Georgia’s Opposition Needs to Do More Than Just Harness Anger

In nan aftermath of truthful galore different bonzer events that person erupted complete nan past fewer months, nan activity of anti-government protests that person gripped Georgia person struggled to summation world attention. The outbreak of nationalist rage began successful Tbilisi, aft nan ruling Georgian Dream statement claimed victory successful nan country’s disputed elections successful October. But protests person now dispersed to smaller towns astir nan state owed to nan government’s consequent suspension of Georgia’s European Union accession process and unfastened attacks connected nan norm of law.

The conflict to extremity Georgian Dream, funded by billionaire erstwhile Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, from dismantling nan foundations of a European populist now hangs successful nan balance. But beyond Georgia’s borders, nan existent standoff underscores really overmuch nan endurance of free societies depends connected nan struggle to prolong dream for a amended future.

For those trying to prolong Georgia’s wide protests against a authorities tally by secretive oligarchs pinch beardown links to Russia, nan challenges posed by unfastened constabulary repression connected 1 manus and an internally divided guidance connected nan different person go much daunting arsenic nan number of protesters has grown. Efforts to mobilize nationalist anger extracurricular municipality areas are hampered by authorities intimidation, but besides by lingering memories of recurring scandals and constabulary unit erstwhile nan largest guidance party—the United National Movement, aliases UNM—was successful powerfulness successful nan 2000s and early 2010s. With nan devastation unleashed by Russia’s existent warfare against Ukraine serving arsenic a reminder of nan Russia-Georgia warfare successful 2008, fears that nan Kremlin-friendly government’s autumn could lead Russian President Vladimir Putin to motorboat yet different penetration to “defend” Georgia’s secessionist regions nether Moscow’s “protection” person besides played into Georgian Dream’s hands.