As the Ukraine impeachment saga lingers, you might think that President Trump would want to take a stand for democracy in Georgia.
After all, Trump’s support for Georgia would strike a different Eurasian narrative — one of American support for a deeply pro-American people against their increasingly authoritarian government. Sadly, the Trump administration is silent.
Georgia’s young democracy is being trampled under the heel of oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and his puppet prime minister, Giorgi Gakharia. Georgia’s wealthiest person, Ivanishvili is the real power behind the ruling Georgian Dream party. And he uses that power with a parasitic quality. Ivanishvili has spent the past year breaking a promise to reform the electoral law, attacking opposition politicians and protesters, and sucking up to Vladimir Putin.
On that last point, for example, Ivanishvili has canceled the development of the Black Sea port of Anaklia. Supported by the United States and the European Union, that port would have brought investment wealth to Georgia as a landing site for global trade. But it’s a threat to Russia’s port hegemony, so Ivanishvili has killed it to keep Putin happy.
And the rot goes deeper. Ivanishvili has also taken a page out of Putin’s book and has embraced a covert deception campaign. Just before Christmas, Facebook announced that it had “removed 39 Facebook accounts, 344 Pages, 13 Groups and 22 Instagram accounts as part of a domestic-focused network that originated in the country of Georgia.” Facebook continued, “Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation linked this activity to Panda, an advertising agency in Georgia, and the Georgian Dream-led government.”
All of this has led to the situation we’re in now, one in which a majority of Georgians no longer believe they live in a democracy. It’s a terrible indictment of Georgian Dream’s betrayal.
Unfortunately, we haven’t seen any serious concern from Trump or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The newly arrived U.S. ambassador to Tbilisi hasn’t offered much cause for hope either. Kelly Degnan is a career diplomat with knowledge of hostile Russian strategies. Unfortunately, Degnan’s first statement avoided even the expression of mild concern.
Fortunately, Congress has stepped into the leadership breach.
Its latest action came from Sens. Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, who wrote a letter this week to Gakharia. The senators explained that “two of the most pressing matters are Parliament’s failure to uphold its commitment to electoral reform and the government’s violent suppression of peaceful protests.”
The letter continued, “We are eager to continue to assist your country … However, we are motivated to support Georgia’s economic and political development only as long as we can rely on Georgia to be a stable, trustworthy, and democratic partner in this effort.”
Their letter was joined by Rep. Pete Olson’s amusing but serious lament for the situation. Others in Congress, notably Republican Adam Kinzinger and Democrat Gerry Connolly, have also previously expressed their concern.
But more American leadership is necessary. And it needs to come from the top — from Trump or from Pompeo.
Absent that executive leadership, Ivanishvili will believe that America is all talk and no action. Trump should speak up. What’s happening in Georgia is a human tragedy and a threat to the American-led liberal international order. It flies in the face of the Georgian people’s interests and aspirations.
