Who ? Yes, dear reader, it is us !
We all know the long list of governments toppled by the CIA, and from our moral high ground, we condemn these coups vehemently. They have brought about dictatorships that inflicted horrible suffering upon the affected populations. The latest successful coup took place in Ukraine conducted under Obama with Victoria Nuland famously saying "Fxxx the EU" ! Its population is currently being led to slaughter in a terrible fratricide against Russia. Now it is Georgia’s turn. But surprise—those conducting this coup attempt are not the CIA but Europe !
The EU is conducting a Maidan in Georgia
Europe has taken a dubious role in the events in Tiblisi. Take, for example the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader and new head of EU foreign policy Kaja Kallas. She has been vocal about supporting the protesters' rights, criticizing the Georgian government's crackdown, and threatening Georgia with sanctions.
Or Michael Roth, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag and a member of the SPD and George Soros’s man in Germany, who traveled to Tbilisi to express solidarity with Georgia's pro-European demonstrations. Roth described Georgia as a key part of Europe’s future and participated in public engagements supporting the country’s aspirations for EU membership.
Nathalie Loiseau, a French MEP and vice-chair of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association, called for direct EU engagement, including visits to meet protesters and Georgian officials to advocate for democratic processes.
Then there are our European diplomats, like the German ambassador Peter Fischer, who are speaking at events and promising EU accession—or else sanctions and worse. The German government has openly criticized the Georgian authorities for their anti-democratic actions, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer expressing strong support for the demonstrators’ aspirations for EU membership. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the violence against protesters and reaffirmed Germany's commitment to supporting democratic values in Georgia.
The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs called for the respect of fundamental freedoms, peaceful demonstrations, and civil society, expressing strong ties with the Georgian people and their European aspirations. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen all condemned the violence against protesters and reaffirmed support for Georgia's democratic future within the EU.
The problem with this narrative is that the violence has been orchestrated by the same side that criticizes it.
How the mess started: The foreign agent law
The opposition fought hard to block the foreign agents law that the democratically elected Georgian Dream party had proposed. This law is essentially a copy of the American Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), enacted in 1938. It requires individuals or organizations acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to disclose their relationships, activities, and financial compensation. The Georgian "transparency law," introduced by Georgian Dream earlier in 2024, proposes labeling organizations and individuals receiving over 20% of their funding from foreign sources as "foreign agents." A big deal it was.
The NGOs affected by the transparency law sprang into action. Transparency International Georgia has been instrumental in advocating against the "foreign agents" law and supporting civil society's resistance to measures perceived as anti-democratic. The Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) has offered financial support to local Georgian CSOs and grassroots movements for projects aimed at monitoring and advocating for human rights commitments. Not a coup without George Soros: his Open Society Georgia Foundation has long been active in promoting democracy, human rights, and civil society in Georgia. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) works to strengthen democratic institutions and uphold human rights in the country, but only if it is pro-EU.
What's next for Georgia
This regime change operation is a hard sell, and the majority of Georgians view the entire thing with suspicion. Who wants to end up like Ukraine? Or Turkey? Georgians instinctively know that Georgia is not in Europe and that it might be better to have good relations with their neighbors than to pin their hopes on empty promises. Europeans, too, are not sold on the project. The previous EU enlargements have not yet been digested, and Europe has lost its magic. It has bloated into an undemocratic, monstrous bureaucracy that is seen as totally detached from its citizens.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream party did not appreciate the threats and has retracted Georgia’s intention to join the EU. He now faces off against French-born Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has also publicly joined the demonstrations, called for new elections, and refuses to step down once her mandate is over. Georgian Dream, initially seen as a pro-European and reformist party, has wisely steered the country away from becoming a battering ram for the EU and NATO against Russia.