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GEORGIA'S FOREIGN AGENTS BILL: UPHOLDING NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY

Steven Schaefer

May 13, 2024

We are currently witnessing a second round of violent demonstrations in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi following the reintroduction of the “Foreign Agents” bill to the Georgian parliament; the initial draft of this bill was formally withdrawn on March 9th of 2023 and reintroduced on April 3rd of 2024.


This legislation, which would require organizations receiving 20% or more of their yearly income from abroad to register as "agents of foreign influence" or potentially face fines. These entities would also be required to publicly disclose the source of their funding but would in no way limit the way these organizations are allowed to function within Georgia.


Editor-in-Chief of TheRevolutionReport Donald Courter personally covered the mayhem of 2023 in a video called "The American Color Revolution Doctrine," which is likely the reason why he was refused entry into the country after attempting to cover this more recent wave of protests. Check out the video below:



The American Color Revolution Doctrine - How the US Overthrows Governments Around the World    


US State Department Spokesman Ned Price came out against the legislation claiming it to be inspired by the Russian and Hungarian “foreign agent laws”. The aforementioned Russian law was passed in 2012, while the Hungarian equivalent was passed in 2017 but was forced to be revoked in 2021, following pressure from the European Union.


During his comments, Price had no qualms about openly threatening the Georgian government, openly claiming “the United States has tools to hold accountable those who contradict the will of Georgian people.”


All of this, despite the fact that the United States has had an even-stricter “Foreign Agents Registration Act” as law since 1938 and regularly used it to suppress the activities of, and prosecute, its own citizens who attempt to question the political status quo.


Ironically, both the current Georgian and former Hungarian foreign agent legislation were directly and openly inspired by this US law, only serving to reinforce the now-expected hypocrisy from the United States where they are permitted to do whatever they please, while any attempt to protect national sovereignty in Eastern Europe is seen as a form of "authoritarian oppression" of the people.



Power Struggle in the Georgian Government


Against the backdrop of the western supported demonstrations, we also see a very real power struggle play out within the Georgian state in the higher echelons of its political apparatus.


The current President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili is a western puppet who boldly voiced her opposition to the legislation, promising to veto the bill if it were to pass in the parliament, and to pardon rioters who committed acts of violence against law enforcement officers at riots.


Meanwhile, the current Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze has challenged all ambassadors of foreign nations speaking out against the bill to a televised debate, claiming they “are trying to assume the functions of the legislator, participate in the legislative process and dictate to the supreme body of the representative democracy which laws it should pass or not."


Why The Imperialists Oppose This Bill


Despite a U.S. law existing with a far more draconian history, the United States as well as its lackeys in the EU and other controlled opposition within Georgia have continued to rant and rave, threatening the entirety of the Georgian parliament. The reality of the situation is that these bad actors know implementation of the legislation would expose their ill intent within Georgia to public knowledge. 


On April 17th, Prime Minister Kobakhidze held a press conference in which he warned that organizations to be impacted by the bill had attempted to “organize a revolution” various times between 2020 and 2022. He noted that the western NGOs were largely responsible for the push to “open a second front” with Russia in their resistance to the Special Military Operation in Ukraine which began in February of 2022. Concurrently, Kobakhidze denounced President Zurabishvili, calling her an "agent of the Global Party of War" that aims to "Ukrainize" Georgia.


Kobakhidze has stood steadfast in defense of the bill, identifying it as a necessary tool to prevent pro-war propaganda and stop Georgia from being forced into a conflict it has no potential gain from becoming involved in.


The reality is that there are currently over 25,000 non-governmental organizations (NGO) registered within Georgia, of which Georgian authorities estimate that close to 90% of all funding comes from abroad with many receiving absolutely no domestic funding at all. The presence of these foreign NGOs have served as a form of colonialism within Georgia since their separation from the Soviet Union in 1990.

Through these NGOs, the imperialist and colonial powers have manipulated, and at times outright controlled, virtually all elements of Georgian civil society -- ranging all the way from education and healthcare to their foreign policy.


The people of Georgia have long been subversively controlled and undermined by these unelected NGOs. They have been unaccountable to the Georgian people and their national interests. They have served as an explicitly anti-democratic entity with the sole purpose of eroding the peoples agency.


Now, we are seeing the Georgian state attempting to take a very small step in securing their national sovereignty and to reclaim itself as an independent nation. Yet, despite this relatively inoffensive piece of legislation, they are being met with coercion and violence from abroad, only further justifying the need for this bill.



The Georgian people have elected lawmakers to Parliament; these lawmakers are attempting to ensure their constituencies are being represented. We have seen that manifest itself in the May 1st vote which saw the “Foreign Agents Bill” pass with 83 votes in support and 23 votes in opposition.


The American people should stand with democracy in Georgia and reject the cynical pleas of the U.S. war machine.



2022-2024

The Revolution Report

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