Summary
The protests come amid a greater, global power struggle over the country’s place in the world order. The protesters — as well as the European Union and the United States — are pushing for a more democratic society. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, meanwhile, is cracking down on liberal democracy.
Georgia has suspended accession talks to the EU until 2028. The EU had already shut down those talks back in June, after the government enacted two concerning laws. The first severely curtailed LGBTQ rights, and the second targeted nongovernmental organizations and independent press.
The EU says it “regrets’ the Georgian government’s decision to pause the negotiation process. Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 but has never made a full transition to a consolidated democratic system.
The country’s aspirations to join the EU require democratic reforms such as increased judicial independence. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Russia is directing the Georgian move toward authoritarianism, both Greene and Sabanadze said.
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