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Guest author Sean Alexander considers the role of the US in the formation of Georgian civil society. Is America’s involvement a cynical move in the new great game or is a larger, more complex rationale at work?

Phoenix | With the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly twenty years ago, America leapt at the chance to offer assistance to the former Soviet republics as they attempted to democratize and join what was once referred to as ‘the free world.’ Cynics argue that geopolitical concerns, such as the untapped energy resources of the Caspian Sea and Caucasus, were the primary reason behind America’s post-Cold War policy. Meanwhile others have envisioned US policy as a sort of Cold War or Great Game redux, seeking to undermine Russian influence in the region. To a certain extent, both critiques have valid points, but they fail to grasp the complexity and sincerity of America’s involvement in helping to foster the growth of Georgian civil society.

When Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it turned its gaze westward in a calculated move to break free from its Soviet past. It only made sense that America, historically perceived to be a ‘shining beacon of democracy,’ would invest itself in Georgia to help smooth the transition. Encouraging and supporting independent media is one way in which America offered its help to Georgian civil society. Interestingly, America’s role only seems to have increased since the Rose Revolution.

In 2005, while visiting Tbilisi, President Bush hailed the Rose Revolution as an example for other nations wanting democracy . [1] In retrospect, his remarks seem short-sighted and overly optimistic just as only two years later, Georgia experienced a backslide into autocratic rule prompting international liberty watchdog Freedom House, funded in part by the U.S. government, to downgrade Georgia’s scores on its freedom index. [2]

One of the major concerns at the time was over Imedi TV, which was shut down by the authorities in November 2007 after fears that the station was inciting a coup. Those events coincided with a brief state of emergency and led Matthew Bryza, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State to work to get Imedi TV back on the air. [3] The Imedi case, while still playing out but in reverse with the station now staunchly pro-Saakashvili thanks to a change in ownership, single handedly illustrates the need for an independent media.

Indeed, the media is sometimes referred to in the States as the fourth branch of government precisely because of the importance it can play in promoting government. This helps to explain how the US, still supportive of Saakashvili, also maintains its calls for greater press freedom. Unfortunately, with budget cuts that have forced the Voice of America to cease broadcasting in Georgian (although it still maintains the website with current news) among other ills, the picture of media in Georgia looks bleak.

That being said, reform obviously cannot come from the masses alone. In situations like that of the former Soviet Union with successor states drastically altering their form of government, reform also requires a change in the mindset of those in power. Those in power need to adapt to the new way of thinking lest they become simply socialists in democrat clothing. This is where non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can play their most critical role, and it is little wonder that a great many have either set up shop in Tbilisi or established contact with Georgian officials. The Washington-based Open World Program, [4] funded by the Library of Congress, works with officials from most of the former Soviet republics, including Georgia on a sort-of exchange basis where officials from Tbilisi come to the US to visit their counterparts and learn how their jobs function in America. The idea is to take that knowledge and apply it back in Tbilisi.

Even in Tbilisi, however, local officials have access to Americans who can offer their assistance in promoting responsible governance. Perhaps the most high-profile NGO in Tbilisi is the Open Society Georgia Foundation created by billionaire philanthropist George Soros to help foster the growth of accountable governments and to promote human rights, to name but two areas of focus. Interestingly, such has been the effect of the Open Society’s work in Georgia that in the aftermath of the Rose Revolution, George Soros was accused of using his organization as the principal backer in the overthrow of Shevardnadze – a claim that Soros has himself disputed. [5] In any event, the push for promoting human rights – a cornerstone of any civil society – goes on.

Another key area of concern for U.S. policymakers is the viability of the Georgian economy, decimated like other Soviet republics after 1991. Enter organizations like USAID specifically set up to “extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. One program specifically aimed at Georgians was the establishment of a project to rehabilitate schools for children affected by the violence that tends to flare up in the region. [6] Additionally, in 2005, Georgia signed a five-year pact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation worth nearly $300 million, with an additional $100 million being reserved for “the rehabilitation of Georgia’s road network, infrastructure development and energy activities.” [7]

The above examples only begin to scratch at the surface of American involvement in the development of post-Soviet Georgian civil society, but they do help to illustrate the sincerity of American efforts. One key question to ask now is whether or not the U.S. should be more concerned with how that money is being spent, given the general lack of progress to date in Georgian democracy. One could also wonder what Georgia will look like in three years’ time, following the election of the next president. That is not a decision for America to make, however. We can only offer financial aid and expertise in helping Georgia realize its ambitions of becoming a fully-functioning member of the Euro-Atlantic community.

Sean Alexander, a former intern for the Caucasian Review of International Affairs, is an independent analyst focusing on the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. He holds a Master’s degree in Diplomacy from Norwich University.

Footnotes

[1] http://www.caucaz.com/home_eng/breve_contenu.php?id=154
[2] http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=586
[3] http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=33186
[4] See: http://www.openworld.gov/
[5] http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/5/31/164945.shtml
[6] http://www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/press/success/2010-03-09.html
[7] http://www.mcc.gov/mcc/countries/georgia/ge-documents/release-112008-georgia.shtml

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