s Georgia remembered its 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik occupation on February 23rd, Georgia's Interior Ministry violently stormed the office of the main opposition party United National Movement (UNM) and arrested its leader, Nika Melia.
Georgia's allies reacted harshly. The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi stated that "Georgia has moved backward on its path toward becoming a stronger democracy in the Euro-Atlantic family of nations." Co-chairs of the Georgia Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives described the government's move as "politically-motivated" and called for Melia's immediate release.
With its actions, Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream (GD) threatens Georgia's image as a beacon of freedom in Eurasia. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted "Navalny arrest was the first test. Myanmar second. Georgia is now third." He urged President Biden to act in Georgia as part of his pledge to do more to advance democracy and human rights around the world.
Supporters of Georgia’s united opposition want the U.S. to stand up for democracy and human rights. They want the U.S. to lead allied support against what they see as an assault by Russia and the Georgian Dream on their democratic freedoms and a fatal blow to the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
There is little doubt that Georgia is at a pivotal and dangerous stage in its democratic development. The failure of the United States and the West to act could have broader and lasting ramifications for Georgian citizens and stability in the broader Black Sea region.
What happened?
In June 2020, Georgians took to the streets to protest the sitting of a communist Russian Member of Parliament, Sergei Gavrilov, in the chair of the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. MP Gavrilov was leading an infamous Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy at the Georgian Parliament when he decided to repose (seat) himself in the Speaker’s chair.
This repose, which violated Georgian sovereignty and parliamentary traditions, outraged thousands, including Nika Melia, who condemned the MP’s actions during a public rally against the GD's decision to allow MP Gavrilov to enter the country. The GD-led government accused Melia of encouraging violence against the Parliament and the GD majority in Parliament stripped Melia of his parliamentary immunity to allow for officials to jail him. Transparency International described Melia's arrest as politically motivated.
Georgia’s opposition parties are currently united in a boycott of the Parliament following general elections that were held in October 2020. Georgian opposition parties claim GD rigged the elections, which the OSCE described as “competitive and, overall, fundamental freedoms were respected. Nevertheless, pervasive allegations of pressure on voters and blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process.” The OSCE called for “further efforts to address shortcomings.”
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, a member of the GD party, recently resigned over plans to arrest Melia, which he said would lead to "political escalation.”
Why care?
Georgia is the U.S. and Europe’s most dependable ally in the South Caucasus and a net contributor to U.S.-led global security missions, including NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. In 2008, Russia led a military offensive against Georgia and took its sovereign territory which it still occupies in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Regions. Russia’s objective was to halt the country's NATO membership—an objective that has succeeded in ensuring Georgia’s door to NATO membership remains closed despite it being the largest troop contributor to Afghanistan outside of NATO. Georgian civil society, which is committed to Western and Euro-Atlantic integration, fears that the lack of Western resolve may give Russia the momentum it needs to finally close all doors to Western integration.
Supporting Georgia during this time would be a powerful statement that the U.S. and the West will come to the aid of those who yearn for democracy and freedom globally. Democracy has not fared well in 2020, from Hong Kong to Belarus, to Myanmar and Russia. If Georgia follows, Putin's so-called sovereign, managed democracy model will gain more footing across Europe. The current Georgian government has displayed anti-opposition stances akin to the Putin regime's treatment of its pro-democracy opposition led by Alexey Navalny. Francis Fukuyama commented that the outside world should not let Georgia’s potential descend into authoritarianism.
Europe and the U.S. have real leverage in Georgia. Edison Research's 2020 survey shows that 92 percent of Georgians trust the U.S., NATO, and the EU. These figures are promising. However, Russia will take any opportunity to sow disinformation about the West’s commitment to Georgia, especially if the West does not show real resolve to support its ally and its democratic trajectory. This begs the question: If the U.S. won’t act in Georgia to defend democracy, where will it act?
Where is Georgia now?
In 2012, the newly elected GD party, led by Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, pledged to build upon Georgia’s young democratic institutions and ensure the rule of law and liberal democratic norms prevailed in Georgia. Conversely, Georgia is doing worse under GD’s leadership. Transparency International depicted the current situation as state capture by the GD in Georgia, while the country has regressed on The Economist’s Democracy Index.
Western investment helped shape a vibrant civil society and a globally minded new generation in Georgia. Most Georgian millennials and Generation Z are multilingual, committed citizens to a democratic Georgia. When the government attempts to silence them, they stand up and march for freedom. If liberty is threatened - they fight back. But they can’t fight alone, and their embrace of shared democratic values should not be abandoned by their biggest champion, the United States
What's next?
Washington should make it clear to the Georgian government that its weaponization of the rule of law is antithetical to Western values and will come at a cost. The price may include targeted sanctions against key Georgian figures if they do not take a different course and recommit to democratic ideals. The White House should encourage the government to hold early elections that will be free and fair. Early elections could reset Georgia’s political climate and ensure its political institutions are working for and listening to its citizens.
With new elections, Georgia's united political opposition could take up its parliamentary mandates, resolve Georgia's political crisis, and reinvigorate electoral reform. Washington could introduce potential rewards, such as visa-free travel and a free trade agreement if the GD allows for early elections and successful multiparty collaboration. This would be a win for all Georgians. It would also be a victory for Western values and true democracy - at a time when the world is watching.
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Biden Can Save Georgian Democracy, and Why He Should
March 9, 2021
At the recent Munich Security Conference, President Joe Biden embraced the notion of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. This ideal is being challenged in Tbilisi, Georgia right now.
