Cover Photo Credit: David Mdzinarishvili/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Georgian people have long been associated with wolves, and they are now proving why this comparison is so appropriate. The thought of pack animals of immense mutual loyalty who react aggressively to provocation seems a suitable comparison when reviewing the events of recent days.
It is, of course, one of academia’s favourite push-pull arguments: when is political violence justified? Hamas and Israel, the IRA and the British…even the actions of Catalonian and Basque separatists in Spain - all of these find supporters and detractors in equal measure, and the endless waltz of heated argument continues throughout history in universities, newspapers, and on social media.
But in the case of Georgia, only those who wholeheartedly believe in the false narratives of the Kremlin could defend the actions of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream government. The Georgian people were promised a European future: over the years, they have witnessed actions by the authorities that have clearly shown that the regime never truly intended to live up to their pledges.
Although their pro-Russian tendencies were quiet at first and carefully hid behind thin veils of plausible deniability, the mask has dropped, and Georgian Dream’s intent to cease pursuing EU membership until 2028 has fooled nobody: they will never live up to the people’s mandate. The arbitrary date of 2028 will either be delayed or quietly forgotten.
This, of course, is anti-constitutional and entirely against the will of 80-85% of Georgia’s population - a public consensus enjoyed by few other countries in Europe. However, the fury of the Georgian people is not limited to the government’s betrayal: electoral fraud and the savage oppression of dissent only furthers their righteous anger, and every protestor the police put in the hospital with their barbarism serves solely to convince the Georgian people that this is a now-or-never moment. If Georgian Dream remain in power, then the Georgian people can only expect more of the same - more oppression, more freedoms curtailed, more subservience to Moscow.
The Georgian people have tried to remove the government peacefully; all impartial international observers reported a victory for the opposition factions in October's elections. It should also be stated that the protests of recent days are themselves not initiated as violent affairs, with the police crackdown provoking kinetic retaliation by the people.
Photo Credit: Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP
I will state unequivocally that Mercury Strategic Services is not an impartial organisation. I am an Englishman who fell in love with Georgia at the age of 16 and made it my home three years later; indeed, I consider it to be more of a homeland than the country of my birth, and my two American co-founders share similar sentiments.
All I have ever wanted for Georgia’s political future is to see it take up its rightful place in Europe and NATO. Its ancient European culture and statehood predates many counterparts on the western side of the continent, and its soldiers have proven their skill and courage alongside NATO colleagues, paying a blood price in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Our company, therefore, is committed to seeing Georgia earn its rightful place in the European Union and NATO, and see our adopted home flourish alongside a family of nations that would treat it as a partner, not a subject.
Georgia has never flourished under Russia; indeed, the only benefits of a Moscow-aligned Tbilisi go to those Georgians who are happy to betray their own kind. History has a habit of repeating itself, as witness Stalin, Beria, and - according to legend - the man who poisoned Vakhtang Gorgasali.
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Mercury Strategic Services was founded with a view to improve regional security, and whenever Georgia has faced threats to its independence in recent times, the danger has always come from one direction and one direction alone. Russia's attempts to bully, occupy, and murder its neighbours have been repeated too often in history.
A government that directly or tacitly carries out the Kremlin's bidding cannot be endorsed. The Georgian people have made their voices clear: they tried at the ballot box, and were cheated of their victory, and now have little choice but to take to the streets.
The people have been lied to, oppressed, beaten, abused, and seen their government violate their national constitution. They have carried themselves with dignity and displayed admirable fortitude and physical courage in defence of the true Georgian dream, namely a future which sees their country join the families of nations where it belongs. These people are not rebels, they are patriots.
The government, meanwhile, would do well to remember that pushing a wolf back against a wall is rarely a good idea. As frightened as the protestors on the street must be when facing riot police with weapons and gas grenades, the government and their minions, who look out and see an ocean of people united in common cause and refusing to back down, must be utterly terrified.
NOTE: This open letter was written by Mercury Strategic Service's Managing Director, Tim Ogden on December 3, 2024 regarding the turmoil in Tbilisi, Georgia. It does not directly reflect the specific views and opinions of the company as a whole or its individual members, employees, or partners. (yes it does)
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