Over the past few years, there has been a notable trend toward democratic backsliding in Georgia. Previously recognized as one of the most democratic leaning states that emerged from the rubble of the Soviet Union, domestic political battles have elicited some non-democratic practices.

Once clearly on track toward a Western orientation, the Georgian government’s response to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine one year ago has wavered. Sadly, the ruling coalition in Georgia’s parliament is now attempting to pass a “foreign agent law” directly modelled on the same infamous law in Russia. The proposed law would require organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from overseas as “foreign agents.”

The international friends of Georgia have expressed consternation in recent years over Tbilisi’s democratic backsliding, evidenced perhaps most importantly when the European Union offered EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, but not Georgia, in 2022. All of this raises questions about the direction Georgia is headed.