A
s Georgia remembered its 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik occupation on February 23rd, Georgia's Interior Ministry violently stormed the office of the main opposition party United National Movement (UNM) and arrested its leader, Nika Melia.
Georgia's allies reacted harshly. The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi stated that "Georgia has moved backward on its path toward becoming a stronger democracy in the Euro-Atlantic family of nations." Co-chairs of the Georgia Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives described the government's move as "politically-motivated" and called for Melia's immediate release.
With its actions, Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream (GD) threatens Georgia's image as a beacon of freedom in Eurasia. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted "Navalny arrest was the first test. Myanmar second. Georgia is now third." He urged President Biden to act in Georgia as part of his pledge to do more to advance democracy and human rights around the world.
Supporters of Georgia’s united opposition want the U.S. to stand up for democracy and human rights. They want the U.S. to lead allied support against what they see as an assault by Russia and the Georgian Dream on their democratic freedoms and a fatal blow to the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
There is little doubt that Georgia is at a pivotal and dangerous stage in its democratic development. The failure of the United States and the West to act could have broader and lasting ramifications for Georgian citizens and stability in the broader Black Sea region.
What happened?
In June 2020, Georgians took to the streets to protest the sitting of a communist Russian Member of Parliament, Sergei Gavrilov, in the chair of the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. MP Gavrilov was leading an infamous Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy at the Georgian Parliament when he decided to repose (seat) himself in the Speaker’s chair.
This repose, which violated Georgian sovereignty and parliamentary traditions, outraged thousands, including Nika Melia, who condemned the MP’s actions during a public rally against the GD's decision to allow MP Gavrilov to enter the country. The GD-led government accused Melia of encouraging violence against the Parliament and the GD majority in Parliament stripped Melia of his parliamentary immunity to allow for officials to jail him. Transparency International described Melia's arrest as politically motivated.
Georgia’s opposition parties are currently united in a boycott of the Parliament following general elections that were held in October 2020. Georgian opposition parties claim GD rigged the elections, which the OSCE described as “competitive and, overall, fundamental freedoms were respected. Nevertheless, pervasive allegations of pressure on voters and blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process.” The OSCE called for “further efforts to address shortcomings.”
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, a member of the GD party, recently resigned over plans to arrest Melia, which he said would lead to "political escalation.”
Why care?
Georgia is the U.S. and Europe’s most dependable ally in the South Caucasus and a net contributor to U.S.-led global security missions, including NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. In 2008, Russia led a military offensive against Georgia and took its sovereign territory which it still occupies in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Regions. Russia’s objective was to halt the country's NATO membership—an objective that has succeeded in ensuring Georgia’s door to NATO membership remains closed despite it being the largest troop contributor to Afghanistan outside of NATO. Georgian civil society, which is committed to Western and Euro-Atlantic integration, fears that the lack of Western resolve may give Russia the momentum it needs to finally close all doors to Western integration.
Supporting Georgia during this time would be a powerful statement that the U.S. and the West will come to the aid of those who yearn for democracy and freedom globally. Democracy has not fared well in 2020, from Hong Kong to Belarus, to Myanmar and Russia. If Georgia follows, Putin's so-called sovereign, managed democracy model will gain more footing across Europe. The current Georgian government has displayed anti-opposition stances akin to the Putin regime's treatment of its pro-democracy opposition led by Alexey Navalny. Francis Fukuyama commented that the outside world should not let Georgia’s potential descend into authoritarianism.
Europe and the U.S. have real leverage in Georgia. Edison Research's 2020 survey shows that 92 percent of Georgians trust the U.S., NATO, and the EU. These figures are promising. However, Russia will take any opportunity to sow disinformation about the West’s commitment to Georgia, especially if the West does not show real resolve to support its ally and its democratic trajectory. This begs the question: If the U.S. won’t act in Georgia to defend democracy, where will it act?
Where is Georgia now?
In 2012, the newly elected GD party, led by Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, pledged to build upon Georgia’s young democratic institutions and ensure the rule of law and liberal democratic norms prevailed in Georgia. Conversely, Georgia is doing worse under GD’s leadership. Transparency International depicted the current situation as state capture by the GD in Georgia, while the country has regressed on The Economist’s Democracy Index.
Western investment helped shape a vibrant civil society and a globally minded new generation in Georgia. Most Georgian millennials and Generation Z are multilingual, committed citizens to a democratic Georgia. When the government attempts to silence them, they stand up and march for freedom. If liberty is threatened - they fight back. But they can’t fight alone, and their embrace of shared democratic values should not be abandoned by their biggest champion, the United States
What's next?
Washington should make it clear to the Georgian government that its weaponization of the rule of law is antithetical to Western values and will come at a cost. The price may include targeted sanctions against key Georgian figures if they do not take a different course and recommit to democratic ideals. The White House should encourage the government to hold early elections that will be free and fair. Early elections could reset Georgia’s political climate and ensure its political institutions are working for and listening to its citizens.
With new elections, Georgia's united political opposition could take up its parliamentary mandates, resolve Georgia's political crisis, and reinvigorate electoral reform. Washington could introduce potential rewards, such as visa-free travel and a free trade agreement if the GD allows for early elections and successful multiparty collaboration. This would be a win for all Georgians. It would also be a victory for Western values and true democracy - at a time when the world is watching.
