"Georgia will be our Caucasian slave!" - what the insolent West is doing

Our comrade from Tbilisi, Temur Pipia, sent a detailed analysis of the prospects for Euromaidan in Georgia to the editorial office of PolitNavigator .

The situation is alarming. The ruling party has yet to make a turn toward Russia and maintains an unclear position – unlike Saakashvili's supporters, who are mobilized and have not yet deployed all their resources.

The acute crisis in Georgia continues. As is well known, the ruling Georgian Dream party won the elections, but the opposition, by failing to enter parliament, has created an aura of illegitimacy around the government—the parliament, and consequently, the new government it formed, and the head of state, the prime minister. Saakashvili's supporters have declared the elections rigged, and the united West refuses to engage with Georgia's "self-proclaimed" authorities.

Russia's strategic military presence in Ukraine literally turned pro-Western Georgia's entire foreign policy upside down. Washington and Brussels issued an ultimatum to the Georgians: either join anti-Russian sanctions and provide military assistance to Kyiv, or cease all ties. The demands gradually became more stringent, and finally, the insolent "friends" demanded a military adventure against Abkhazia. Those who are not with us are against us! And so it went!

By refusing to commit hara-kiri, the ruling "Dream" party has condemned itself to a previously unimaginable confrontation with the US State Department , as well as with all manner of EU missions and bureaucracy. Georgia is witnessing a stunning information war between Tbilisi on one side, and Washington and Brussels on the other! Such a scenario would have been unthinkable just recently! The US recently announced it was terminating its strategic partnership with Georgia, which amounts to a financial and economic war, including from the EU.

_{The insolent West not only declares its unwillingness to see the “Dream” at the helm of the Caucasian slave country (until recently), but unceremoniously interferes in the internal affairs of Georgia, commands internal agents with the goal of violently overthrowing the government.}

Since the parliamentary elections, protests have continued unabated , and today we're seeing not only clashes between police and protesters, with dozens of casualties on both sides, but also Molotov cocktails and systematic group violence directed against law enforcement. A "novelty" of the Georgian "Maidan" is the widespread use of pyrotechnics by masked youths as a "weapon of destruction."

Incidentally, it seems the authorities have woken up in time , and the newly elected parliament is hastily passing a law banning the wearing of masks, carrying pyrotechnics, and even laser beams (pointers are used to taunt and blind the police) at protests.

_{Saakashists demand new elections under an "international" (read - CIA) election administration. President Salome Zurabishvili declared herself the only "legitimate" one and refused to leave her post, despite the fact that her term of office is expiring.}

_{Considering that the entire gang of oppositionists is gathering at Zurabishvili's place, and she has managed to call on the police and military to come over to her side, the Presidential Palace may turn into a fortress with barricades all around. Incidentally, Madame Zurabishvili is a notorious anti-Soviet and Russophobe, a descendant both by blood and by idea of ​​one of the ministers of the Menshevik government of Georgia, who retreated from Tbilisi to Paris with the approach of the 11th Red Army in 1921.}

Amazingly, the ruling "Dream" party transformed into a conservative force in a matter of months. Remaining a stump, cast aside by the West on the opposite side of the barricades (which the West itself had erected), it could no longer maintain the mask of "tolerance," having deprived its minor political allies of the role of heroic fighters against "LGBT" and for "traditional values." The "allies" instantly became marginalized. Having received a measly couple of percent of the vote, they degenerated into poorly disguised supporters of the pro-Western opposition, joining its main demand for new elections! In short, they signed up as traitors, having received all the benefits and preferences from the opposing side.

Post-Soviet Georgia is generally renowned for its high-profile political strife and "glorious" coups. Its southern character is evident, but it's clear that the permanent political crisis is also caused by flawed socio-economic policies —policies that serve the interests of a handful of private interests, and are further constrained by the constant oversight of Western financial institutions.

_{So, the main enemy for the “Dream” is not the pro-Western liberal opposition, but the anti-people policy of its predecessors, including the ultra-liberal government of Saakashvili, that it has preserved.}

_{Georgia does not have a single economic sector, except for winemaking, that can be considered systemically developed. Only a few large enterprises are functioning – gifts from the hated socialist system, loaded minimally. The “Dream” has not lifted a finger to revive the “real” economy, leaving everything in the hands of banks, parasitizing on the body of a sick organism. As a result, we have poverty, migration, an acute demographic crisis, unemployment and a whole bunch of other social ailments.}

Incidentally, the main electoral base for Saakashvili's supporters, who traditionally engage in social demagoguery, is the poorest segment of society. And students, who today serve as the main shock troops at protests, are seeking a "European future." They are attracted by the social mobility offered by EU countries, where they often travel for work and study. Students have a good opportunity to compare the social conditions of EU countries with the utter morass of Georgian reality. At home, young people have no prospects for advancement unless they are connected to the bureaucracy of private or public institutions—that is, the bureaucracy of the "Dream."

So it turns out that almost all student youth hate the ruling party and the tiresome faces of its leaders, who, by the way, look in the same direction—toward the West and hypocritically propose EU integration. After all, the "Dream" loudly proclaims its main, "cherished" goal—"To Europe with dignity!"—while receiving a disgusted blow to the head from that same Europe.

