You should care about Georgia

“The shortest land bridge between the EU and China,”(Avdaliani) a small country between the Black Sea, Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with breakaway territories lost in the 1990’s — Georgia is a country that has fought its entire existence for a right to exist on its own, it has fought for many years to finally achieve independence with its citizens knowing the hefty price of this luxury very well. The fight for sovereignty and democracy is part of Georgian land, part of the Georgian roots — it is what makes up the Georgian identity. Today, unlikely as it may seem, the fight for independence and freedom continues. As the narrative of Georgia’s northern neighbor influences its domestic and foreign policies, it blocks the country’s path to Europe — one that many see as a light at the end of the tunnel. And yet, the path to independence and ultimately, to the survival of democracy, remains one that Georgians are willing to embark on, no matter the price. 

Formerly part of the Soviet Union, now an independent country, Georgia’s generations are torn by varying identities. Some look nostalgically back to their past history with Russia, back to the days of certainty… This is the narrative that the current ruling party, Georgian Dream, has been leaning on. And despite trying to maintain neutrality, the lack of anti-Russian sanctions and criticism among other things, have resulted in Georgian Dream being branded a pro-Russian party (Avdaliani). Importantly, Georgian Dream claims that the West, or rather a group of elites who profit off of war - the Global War Party - is trying to entwine Georgia into various conflicts like the one in Ukraine. The generation that has seen the effects of the fall of the Soviet Union, followed by constant wars and revolutions, has had enough of the incessant fighting – they’re tired of it. Most of them would rather choose to stay with the current government, if only for the sake of ‘peace’. But even this peace comes at a cost. 

The younger generation, one that grew up in an independent Georgia, knows only the consequences of war that Russia has brought upon the country, most notably the loss of Abkhazia and South Ossetia who declared independence in 1999 and 2008 respectively (Zeidan). They want to join the European Union because it would offer them opportunities otherwise unavailable in Georgia: it would offer them security from potential Russian aggression, it would offer them stability that they have only had a taste of so far. And although Georgia received EU membership candidacy status in late 2023, the victory was short-lived as Georgian Dream passed the Foreign Agents Bill in 2024 which people have compared to Russia’s use of this law to “repeatedly… crack down on independent civil society and opposition, closing organizations and jailing dissenters”(U.S. Helsinki Commission).

Not only that, but the threat of the opposition as we approach the parliamentary elections on October 26th, has led to Georgian Dream vowing “to outlaw virtually all of its political opponents if it wins parliamentary elections later this year”(Gavin). If that isn’t concerning enough on its own, the current government has also passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation echoing “laws adopted in neighboring Russia”(Megrelidze, Litvinova). 

Many will undoubtedly call this ‘yet another country on the brink of a revolution’ and shrug away any possible solutions, any contributions of their own. And yet, behind the name of Georgia or ‘Sakartvelo’, stands an entire population of four million people. Four million with a unique cultural background, of extreme ethnic diversity; people with enormous willpower and a dire thirst for European freedom and peace that Western countries often promote far beyond their borders… So my question to you is – do you choose to care and lend a helping hand to a generation that believes in you? Or do you turn your back on them? 

The younger generation is not eager to see what Georgian Dream will do with the country in the coming years. They want to preserve the hard-earned democracy their parents worked for and they look westward to find answers. To the US, to the European Union—they look to the future of Georgia. They look to you. 

All Georgian people ask of you, is to care. There is not much that an average person can do in their day-to-day life. The one thing you can do is read about the country, know that it exists. When people talk about the region, know that there is indeed a country called Georgia that isn’t just a state in the US; one that has its own language, one that is now faced with a crucial choice. People have immense power – the minute people start to care, the minute they start talking about these things, their governments follow suit, helping young democracies thrive and grow. 

It is far easier to turn away than do anything about a country thousands of miles away. And still, it remains a country that yearns for European membership as well as belonging in the Western world. A country that chooses to fight for it every day, whether it be at protests in front of the parliament building, inside it, or yet again miles away in a whole other country. We care about Georgia. Please, then, care about it with us.

Resources Used:

Avdaliani, Emil. “Playing With Fire: Georgia’s Cautious Rapprochement With Russia.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 21, 2023. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2023/07/playing-with-fire-georgias-cautious-rapprochement-with-russia?lang=en.

Gavin, Gabriel. “Georgia Goes ‘North Korea’ with Bombshell Plan to Ban Main Opposition Parties,” August 23, 2024. https://www.politico.eu/article/georgia-opposition-ban-georgian-dream-party-election-eu-enlargement-irakli-kobakhidze/.

Megrelidze, Sophiko, and Dasha Litvinova. “Georgian Parliament Approves Anti-LGBTQ Legislation, Echoing Measures in Russia,” September 17, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/georgia-lgbtq-rights-samesex-marriage-57ede62918ec995f21473f23f5676f80.

“The Proliferation of Russian-Style Foreign Agents Laws.” Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: U.S. Helsinki Commission, June 20, 2024. https://www.csce.gov/briefings/the-proliferation-of-russian-style-foreign-agents-laws/#:~:text=In%202012%2C%20Russia%20adopted%20a,closing%20organizations%20and%20jailing%20dissenters.

Tikkanen, Amy. “South Ossetia.” In Britannica, October 1, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Ossetia.

Zeidan, Adam. “Abkhazia.” In Britannica, October 1, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/place/Abkhazia.