Georgia
Why the “Russian law” is so dangerous for Georgia
There is an apparent attempt to distance Georgia from the geopolitical area which is supported by the vast majority of Georgians and put this Eastern European country in isolation under the claws of Russia. The stakes could not be higher.
May 5, 2024 –
Grigol Julukhidze
Mariam Gubievi
–
Hot Topics
Georgian women protest on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi
Photo: k_samurkas/Shutterstock
The ongoing protests of Georgian society under the slogan “Yes, to Europe, no to Russian law” have become massive and large-scale. Opposition to the draft bill introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party was first voiced in March 2023. As a result of last year’s huge demonstrations and public unrest, the ruling party withdrew the so-called foreign agent law. The issue was assumed to be closed. Yet, on April 3rd 2024, the executive secretary of the ruling party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, stated that the draft law would be reintroduced and explained last year’s failure as “poor communication” with the Georgian society – the name of the bill was changed to the “transparency of foreign influence” law.
The reaction of Georgia’s strategic partners – the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union – was immediate. The general context was as follows: if Tbilisi adopts this law, it will damage Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and cause devastating consequences for its freedom and democracy. As a result, sanctions could even be applied to billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream MPs, and members of the government.
What the law is about?
Many people are still asking why this draft law is dangerous for Georgia. We will try to explain briefly and simply.
Article 1: Purpose and Scope of the Law
The purpose of the law is the transparency of financing, which is a banal manipulation. There is already legislation in Georgia which regulates the manner of disposal of grants, the transparency of spending and finances: the law “On Grants” and the law “On Lobbying Activities”. If the real goal of the Georgian Dream was transparency, it would have introduced minor changes to the above-mentioned laws.
Article 2: Agent of Foreign Influence
An “organization carrying out the interests of a foreign power” is defined as any media outlet or non-entrepreneurial legal entity that receives more than 20 per cent of its annual income from abroad. This does not matter what you do or where your funding comes from. (Of course, Russian “black money” reaches Georgia not through bank transfers but through cash exchanges, which make them untraceable). It is also manipulative to compare the Georgian bill with the American Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. For example, the Russian propaganda television (RT) has an obligation to register in the US federal register because Russia is a hostile state for America, and the British one (BBC) does not as the UK is not hostile. There is no similar red line in Georgia. For example, a non-governmental organization which helps persons affected by blindness in Akhaltsikhe City and receives funding from Belgium is obliged to register as a “carrier of influence of a foreign country”.
Article 4: Registration of the Entity as an Agent of Foreign Influence
No self-respecting person wants to wear this dreaded label (“agent of foreign influence”). In cases of voluntary registration refusal, the draft law requires compulsory registration. This means that such non-governmental organizations must either cease to operate or continue to work under the label of “foreign agent”.
Article 8: Monitoring
A letter (even anonymous) submitted by a citizen to the ministry of Justice which contains a proper reference (denunciation) to a specific organization that might be carrying out the interests of a foreign power can lead to the definition of this entity as a foreign agent. The law gives the Ministry of Justice the authority, without any warrant or evidence, based on the “denunciation” of any person, “to obtain the necessary information, including personal data”.
As Ted Jonas analyzes in his article titled “US FARA vs. Georgian Foreign Agents Law: Three Major Differences”, the US FARA exempts from the definition of foreign agent all the following persons and organizations:
- Humanitarian aid organizations;
- Persons and organizations engaged in the following activities: Religious, Scholastic, Academic, Scientific, Fine Arts;
- Media organizations with foreign ownership whose policies are not directed by a foreign power;
- Allies of the United States
- Lawyers representing clients in legal proceedings.
The Georgian law does not exempt any of these persons or activities. Accordingly, under the Georgian law, unlike in the United States, the following are considered “foreign agents”:
- Georgian organizations which receive funding from allies of Georgia, like the US, the EU, Japan, and many other friendly countries;
- Humanitarian aid organizations who provide help to the 650,000 Georgians who live below the country’s poverty line;
- Georgian scientific, academic and artistic organizations which receive foreign funding;
- Georgian religious organizations which receive foreign funding;
- Media organizations that receive foreign funding, even if their policies are not directed by a foreign power;
- Non-profit entities with foreign funding representing clients in Georgian court and administrative proceedings.
Current situation
Following the first passage of the contentious “foreign influence” bill by parliament, which Brussels and Washington have warned will undermine Tbilisi’s long-standing European aspirations, tens of thousands of Georgians staged a protest. By a vote of 83 to 23, the measure passed its second reading in parliament on May 1st. The day before, police had forcibly dispersed a protest against it, assaulting and arresting numerous people while using tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. Ursula von der Leyen denounced the violence and urged Georgia to continue its path towards Europe.
Von der Leyen posted on X, saying, “I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi.”
I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi.
The Georgian people want a European future for their country.
Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 1, 2024
Later in the evening, hundreds of protestors attempted to block the side entrance to the legislature, and police responded by using water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas from inside the parliament building’s courtyard. In a statement, the parliament stated that the attack on the facility had “activated the red level of security due to the parliament building, which poses a threat to the lives and health” of people within. According to the interior ministry, police employed “special means provided by the law – pepper spray and water cannons – in order to restore law and order”.
