Georgia is backsliding. In October, deeply flawed parliamentary elections confirmed a renewed mandate for the country’s ruling party, against the will of the Georgian people. A brutal governmental crackdown on peaceful protesters followed, and ongoing unrest on the streets has deepened the dividing lines between Georgia’s westward-looking population and its increasingly authoritarian, Russia-oriented government.

I recently had the opportunity to witness the alarming erosion of democracy in Georgia firsthand as a member of a delegation to Tbilisi organized by the McCain Institute. It is a trend with serious implications for the United States and its interests in the South Caucasus. 

That’s because America’s contemporary partnership with Georgia is not built on oil, trade, or transactional interests alone. Rather, it represents a rare convergence of moral imperative and strategic importance. It is founded on shared values—a belief in democracy, human rights, and the rule of law—while simultaneously serving as a geopolitical counterweight in a strategically volatile region. Those very values are now under threat. For years, Georgia was a model of democratic transition in the “post-Soviet space.” The country made significant progress in strengthening institutions, promoting good governance, and building a vibrant civil society, emerging as both a moral beacon and a strategic asset for the West.

However, the authoritarian turn taken by the ruling Georgian Dream party in recent years has accelerated since the EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023. As international observers documented, the country’s October 26 elections were thus marred by widespread irregularities. Indeed, our delegation heard accounts of voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, and abuse of state resources.

Even more concerning is the post-election crackdown on dissent. We met with young men who had been abducted, beaten, and falsely charged simply for participating in protests. If the equivalent number of beatings requiring hospitalization had happened in the United States, accounting for population, the number would exceed 30,000. Journalists and civil society activists are being targeted, creating a climate of fear.

That, however, is just the most visible sign of a much deeper rot. Georgian Dream, controlled by pro-Kremlin billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, has steadily dismantled Georgia’s hard-won democratic gains. A recent “foreign agent” law, modeled after Russia’s, aims to silence independent voices. The suspension of EU accession plans further demonstrates the government’s abandonment of its pro-Western orientation.

The situation has a number of critical geopolitical implications. 

Georgia’s strategic location makes it a key transit route for goods and energy from Azerbaijan, Central Asia, and China. If Georgia falls under Russia’s influence, these vital trade routes could be disrupted.

Georgia’s fate is also directly tied to Russia’s ambitions to reclaim territories lost after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Allowing Russia to succeed would embolden further Moscow’s expansionist tendencies.

Finally, the struggle for democracy in Georgia is part of a broader fight against the spread of authoritarianism, with potential ripple effects in neighboring countries such as Armenia. Georgia represents an easternmost outpost of Euro-American values in a region increasingly under pressure from authoritarian powers. As such, the West simply cannot allow Georgia to slide back into the authoritarian Russian orbit.

But what can be done? For the United States, the answer starts with recalibrating the relationship. Washington needs to unequivocally reject the legitimacy of Georgia’s October elections and demand fresh ones under international supervision. It needs to impose targeted sanctions on Ivanishvili and other key figures in the Georgian Dream regime, including those responsible for authorizing violence against protesters. It also needs to increase support for Georgian civil society and independent media, as well as funding for pro-democracy groups in the country through agencies such as USAID.

The crisis in Georgia presents a critical test for the West’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law. A failure to act decisively will have far-reaching consequences, not only for the Georgian people but also for the state of authoritarianism in a critical world region that remains very much up for grabs.

Laura Linderman is Senior Fellow and Director of Programs at the American Foreign Policy Council’s Central Asia-Caucasus Institute.

Image: Mirko Kuzmanovic / Shutterstock.com.