Episode 39: Georgia's Chronic Crisis with Anatol Lieven and Almut Rochowanski

This episode was recorded on May 8th/9th 2024 - the situation is still unfolding. A political crisis is currently underway in Georgia. Sparked by the ruling Georgian Dream party's proposed law on the "transparency of foreign influence", the stand off between the government, NGOs, protestors - both those of the formal opposition and not - and even some within the European Union, has deeper roots and a far from clear trajectory. Today's episode begins with an outline of the tensions surrounding the proposed law, some informative aspects of Georgia's recent history, and both how domestic dynamics and a dramatically changing geopolitical situation are animating the crisis. Then we have a discussion with Anatol Lieven and Almut Rochonawski on a range of topics related to the current crisis including the peculiar role of NGOs in Georgia, the European Union, Georgian political economy, a proposed "offshore bill", and how a shifting geopolitical picture is shaping the political calculus of elites in Georgia, the EU and beyond. Anatol Lieven is Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He was formerly a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar and in the War Studies Department of King’s College London. Almut Rochowanski is an activist who specializes in resource mobilization for civil society in the former Soviet Union, including in Georgia and Russia. Her writing about this issue can be found at https://discomfortzone.substack.com/.