The United States soon will be without an ambassador in the country of Georgia, as Robin Dunnigan ends her tenure there, even though, for years, Georgia has been a key partner to America in a difficult neighborhood, and its population has been among the most pro-American in the region. The Georgian people still hold such views, but the government clearly tilts toward Moscow and is increasingly behaving like the Russian regime in its crackdown on the Georgian opposition and civil society.<\/p>\n
Such dynamics make it imperative for the Trump administration to quickly nominate a replacement for Dunnigan \u2013 one who will speak out forcefully against the Georgian government\u2019s authoritarian and pro-Russian behavior. The U.S. Senate, for its part, should confirm a qualified candidate who meets that test. It also must pass legislation already approved by the House on May 5 that would hold Georgian officials accountable for their anti-American\u00a0actions and demonstrate U.S. concern for their country\u2019s slide toward authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n
The United States, together with European allies, should redouble efforts to get Georgia back on a democratic, pro-Western path. There\u2019s a window of opportunity because Russia is losing influence in the region. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have soured<\/a> on their ties to Moscow. And Ukraine, of course, is fending off Russia\u2019s brutal invasion.<\/p>\n Security Partner<\/strong><\/p>\n Not so long ago, Georgia was an important security partner of the United States. Remarkably, given its small size, Georgia was the largest non-NATO troop contributor to Operation Iraqi Freedom<\/a> and to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force<\/a> in Afghanistan. Despite intense Russian pressure not to do so, Georgia\u00a0also hosted both U.S. Marines and U.S. Army troops to conduct exercises and train-and-equip programs with the Georgian armed forces.<\/p>\n Those days are gone. Particularly since the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has adopted strident anti-American rhetoric. Controlled by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, it has falsely accused the United States of trying to drag Georgia into another war with Russia (Russia invaded Georgia in 2008). Party leaders also accuse the United States of fomenting another \u201ccolor revolution\u201d in Georgia (the Rose Revolution in 2003 brought to power a very pro-American government).<\/p>\n Georgian Dream\u00a0has essentially ended cooperation with the United States, particularly the American military, and has instead treated the West as the enemy. Georgia has frozen accession talks with the European Union and no longer attends NATO summits. In 2023, the GD government established a strategic partnership with China<\/a> and this year, it expressed solidarity with the Iranian regime<\/a> after the American strikes there recently.<\/p>\n While Georgia\u2019s trade and cooperation with the West has plummeted, trade with Russia and China has skyrocketed, and the number of Iranian-owned companies\u00a0operating\u00a0in Georgia has more than quadrupled<\/a> since GD took power.<\/p>\n The ruling party apparently believes that aligning with illiberal States offers greater benefits than partnering with the United States and Europe and that accommodating Russia is existential. Its appeasement policy includes adopting the Kremlin\u2019s political playbook: It used coercive methods to gain a questionable victory in elections<\/a> last fall, imprisoning opposition leaders<\/a> and attempting to silence and intimidate independent media and civil society by branding them \u201cforeign agents.\u201d<\/p>\n In short, like Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin, China\u2019s Xi Jinping, and Iran\u2019s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ivanishvili is gathering all the reins of power to ensure his and the regime\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n GD\u2019s decision to align the country\u00a0away from the West\u00a0flies in the face of Georgian public opinion. Polls routinely show that as many as 80 percent of Georgians support joining the European Union<\/a>\u00a0and NATO<\/a>.\u00a0Since last fall\u2019s controversial parliamentary elections<\/a>, the Georgian people have been bravely turning out in the streets for nightly protests, despite use of force by authorities, to demand an end to the government\u2019s authoritarian measures and pro-Russian orientation. The government has arrested most opposition leaders<\/a> and is threatening to go after civil society representatives<\/a>, too. These are the Georgians who need and deserve America\u2019s support.<\/p>\n Congressional Legislation<\/strong><\/p>\n Apart from some targeted sanctions against leading GD politicians, the Biden administration did not do enough to support the Georgian people\u2019s aspirations to join the West and to counter Russian, Chinese, and Iranian influence. Congress can step in and help by passing the MEGOBARI Act<\/a>, an acronym for the legislation that means \u201cfriend\u201d in Georgian. There appears to be little opposition to its passage but other legislation has taken up the Senate\u2019s time and attention.<\/p>\n