Georgian Dream, the ruling party of the Republic of Georgia, is trying, unashamedly, to turn the country into a one-party state. With national elections on October 26, the party, which is controlled and financed by the pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, is trying to drive underground, out of business, or into exile the civic, academic, watchdog, and election-monitoring groups that support closer ties to the West and are fighting Georgia’s capture by Russia.
Gary Schmitt is a resident scholar in strategic studies and American institutions at the American Enterprise Institute.
Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, is a resident scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
