"The reason why "Georgian Dream" has decided now - unlike last year - to push the foreign agent law to completion is clear. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for later this year. "Georgian Dream" understands that civil society organizations, as well as independent media, threaten its victory. The new law will help solve this problem.
The direction the country will take after the elections, if the current ruling party wins, also leaves no doubt. In October, the Georgian government accused the US Agency for International Development of attempting to provoke a state coup in the country - just like Moscow, which for many years has accused Washington of organizing pro-democracy "color revolutions", including in Ukraine.
In March, "Georgian Dream" announced a series of amendments to the constitution aimed at suppressing LGBT rights and prohibiting any public efforts to promote same-sex relationships, echoing the Russian law on "gay propaganda" adopted in 2013.
The United States and the European Union criticize the anti-liberal shift of the Georgian authorities. And those who praise it include the main ideologue of the Kremlin, Alexander Dugin, who stated that the Georgian government is "on the right path".
However, Georgians themselves, through their recent massive protests, have shown not only what they want - to move towards Europe, not Moscow; they have also shown that they are indeed part of the democratic world and are ready to fight for their rights.
Unfortunately, Putin's desire to destroy freedom usually proves stronger than the West's ability to defend it."
