Putin is Failing in Ukraine, but Winning in Georgia, Ian Kelly and David Kramer’s Joint Article Reads
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
The former US ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly and US Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer during the George Bush presidency released an article for the news website The Bulwark, discussing Georgia’s wrong direction towards Euro-atlantic integration during the Ukraine crisis, emphasizing that Georgia is becoming more similar to the Russian model which is a one-party rule and the persecution of the opposition.
Diplomats criticize the Georgian Dream government's policies, saying that despite the desire of the vast majority of the Georgian people to join NATO and the European Union, the ruling party rhetorically supports Western integration policies and its actions show that it chooses the wrong groups.
The letter by Kelly and Kramer reads that the Georgian government is calculating its decisions based on whether it upsets the dictator in the Kremlin or not, which became more apparent in the Georgian Dream’s refusal to make changes urged by the U.S, Europe, and NGOs to ensure an independent judiciary system in Georgia:
“The Georgian Dream government seems to calculate its decisions based not on whether a policy furthers integration with Western norms, but whether it might upset the dictator in the Kremlin. In its domestic policy, the government has been steadily gathering all the reins of power, in all three branches of government, and marginalizing or dismantling institutions that could provide a check on that power.”
Both authors of the article are heavily criticizing Georgia’s ruling party’s position regarding the war in Ukraine, calling it concerning:
“Most concerning is Georgian Dream’s policy toward the war in Ukraine. As a fellow victim of a hostile Russian invasion, Georgia should be a natural ally of Ukraine. Instead, the Georgian government’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia, its prevention of its citizens from joining the fight in Ukraine, and its alleged efforts to help Russia avoid sanctions prompted Ukraine to withdraw its ambassador from Tbilisi.”
Ian Kelly and David Kramer write that the Georgian Dream has strong control over the judiciary and law enforcement agencies for their own political and economic profits. According to them, the ruling party has launched a campaign of persecution and demonization of opposition leaders, especially against the United National Movement.
“Georgian Dream keeps a firm grip on the judiciary and law enforcement not only to ensure judicial outcomes in its political and economic favor but also to prevent a robust opposition. It has waged a campaign of persecution and demonization against leaders of the country’s opposition, particularly the United National Movement. Georgia’s former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, imprisoned after returning to Georgia from Ukraine last fall, has suffered declining health and poor treatment in prison.”
The article also mentions the recent arrest of Nika Gvaramia, leading opposition channel director of Mtavari Arkhi, sentencing him to more than three years in jail, calling it a “disturbing step” from the ruling party:
“The latest disturbing step in Georgia’s march toward authoritarianism occurred last week when a judge sentenced Nika Gvaramia, the director of leading opposition TV channel “Mtvari Arkhi,” to more than three years in prison on politically motivated charges. The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi said in a statement that Gvaramia’s case “calls into question Georgia’s commitment to rule of law” and suggested it sends the wrong signal about its Western orientation at a time “when Georgia has an unprecedented opportunity to advance its Euro-Atlantic integration.”