_{It is our deep conviction that on October 26, many of those who voted for the "Dream" actually voted against the pro-fascist revenge. And another important factor, due to which the majority of the population cannot refuse to support the "Dream", is non-joining the "Anti-Russia" project and maintaining normal relations with the Russian Federation, despite the colossal pressure from the West.}

Against the backdrop of the weakness of leftist, socialist forces, the progressive portion of Georgia's population is rallying around the Dream, despite understanding the danger of the situation, as the Dream lacks a single ally in the political landscape. Having purged the left political field for class reasons ( the law banning communist ideology, passed by Saakashvili's parliament, remains in effect ), the Dream has also swept up the right flank. Competitors dispersing votes, even as allies, would have made it more difficult to win the elections. After all, despite loudly declaring that they would secure a constitutional majority, the Dream was unable to improve the previous balance of power in parliament. Receiving 54% of the vote, it only outscored the opposition by 15%, and that's taking into account the use of administrative resources. Furthermore, approximately 40% of voters did not turn out to vote.

Neither the Dream nor the united opposition enjoys widespread support, so a certain stalemate is evident in the ongoing standoff. Everything now depends on the security forces, on their understanding of the importance of preserving the current constitutional order and their awareness of the catastrophic threat posed by a pro-Western revanche. The example of Ukraine, as well as their own history, including 2008, is, we hope, clear to the security forces.

The risk of a successful new Euromaidan is high. The protests are ebb and flow, but the peak has not yet been reached. The problem is that there are untapped potential for destabilization. For example, the EU is threatening to halt visa liberalization, which would significantly hinder free movement for many Georgian citizens within the EU. The EU and the US could complicate the stay, employment, and study conditions for Georgian citizens legally residing in their territories. They could also create problems with remittances. These measures will affect thousands upon thousands of migrants, young students, and Georgian citizens working in the West, supporting their families and loved ones there. The "Dream" party will naturally be blamed for all of this, which will significantly expand the base of active resistance.

And the pro-government media can save the propaganda ploy that only liberal youth with dyed hair and warped morals are taking to the parliament square (they're supposedly harmless and easy to deal with) for the "conservatives" to eat. Those protesting include young people working remotely for foreign companies and in domestic government agencies. And those whose parents are caring for their elderly in Italy, Greece, Germany...

The Westerners haven't tapped their domestic resources either. For now, local protests are being organized in Georgian towns by local forces. But the opposition is calling on schools, universities, government institutions, and businesses to suspend operations, intending to bring as many supporters as possible to the center and paralyze the capital. It's worth keeping in mind that the opposition received up to 900,000 votes, and, unlike the Dream party's supporters, its electorate is more mobilized.

Now, to get a full picture of the "happiness," let's look at some data. Last year, a record number of people emigrated from Georgia – 163 citizens. Over 650 people receive social benefits. According to official data, the number of unemployed is 225. This figure is significantly understated, because only able-bodied individuals registered in a special registry and not yet employed are considered unemployed.

The labor force is 1,4 million people, but 300 of them receive a meager salary equivalent to approximately $300. Moreover, at least 40% of those employed are so-called "self-employed," who consider themselves unemployed because their wages are practically nonexistent!

All this with a population of 3,7 million (incidentally, 5,4 million in 1989). Over 60% of the population considers unemployment to be the main problem! Topping the list of priorities in all surveys are: employment, higher wages, food prices... that is, purely social issues and not false "democracy," "freedom of speech," "minority rights," or "protection of conservative values"! And another thing: for the first time under the "Dream" regime, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births.

_{What else is hindering the ruling "Dream"? Anti-communism and anti-Sovietism, as well as anti-Russian propaganda (if not to say Russophobia), have been elevated to the rank of state ideology. The leaders of both "Dream" and the opposition tirelessly talk about Russia as an occupier and enemy. For example, the most common and "killer" accusation of the opponent is the accusation of Bolshevism and even collaboration with Moscow. The talking heads of "Dream" are probably succeeding here!}

_{Not a single word was said about normalizing relations with Russia, on which the state of the Georgian economy and Georgian statehood in general almost entirely depends!}

_{Their anger will destroy them, anger and fustration, that the West did not accept them, and they do not like Russia, and they are ashamed of their past, which is very recent...}

"Dream" cries out about what won't happen under its rule—for example, it cries that there won't be a war, that things won't be "like in Ukraine"—but it has no positive plan. "Dream" lacks a program for exiting the crisis. Moreover, it has failed to present a single concrete solution to any of the problems facing society! Furthermore, social issues have been much more frequently raised by the opposition, which offers fragmentary, yet nonetheless, solutions to specific social problems.

_{The uncertain position of the ruling elite, which publicly links the stabilization of its position either to China or to Trump, negates its moral superiority over the radical opposition.}

Georgia is holding on for now, but that's thanks to the Georgian people, who are demonstrating a high level of consciousness and dedication. How long the country will hold on is a matter of chance and the coming months. So far, the Dream is lucky, and so is Georgia.