When you bump into a mud-encrusted, aggressive drunkard, who is ready to spit or hurl insults at any bypasser, the only natural reaction is to move to the other side of the road to avoid him. Obviously, no one wants to get mired, soiled or even worse, insulted.
This part of an aggressive drunkard in international politics is actively played by Georgia's ruling elite headed by Billionaire Ivanishvili. His tightly controlled State Security Service and Georgian Dream’s talking heads are always there to tap, smear or hurl insults at anyone who simply cares about Georgia’s democracy and the country's Euro-Atlantic prospects.
Still, I wonder what the Georgian government and its propaganda machine is trying to achieve by making a cacophony over a photo taken this spring in London during hidden surveillance. Apparently, it is aimed at two different goals for external and internal purposes. By bringing out the picture of a meeting between former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Walker and businessman Davit Kezerashvili, which was apparently taken while they were spied on, Ivanishvili clearly demonstrates that foreign diplomats are surveilled and wiretapped not only in Georgia, but also abroad.
And, Georgia is swiftly becoming an extremely tricky and problematic partner, while the Billionaire has already turned himself into a professional blackmailer who doesn’t hold back against anyone or anything. His message is clear and simple: it is no longer safe for old friends to support Georgia, even touching Georgia related issues could hurt them, destroy their reputation and cause problems. This is why they should leave us alone and stay away or we will smear them!
There are plenty of such examples, ranging from Georgia’s staunch supporter former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt to MEPs Andrius Kubilius and Anna Fotigga, and now, former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Walker has also joined the club. These people with an outstanding reputation in international politics, who have been playing an important part in Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration process for years, today are subject to blackmail, illegal surveillance and slander.
Ivanishvili apparently aims at frightening and blackmailing this group of Georgia’s supporters to make them less active, kill their enthusiasm to speak on Georgia related issues, and later on replacing them with Victor Orban and similar politicians, who are Georgian Dream’s so-called ‘soulmates’.
At the same time, there are obvious signs of deepening anti-American propaganda and attempts to use the so-called US conspiracy against Georgia for internal purposes. The government-controlled media outlets widely speak about a plot against Ivanishvili’s government staged by Washington. Allegedly to implement this so-called ‘special operation’ Ambassador Kurt Walker was giving orders to businessmen David Kezerashvili, who, on his turn, is expected to influence the Georgian opposition forces and critically-minded media outlets. It is also pretty evident that inventing the so-called US conspiracy against the Georgian government is designed at setting the ground and preparing the public opinion for further repressions against the opposition and the independent media.
By implementing this double-barreled operation, Bidzina Ivanishvili is seemingly trying to kill two birds with one stone. If successful, he will neutralize important international actors and staunch supporters of Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, who are critical towards him, while, at the same time, he will weaken the opposition and the critical media, which will help him further consolidate his power.
However, the main question remains what will the Georgian state and its public get out of this. Sadly enough, the only perspective for the poverty-stricken Georgian population will be to flee the country while the only destination for the Georgian state, which is rapidly becoming Ivanishvili's backyard, will be the Russian swamp.
Meantime, at the expense of strategic interests of the Georgian people and the state, Billionaire Ivanishvili successfully turned himself into a grand conspirator at home and a professional blackmailer abroad with the message - “leave us alone and stay away, or we will smear you all!”
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