Fyodor Lukyanov: Is Georgia poised to suffer another ‘color revolution?’

Right now, the post-Soviet state is on a lot of people’s minds. The pro-Western opposition is trying to repeat an old trick

Attempts are being made to overturn the outcome of this weekend’s election by protesting and provoking the use of violence. There are two conditions for the success of such tactics. But it is doubtful whether they are feasible in Georgia.

Some very interesting things are beginning to happen in Tbilisi. The situation is familiar from the times of the erstwhile ‘colour revolutions’ of years past. The ruling party declares victory in the elections, the opposition, relying on the moral and political (at the very least) support of the West, doesn’t recognise the result. Then, attempts are made to overturn the outcome through protests and the provocation of the use of force.

There are two conditions for the success of such tactics. The first is the active efforts of an external patron who exerts pressure on the authorities in various ways. The second is the perception by those in power that this patron is so important that it’s dangerous and unacceptable to significantly complicate relations with them. In short, it depends on the willingness of outside forces to get seriously involved and a feeling in the ruling circles that they can only resist up to a certain point and then will have to back down. Of course, this is an oversimplification, but nowadays, in general, there is no honour in complexity, everyone prefers a straightforward prescription.

It’s doubtful whether these two conditions can be met in Georgia.

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The EU and the US have been critical of the governing Georgian Dream party and have shown deep disappointment with its political direction. Symbolic measures such as declaratory sanctions and the suspension of the EU accession process (which wasn’t actually underway, to begin with) have been taken. In the Euro-Atlantic media environment, the Georgian conflict is described in terms of ‘pro-Russian vs. pro-Western’, which reflects a perception exclusively through the prism of geopolitical rivalry (of course, nobody cares about the domestic state of affairs in Georgia). In principle, the conditions are ripe for a storm to break out.

But it is generally clear that Western Europe and the US now have more important things to do, to put it mildly. There is no real excitement, as there was in the 1990s and early 2000s in relation to various countries – in the post-Soviet space and beyond. The inspiration to transform the world by exporting a set of techniques and attitudes has run out, and without inspiration such complex things do not work. 

As far as the Georgian government’s position is concerned, there is no awe-inspiring fear of its senior partners that would force it to rein in its own instincts and intentions. Tbilisi’s post-2022 policy towards the West is not only independent, but in some respects quite daring. Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and his associates seem to understand that the West has not only different priorities, but also somewhat different options.

Georgian Dream is sure that the majority of the population, which is not as vocal as the pro-Western opposition supporters, really supports it. In Georgia, unlike in some other countries of the former USSR, there is political competition, although of course, like everywhere else, the authorities always have a head start.

The bottom line is that an attempt at a forceful revision is possible, especially since the the incumbent president is still part of the opposition. However, the conditions for success are not very favourable. In life, though, as they used to say in the USSR, there is always room for a miracle.

This article was first published by ‘Vzglyad’ newspaper and was translated and edited by the RT team.