What in the world is going on in Georgia? Since the Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia has been among the leaders in Eurasia moving away from the authoritarian legacy of Soviet rule towards an open and democratic society. This has included a foreign policy oriented towards Europe and the United States.
While there have been some setbacks to domestic transformation in the late years of Mikheil Saakashvili’s leadership, and since Georgian Dream came to power, Georgia still moved in the direction of reform and increased cooperation with the United States, with whom it became a strategic partner, and the European Union (EU), which offered Georgia candidacy status in 2023. Since then, the Georgian Dream government has moved more and more in an authoritarian direction.
The party passed the controversial foreign agent and offshore laws in the spring. Georgian Dream then claimed victory in elections fraught with numerous violations and allegations of fraud, which the EU and the United States criticized. On November 28, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze suspended Georgia’s EU membership bid until 2028, prompting a constitutional crisis and widespread protests in cities around the country. Alarmingly, Georgian Dream and the security forces it controls have responded to the demonstrations by escalating violence against peaceful protesters, particularly against journalists.
In response to Georgian Dream’s actions, on November 30, the United States suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia and more than $95 million in financial assistance earmarked for the Georgian government. The Department of Defense canceled joint military exercises that were supposed to take place in July.
This public virtual conversation will discuss the current situation on the ground in Tbilisi and opportunities and challenges facing the United States and the EU in its approach toward Georgia, the intended and unintended consequences of the actions taken so far, and the ways in which the United States can support the Georgian people’s efforts in keeping the country on the Euro-integration path.
Speakers
Kim Donovan
Director, Economic Statecraft Initiative, GeoEconomics Center
Atlantic Council
Nino Evgenidze
Executive Director
Economic Policy Research Center
Ambassador John Herbst
Senior Director, Eurasia Center
Atlantic Council
Ia Meurmishvili
Chief International Correspondent
The Cipher Brief
Laura Thornton
Senior Director, Global Democracy Programs
McCain Institute
Moderated by
Presented by

Economic Statecraft Initiative
Housed within the GeoEconomics Center, the Economic Statecraft Initiative (ESI) publishes leading-edge research and analysis on sanctions and the use of economic power to achieve foreign policy objectives and protect national security interests.

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to promote policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.
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