This article discusses the current situation in Georgia, where the government, led by Georgian Dream (GD), is passing a law that designates certain organizations and individuals as “foreign agents”, sparking concerns about civil liberties. The author of the article, William Courtney, was involved with the Helsinki Commission hearing on June 4, and shares his insights.
Some key points from the article:
1. **Foreign Agents Law**: GD’s introduction of the foreign agents law is seen as a way to consolidate power and control the narrative in Georgia.
2. **Implementation**: The author notes that the implementation of the law will be crucial, and fears that it may follow Russia’s example, where similar laws were used to silence civil society and opposition.
3. **Sanctions**: Courtney believes that sanctions from the West should come into play once the law is implemented and starts to affect civil society and media.
4. **Preventive vs Punitive Sanctions**: He notes that sanctions are typically punitive, not preventive, but that they can still serve as a deterrent to GD’s further repression.
5. **EU Accession Talks**: The article mentions that the EU has put accession talks on hold until the law is repealed, which may be seen as a deterrent by GD.
6. **Consequences for GD**: Courtney believes that GD may see the delay in accession talks as an opportunity to legitimize their rule and argue that they are moving towards Europe on their own terms.
Some interesting quotes from the article:
* “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
* “Georgian Dream is taking the actions it is taking with the purpose of staying in power, even though it has become unpopular. There’s not much the West can do that is going to overpower Georgian Dream’s motivation.”
* “We in the West will be watching [the elections]. Let’s hope the elections are as free and fair as possible. But right now, we’re not so sure we expect that.”