Rise of Authoritarian Tendencies in Tbilisi's Political Landscape, Georgia
The World Congress of Families (WCF), a global alliance of conservative organizations, set up a battlefront in Tbilisi, Georgia's Concert Hall, in 2016. This congregation of delegates, branded as the 10th convention of the WCF, was an arena for lashing out against the secular leanings of Western liberalism.
Josiah Trenham, an Orthodox priest from Riverside, California, was among the fiercest speakers, casting stones at "tolerance tyrants," the "lavender mafia," and "homofascists" promoting LGBT rights. He claimed that gay rights activism was attempting to overthrow religious and civilizational norms regarding family, sex, and law. Another participant derided "gender ideology" as a "devilish creation of Marxist philosophy."
Allan Carlson, co-founder of the congress, painted a bleak picture of a global war between good and evil, where defenders of "the natural family" combat "forces combining revolution with retro-aggression, novelty with depravity, and cries of liberation with a new form of slavery." The WCF later asserted that governments and international organizations should cease all propaganda in favor of "gender theory" and "sexual orientation," which have no basis in biological reality.
Bafflingly, this barrage of illiberal oratory seemed out of sync with the prevailing public sentiment in Georgia at the time. Majorities supported membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO, bespeaking enthusiasm for the liberal values those institutions represent. The Georgian Dream party, in power then and now, appeared devoted to implementing reforms for Western integration. The EU eventually granted Georgian citizens visa-free travel to Schengen states as a reward for these efforts in 2017.
The WCF's choice to hold the convention in Tbilisi was strategic. Carlson proclaimed that Georgia was the vital point in the "great contest over the human future." While such rhetoric seemed absurd in 2016, fast-forward eight years, and Georgian society finds itself polarized, with illiberal forces evidently on the rise in an escalating struggle over the nation's geopolitical path. The WCF's Georgia convention might be viewed retrospectively as a turning point in the country's post-Soviet journey, marking the point at which those pushing an illiberal vision gained footing and embarked on a long march toward political significance.
While Western conservatives were at the forefront of advancing this illiberal agenda in Georgia, they weren't alone. The WCF found financial support from Kremlin-connected oligarchs like Vladimir Yakunin and Konstantin Malofeyev, both sanctioned for supporting separatist movements in Ukraine in 2014. Thus, the WCF became another Russian network aiding in limiting LGBT rights internationally.
In a 2022 position paper published by the European Parliament, it was stated that Russian networks use Western Christian associations to battle for "traditional values," "the traditional family," "sanctity of life," and "religious liberty." The World Congress of Families serves as a critical player in coordinating these links. The anti-gender, anti-human rights agenda incubated by social conservative astroturf movements, backed by funding from the US, Europe, and Russia, played a significant role in spawning intensified nativist activism worldwide.
The seeds of Georgia's illiberal, far-right movement were sown after the Georgian Dream coalition gained power in 2012 and the end of Mikheil Saakashvili's presidency in 2013. Saakashvili, known for democratizing tendencies with increasingly authoritarian inclinations, had kept illiberalism under tight control during his rule. However, in the years following, Georgian Dream shared little political ground with emerging right-wing fringe groups such as the Alliance of Patriots and Georgian March. Instead, Georgian Dream found these groups helpful in keeping Saakashvili's United National Movement faction down and out.
A key figure in the revival of Georgia's illiberal movement was Levan Vasadze, a self-styled Orthodox Christian knight who gained notoriety in 2013 during a riot that marred a gay-rights march in Tbilisi. He later became an outspoken critic of tolerance, declaring his dream for Georgia to become the world's first nation to enshrine in its constitution that human rights are secondary to individuals' obligations to their families and homeland.
Vasadze built ties with the Georgian Orthodox Church and with Russian ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, allowing Georgia's illiberal movement to gain intellectual backing and religious legitimacy. The Georgian Orthodox Church even declared May 17, commemorating the 2013 anti-gay riot in Tbilisi, as "defense of the family day."
Like many other countries, Georgia's illiberal movement gained support by surfing a wave triggered by 21st-century economic and technological transformations. Nativist activist groups, funded from various sources, played a key role in incubating and setting the anti-gender, anti-human rights agenda worldwide. Populist agitators, championing an undefined, anti-elite ideology, label liberal policies advocated by international organizations like the EU and the UN as elitist and disconnected from the masses, working hard to undermine minority rights, the rule of law, and separation of powers.
According to a 2018 paper titled "Nativists Versus Global Liberalism in Georgia" by political scientist Ghia Nodia, the illiberal movement's ethos is akin to a resistance movement. He suggests that "nativist civil society" is the product of widespread resentment rooted in misconceptions about the West and idealized notions of the nation's traditions. The vehement opposition against the displacement of Soviet-era elites by educated, westernized technocrats and NGO activists as the main drivers of public policy is one change Illiberals find to be particularly distasteful.
A pivotal moment in Georgian Dream's geopolitical shift occurred during Russian State Duma Deputy Sergei Gavrilov's visit to Georgia in July 2019. Gavrilov's speech in Russian to a group of lawmakers from predominantly Orthodox countries, while sitting in the Georgian Parliament speaker's chair, led to mass protests in Tbilisi. This incident has been perceived as Georgian Dream starting to move away from a Western orientation.
Far-right political players posted disappointing results in Georgia's 2020 parliamentary elections, yet the far-right's momentum did not cease. New parties and movements such as the Conservative Movement Above All, People's Power, and Conservative Moment appeared on the political landscape.
In recent years, Georgia's stance on NATO and liberalism has shifted, prompting speculation about whether the nation is backing a more civilizational, traditional Christian view of Europe rather than a postmodern, progressive liberal view. The Georgian Dream government has often demonstrated reluctance to support Ukraine since Russia's unprovoked attack in early 2022. Furthermore, concerns regarding Georgia serving as a conduit for Russia to evade Western sanctions have emerged.
Georgian Dream's approach to alienating the EU could pose a test of Brussels' political resolve. How long will the EU tolerate disregard from Georgia, potentially undermining its liberal values and democratic principles?
- In the realm of general news, concerns have risen about the shift in Georgia's stance on NATO and liberalism, as some speculate that the country may be adopting a more traditional Christian view of Europe over a postmodern, progressive one.
- Recently, the financial support of Kremlin-connected oligarchs for the World Congress of Families (WCF) has sparked discussions in the context of politics and finance, reflecting the complexities of international relations and the intricate web of funding that drives various agendas, including those against LGBT rights and human rights.
- As the illiberal movement in Georgia continues to gain momentum, with new political parties and movements emerging, cultural debates surrounding gender roles, human rights, and religious values have become increasingly prominent in the national discourse, reflecting the broader global struggle between liberal values and conservative traditions.
