Georgia’s Independence Day saw two celebrations: the government’s and the opposition’s. But in Western media, and among Georgia’s own duck pond of grant-run outlets, the opposition’s evening event took center stage and was largely presented as a pro-European democracy rally. Euronews led with “thousands of protesters” marching through Tbilisi for a “pro-Europe rally.” JAMnews called … Read more
A recent Foreign Policy article presents Georgia’s stray dog program as something close to an authoritarian horror story. Dogs are “vanishing”. Vans are “sweeping through cities”. Smoke is seen rising at night from a crematorium at a municipal shelter in Gori. Activists tell of the smell of burned fur and meat. The reader is then … Read more
Here are 8 tell-tale signs that the Georgia “news” site you are reading is not independent. Georgia has many outlets that describe themselves as independent media. Some do real reporting. Others function more like influence platforms: selecting facts, amplifying friendly NGOs, laundering embassy positions, and presenting political narratives as neutral truth. Walter Lippmann warned that … Read more
Georgia’s government is currently shunned by much of Europe. An impression has taken hold that the country has slipped into authoritarian rule. Part of this image rests on the claim that the 2024 parliamentary election was stolen. The strongest false narratives are often assembled from pieces of correct facts. That is what happened here. Let … Read more
The big problem with news coverage of Georgia is that a small cluster of foreign-funded NGO media platforms have come to dominate English-language reporting on the country while presenting themselves as neutral journalism. International media benefit from this arrangement. They get English-fluent intermediaries ready with quotes, angles and ready-made narratives. The NGO platforms benefit too, … Read more
The International Federation of Actors (IFA) calls on Georgian authorities to release from prison Andro Chichinadze, who was sentenced to two years in jail. FIA calls for the immediate release of actor Andro Chichinadze, who has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment for participating in a pro-European, anti-government protest. Based on the information available … Read more
Georgia needs to make mutually exclusive choices and commit to playing a role in the Caucasus. Geography provided Georgia with a range of opportunities limited by size, location, and history. Tbilisi did exploit the opportunities afforded by a period of globalization and U.S. hegemony, redefining the capacity of the state. The country assumed the role … Read more
An old Georgian legend explains our country’s fate better than most diplomatic cables. When God began distributing lands to the nations, every tribe arrived on time. Only Georgians were late—not out of laziness or neglect, but because they were feasting. When they finally appeared, God asked why. They answered honestly: they had been celebrating, and … Read more
Peace in the Russia–Ukraine war does not yet seem close, but neither is it impossibly distant. It is clear that Russia will, for some time, continue its efforts to achieve its maximalist goals in this war. However, the serious difficulties now visible in Russia’s economy and financial system are steadily reducing Moscow’s ability to continue … Read more
Political scientist Paata Sheshelidze questions the government’s plan to partner with major Gulf developers on vast new real estate complexes in Tbilisi and on the Black Sea, saying the public still does not know what, exactly, the country is agreeing to. Sheshelidze, president of the New Economic School and a former politician, told Interpressnews that … Read more