According to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, western politicians and diplomats have been “slandering” the measure, which aims to “boost transparency of NGO’s foreign funding in accordance with European values”. He charged Georgian civic organizations with attempting to utilize western funds “at least twice in the last three years” to launch revolutions.
What’s at stake?
At a sizable pro-government gathering in Tbilisi on April 30th, billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, delivered a conspiracy theory-laden speech. In front of tens of thousands of spectators outside the parliament on Monday night, Ivanishvili made the suggestion that the Georgian government was effectively opposing a covert worldwide plot that was led by western nations. He denounced the “global party of war,” claiming it was to blame for the August 2008 war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also proposed that a “foreign agency” had chosen Georgia’s leaders between 2004 and 2012.
He went on to say that the reelected government would “be able to deliver a strict political and legal verdict to the collective National Movement” following the legislative elections in October. In recent years, Georgian Dream has labeled almost all of its opponents as enemies of the state, ranging from prominent democratic watchdog organizations to opposition MPs and political parties. The main task for Ivanishvili was to portray the West and NGOs as the main sources of instability. He repeated almost all the narratives from the Kremlin playbook. From Ivanishvili’s speech and the actions of the ruling party, we can assume that the Georgian Dream is going “all in” and no longer interested in the country’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Relations with the West will become more and more precarious while “cooperation” with Russia more intense.
The stakes could not be higher. There is an apparent attempt to distance Georgia from the geopolitical area which is supported by the vast majority of Georgians and put this Eastern European country in geopolitical isolation under the claws of Russia. The draft law has already left the margins of “controversial legislative initiative” and serves as a cursor for the country’s future. The final reading and passage of the law is scheduled for May 17th. If the law is fully adopted and implemented, the fate of Georgia will become closely attached to Russia. If not, Tbilisi can hope for a brighter future closer to the EU.
Grigol Julukhidze is the director of the Foreign Policy Council, a think tank in Tbilisi. He specializes in security studies and propaganda research. He is also a lecturer at Ilia State University.
Mariam Gubievi is a junior researcher at the Foreign Policy Council in Tbilisi.
European Union, foreign agent, Georgia, protests, Russia
Georgia
How Georgia’s economy drew the World Cup—and how the World Cup will strengthen Georgia’s economy
Illustration by Dan Matutina
It’s the $1 billion dollar question: What prompted FIFA to choose Atlanta as one of the host cities for this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026™? The answer is the same one that lures companies from all over the world to Georgia: the state’s robust economy, strong infrastructure, and cooperative culture.
Since the Olympics, Georgia has positioned itself as the Gateway to the South for global business. It has built a diverse industry base in fields such as agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, film and television, technology, and aerospace. Direct foreign investment is strong here: Atlanta is home to more than 70 foreign consulates, trade missions, and bi-national chambers of commerce.
One of Georgia’s biggest assets is global connectivity—by air, rail, road, and waterways, says Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Eighty percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour direct flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest passenger hub. Georgia’s interstate system provides 20,000 miles of federal and state highways, and the Port of Savannah is the fastest-growing container terminal on the East Coast. All of this allows sports fans, foreign dignitaries, and corporate executives to get in and out of Atlanta very easily. “And business follows connectivity,” Wilson says.
These factors, combined with Georgia’s long history of cooperation between the private and public sectors, helped seal its position as a host city. And that, in turn, will pay dividends.
Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority
Courtesy of Stone Mountain
Photograph by GenePage/ AMC
Take, for example, tourism. Explore Georgia, the state’s tourism arm, is betting big that FIFA World Cup 2026™ could potentially catapult the state’s visitor numbers to unprecedented levels. To maximize the possibilities, it has launched a global marketing campaign in conjunction with the tournament, including ads on stadium and railway-station billboards in the United Kingdom. “We want visitors to make Georgia their home-away-from-home during the World Cup,” Wilson says.
Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, is similarly bullish. Much like after the Olympics 30 years ago, she expects the city and state to leverage the global soccer tournament’s effects for decades to come. Economic-impact estimates range from $500 million to over $1 billion. “Atlanta does ‘big’ well,” she says. “And I’m confident that we will see increased foreign direct investment and show the world once again that here in Georgia, business culture and innovation naturally converge.”
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Georgia leaders from both political parties are paying tribute to longtime U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham following the South Carolina Republican’s death at age 71, remembering him as a dedicated public servant whose influence stretched far beyond his home state.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said he joined others across the country in mourning Graham’s passing.
“I join in mourning Senator Lindsey Graham and extend my deepest condolences to the Senator’s family, friends, and staff,” Ossoff said.
Ossoff praised Graham’s military service and lengthy congressional career.
“Senator Graham dedicated his life to the United States, from his service in the U.S. Air Force to his representation of the State of South Carolina in the U.S. House and Senate. Lindsey was an energetic leader who loved South Carolina. May Lindsey’s memory be a blessing.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock also shared condolences, calling Graham a man of faith who served his state with determination.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Warnock wrote on X. “He was a man of great faith who served the people of South Carolina with passion and tenacity. I am praying for his family and his loved ones as they mourn this tremendous loss.”
