On January 26, a rally was held at the US Embassy in Tbilisi against the activities of Georgian non-profit organizations - the National Democratic Institute of International Relations (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) in Georgia. The organizer of the action was the opposition party Alliance of Patriots of Georgia.
“No NDI and IRI. We appeal to the US government. We are tired, we are an insulted people. We demand to ban the activities of these organizations in Georgia and the completion of this lie, ”said the leader of the Alliance and MP Irma Inashvili at the rally.
On January 16, the NDI published the results of a public opinion survey, according to which 53% of Georgians believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction, and another 59% do not consider the modern Georgian system to be democratic.
About 64% of the study participants negatively evaluated the actions of the government. The parliament rating also reached a record low level: 64% of respondents do not think that the legislature takes into account the opinion of the people.
- Leader of the opposition party “Alliance of Patriots of Georgia” Irma Inashvili
- RIA News
- © Vladimir Umikashvili
In addition, the authors of the study reported that today not a single political force in Georgia is able to enlist the support of the majority of the population. According to them, 19% of respondents support the ruling party "Georgian Dream", 13% - the opposition "United National Movement", 7% - the bloc of "European Georgia" and "Free Democrats", 6% - the Labor Party of Georgia, 5% - " Alliance of Georgian Patriots "and 4% - the political platform" New Georgia ". Another 3% sympathize with the party "Democratic Movement - United Georgia".
The Georgian Patriots Alliance believes that the results of the NDI poll were falsified and directed against Georgian statehood and the Georgian people. In their opinion, the IRI and NDI intentionally fake the results of published studies in order to influence the political situation in the country and support parties that are pleasing to them.
The rally participants demanded that the relevant state structures of Georgia begin an investigation of the activities of NGOs. In addition, Inashvili publicly appealed to the US authorities, urging them to stop the work of NDI and IRI in the country. According to her, people do not trust the data of these research structures. She promised to turn to American congressmen and members of the European Parliament for a solution to the problem.
The organizers of the action said that tomorrow they will begin to conduct their own opinion poll to prove how far the data of American NPOs are far from reality.
At the same time, a message posted on the Alliance’s official Facebook page emphasizes that the party is not interested in bad relations with the United States, as with any other country.
Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, agrees with similar assessments of the activities of American NGOs. According to him, the goal of these structures in the post-Soviet space is to intervene in the internal affairs of countries and create a pro-American lobby in the region.
“The fact that Georgia is in a state of permanent political crisis is the result of the activities of American non-profit organizations and the media supervised by political forces. The instability that arises in Georgian society due to this activity is being used by pro-American structures to keep Georgia in the orbit of US interests, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.
Institutions of Influence
The National Democratic Institute was founded in 1983 in the United States. As stated on the NDI website, its goal is to create and develop democratic institutions, strengthen political organizations, observe elections, and work to increase the "openness and responsibility of the authorities." NDI’s cooperation with the Georgian authorities has been going on for about three decades.
“NDI provides local partners with access to best practices in the field of international democratic development, which they can adapt to the needs of their countries,” the organization believes.
The International Republican Institute was also founded in 1983. This NGO is not formally politically affiliated, but its board of directors is led by US Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, and most of the IRI leadership are also members of the US Republican Party. Earlier, the board of directors was headed by Republican Senator John McCain.
- © National.Democratic.Institute
The IRI website claims to be “advising politicians on how to quickly and effectively respond to the needs of voters, as well as how to find sustainable solutions to pressing problems.”
“We train citizens who are part of a democratic system so that they can take an active part in public administration. Thanks to this, an honest discussion, mutual respect and division of responsibility is achieved, ”the NGO website states.
American networks
According to Inashvili, in the NDI and IRI studies, the ratings of a number of parties and politicians are artificially overestimated.
“Back in 2016, we conducted a large-scale survey, in which 28 517 people took part. 77% of respondents did not trust the NDI and IRI studies at all and called these organizations false, only 3% expressed confidence in them, ”the representative of the Alliance said.
She added that during the survey, no respondents were found who had participated in NDI research at least once or heard from relatives or friends about it.
“Therefore, I say that there is a struggle against the Georgian people,” Inashvili emphasized.
- American Embassy in Tbilisi
- © usingeo
As a doctor of political sciences, professor of Moscow State University Andrei Manoilo noted in an interview with RT, NDI and IRI are far from the only Western non-profit structures operating in Georgia.
“The country is literally covered by a network of such centers and NGOs that are directly funded by the United States. This network of influence was created over the years; it is a direct tool for implementing US policy in the region. Obviously, the protests of a single party will not affect the existence of this network, ”the expert explained in a comment to RT.
A similar point of view is held by Nikolai Silaev, senior researcher at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO. According to him, NDI and IRI are more likely not “research”, but “ideological organizations” promoting the American vision of the international situation.
“Over the years of support for local civil society, the United States has grown a large group of its supporters here. This applies not only to Georgia, but also to other post-Soviet states, ”the expert explained.
- Protest
Moreover, studies published by Western NGOs do not give an idea of the true mood among the population, Silaev said.
“Georgia always has a high percentage of refusals to participate in the survey, this is a very noticeable trend. And it is not known what views these people hold. In addition, it is not known who and how selects respondents to participate in the polls. Of course, this is not done by NDI and IRI employees, they have partners in Georgia whose beliefs also influence the course of research. We can say that sociological polls really do not reflect the mood of Georgian citizens, ”the expert is sure.
"Under US control"
Criticism of the activities of American NGOs is also voiced by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Commenting on the NDI study, the leader of the parliamentary majority, Mamuka Mdinaradze, recalled that on the eve of the 2016 elections, the American non-profit organization attributed the “Georgian Dream” rating not higher than 15%. However, in the election, the party received 49% of the vote and gained a constitutional majority.
“It turns out, according to today's data,“ Georgian Dream ”will receive 60% in the 2020 elections. This is a joke, but if you follow this logic, it can happen, ”Mdinaradze noted.
A similar opinion was expressed earlier by another deputy of the ruling party, Gia Volsky. According to the politician, the NDI data never coincides with the results of the popular will.
However, experts doubt that official Tbilisi will decide to investigate the activities of the NDI and IRI, as opposition from the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia demand. As Nikolai Silaev noted, the performances of one party will not be able to shake the position of American NGOs.
“In fact, it would be more beneficial not to try to achieve the closure of these structures, but to work while creating our own analogues, our own sociological institute, which would give an alternative view of political and social processes,” the expert said.
A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Shapovalov.
“I doubt that the opposition will be able to achieve the closure of these institutions, since the Georgian elites are now under US control, despite some protests by some politicians. Talking about the sovereignty of Georgia is not necessary. But in the future it cannot be ruled out that movements and parties oriented towards the realization of the interests of Georgia, and not the States, will gain strength. In this case, the activity of American NGOs in the country may decline, ”the expert summed up.
* The National Democratic Institute for International Relations (National Democratic Institute for International Affairs) is an organization whose activity is recognized as undesirable in the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the Prosecutor General's Office of 10.03.2016.
** Corporation "International Republican Institute" (International Republican Institute) - an organization whose activity is recognized as undesirable in the territory of the Russian Federation by decision of the General Prosecutor's Office of 08/18/2016