exposed its efforts to EU membership, which the US State Department as a warning interpreted that Georgia would be "more susceptible to the Kremlin".

prospects and challenges for Georgia

The full invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 gave the “Georgian dream” a powerful but paranoid message: the West attempts to go to Georgia to war. This anti-war message finds approval from many Georgians, since Georgia himself was attacked by Russia in 2008 and Russia continued to Regions occupied that make up about 20 % of the country's internationally recognized territory. Ivanishvili and his party "Georgian Dream" tightened this claim and without evidence that what they call the "Global War" or the "deep state" wanted to initiate a revolution in Georgia.

The megobari law US representative house by Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, and supported in the Senate of Jeanne Shaheen, a democrat from New Hampshire. The law was adopted in the House of Representatives and brought in in the Senate. If it is adopted in the Senate, it will return to the House of Representatives for reviews, then to sign President Donald Trump. The supporters are pushing for a quick farewell.

the turnout and the future of the opposition

"The Georgian people have made its euro-atlantic efforts clear, and the United States must continue to support them against the efforts of the" Georgian dream ", to reduce their democratic institutions," said Shaheen in an interview with CNN. "In a time when Russia tries to undermine democracies in the region Future. “

The Georgians themselves believe that the law could be a powerful instrument to protect Georgia from the abyss. "If sanctions not only send a signal, but also pain, the oligarchs perceive that," said Zviad Adzinbaia, doctoral student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

makhashvili wiped a possible threat from the Megobari law aside, but admitted that “this law represents a kind of symbol that we have several voices in the US congress, which for whatever reason is not interested in normal relationships with Georgia.”

other Georgians warn that members of the opposition, which are massively put under pressure by the government, are still divided by disparate views of how they can defend themselves. The current debate is about whether the opposition parties should take part in the nationwide local elections in October.

ia Meurmishvili, editor-in-chief of the international journalism initiative Independence Avenue Media, told CNN: "Elections are the foundation of all democracies and the only legitimate way of changing governments. If the Georgian opposition chooses, this could send a confusing signal to international supporters-which may Difficulties have to understand why a central democratic instrument is given up. ”

Giorgi Gakharia, a former Prime Minister of Georgia and leader of the opposition party "Für Georgia", is in the crosshair of the "Georgian Dream" party. The authorities have accused him of treason, which most western observers consider as a politically motivated attack. He threatens up to 15 to 20 years in prison, and he is currently abroad. His party explains that the upcoming local elections in October could be "the last democratic battlefield to stop Georgia's slipping into authoritarianism."

"While the Megobari Act promises hope of increased western support, the international pressure alone cannot reverse Georgia's current course. The regime is committed to eliminating all credible alternatives, but I am convinced that Georgian society has the will and courage to oppose and to recapture our rightful space in Europe, as long as the world remains committed and vigilant", " Gakharia told CNN.