Last week, The Freedom Association hosted a talk by the Georgian Ambassador to the UK, Giorgi Badridze. The most that the average person knows of Georgia’s recent history is the 2008 invasion by Russia. Those with a keener memory may even remember the Rose Revolution of 2003 in which a democratising movement ousted the corrupt President Shevardnadze.
What most in the West have failed to grasp is that Georgia’s post-revolution development has completely transformed the impoverished, resource poor and highly corrupt post-Soviet state. More importantly, it has become something of a paragon of liberalisation. 2003 wasn’t just a revolution in liberal democracy but in economic neo-liberalism too. By 2008, GDP growth was hitting 12.5% after 90% of licences and over 70% of taxes were abolished. It has fearlessly undertaken bold measures, such as the total replacement of the entire police force in order to root out institutionalised corruption.
Of course, Western development aid played a part in constructing a service economy out of stagnation but, in 2007, US aid was a mere $85m compared to the $1 billion Georgia received following 2008’s war. It was precisely this success, Ambassador Badridze told us, that motivated the Russo-Georgian conflict, rather than the dispute over South Ossetian independence or Georgia’s NATO membership ambitions. He emphasised how Georgia’s liberalism and successes were raising serious doubts over Putin’s neo-fascist philosophy of xenophobia, authoritarianism and state-capitalism, with its low growth and rampant corruption.
Some may be sceptical to believe a spokesman for the Georgian administration, yet impartial analysts strongly bare out Georgia’s impressive transformation. Georgia is now a respectable 99th in the Press Freedom Index, joint with the extraterritorial claims of the USA, while Russia is far down towards the bottom of the list at 140th. While the weakness of the young democracy sees it placed close to Russia on the Economist Freedom Index, its scores for the electoral process and civil liberties are significantly higher. Georgia is 68th on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (Russia is 154th) and, most impressively, they are 29th on the Index of Economic Freedom (Russia is 143rd).
When considering these figures, it’s important to remember that Georgia sits in one of the poorest, most authoritarian regions of the world, has enjoyed less than a decade of effective government and is besieged by a powerful, hostile neighbour. The Ambassador emphasised how, prior to the invasion, Russia had already attempted to undermine Georgia’s growth by embargoing Georgian wine, the pillar of Georgia’s export market, and shutting off their energy supply in the heart of 2008’s record-breaking winter freeze.
While far from perfect, Georgia is aspiring to the European liberal democratic model, in stark contrast to the deeply conservative regimes that it borders. It has paramount geo-political importance, perched on the door-step of Russia, the Middle East and the resource-rich future battleground of Central Asia. Not only should Georgia be nurtured in this critical stage of its development, but its success in inspiring high growth in a post-industrial society should be an inspiration to us in this critical stage of our own.
Please click here to watch a recording of the event.
By David M. Gibson
Join the Mailing List