Gov. Brian Kemp described Graham as a patriot and a friend whose impact reached across Washington.
“Senator Lindsey Graham was a patriot, an impactful public servant, and a friend,” Kemp said. “His love of this nation, unyielding belief in its possibilities, and defense of its values made him a true force to be reckoned with in Washington.”
Kemp added that he, First Lady Marty Kemp and their family were praying for Graham’s loved ones and for South Carolina during what he called a difficult time.
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who is challenging Ossoff in November’s U.S. Senate election, also reflected on Graham’s legacy.
“Leigh Ann and I are praying for Senator Graham’s loved ones during this time of immeasurable grief and reflecting upon his many years of public service,” Collins said.
Collins added that while he did not know Graham well personally, he admired the senator’s defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 confirmation hearings, calling it “a commitment to our nation and the truth that should be admired.”
Graham served South Carolina in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades after previously representing the state in the U.S. House. Throughout his career, he became one of Senate Republican’s leading voices on national security, foreign policy and immigration, while emerging as one of the Republican Party’s most influential lawmakers.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from leaders across the country.
Numerous to widespread thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, large hail, frequent lightning, localized flash flooding, and dangerous heat are expected across much of north and central Georgia today and tonight, according to the National Weather Service. A Heat Advisory is also in effect for portions of east central Georgia from noon until 8 p.m., with heat index values up to 106 degrees expected.
The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for north and central Georgia for Sunday, July 12, 2026.
Bonus for the more weather-curious among you … To read an article about interpreting a weather news report with some of the typical terminology defined, follow this link.
What is in the Hazardous Weather Outlook?
The hazardous weather outlook states the following:
558 AM EDT Sun Jul 12 2026
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north and central Georgia.
.DAY ONE…Today and Tonight…
A few thunderstorms will remain possible through the morning,
capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rainfall.Numerous to widespread thunderstorms are likely this afternoon and
evening. Some storms may become strong to severe and capable of
producing gusty to damaging winds, frequent lightning, large hail,
and localized flash flooding concerns.A Heat Advisory is in effect for portions of east central Georgia
from noon to 8PM. Heat index values up to 106 are expected..DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Monday through Saturday…
Numerous to widespread thunderstorms are likely on Monday and
Tuesday. Some storms may become strong to severe and capable of
producing gusty to damaging winds, frequent lightning, and
locally heavy rainfall.Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are likely each day through
Saturday.
Counties included in the alert
- Baldwin
- Banks
- Barrow
- Bartow
- Bibb
- Bleckley
- Butts
- Carroll
- Catoosa
- Chattahoochee
- Chattooga
- Cherokee
- Clarke
- Clayton
- Cobb
- Coweta
- Crawford
- Crisp
- Dade
- Dawson
- DeKalb
- Dodge
- Dooly
- Douglas
- Emanuel
- Fannin
- Fayette
- Floyd
- Forsyth
- Gilmer
- Glascock
- Gordon
- Greene
- Gwinnett
- Hall
- Hancock
- Haralson
- Harris
- Heard
- Henry
- Houston
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Johnson
- Jones
- Lamar
- Laurens
- Lumpkin
- Macon
- Madison
- Marion
- Meriwether
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Morgan
- Murray
- Muscogee
- Newton
- North Fulton
- Oconee
- Oglethorpe
- Paulding
- Peach
- Pickens
- Pike
- Polk
- Pulaski
- Putnam
- Rockdale
- Schley
- South Fulton
- Spalding
- Stewart
- Sumter
- Talbot
- Taliaferro
- Taylor
- Telfair
- Toombs
- Towns
- Treutlen
- Troup
- Twiggs
- Union
- Upson
- Walker
- Walton
- Warren
- Washington
- Webster
- Wheeler
- White
- Whitfield
- Wilcox
- Wilkes
- Wilkinson
What is meant by “isolated” and “scattered”?
The NWS defines “isolated” as follows:
A National Weather Service convective precipitation descriptor for a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch). Isolated is used interchangeably with few.
“Scattered” has the following definition:
When used to describe precipitation (for example: “scattered showers”) – Area coverage of convective weather affecting 30 percent to 50 percent of a forecast zone(s).
Isolated thunderstorms and scattered thunderstorms are two terms used to describe different distributions of thunderstorm activity within a particular area. The main difference lies in the extent of coverage and how the thunderstorms are spatially distributed:
- Isolated Thunderstorms:
- Isolated thunderstorms are relatively rare occurrences that happen sporadically and are generally confined to a limited area.
- These thunderstorms are often characterized by being few and far between, with significant gaps between individual storm cells.
- Typically, isolated thunderstorms cover less than 20% of the forecast area.
- Despite their isolated nature, these storms can still be intense and may produce heavy rain, lightning, gusty winds, and possibly hail.
- Scattered Thunderstorms:
- Scattered thunderstorms are more widespread than isolated thunderstorms and cover a larger portion of the forecast area.
- In a scattered thunderstorm scenario, numerous individual thunderstorms develop, but they are not continuous or widespread enough to be classified as a “line” or “cluster” of storms.
- Scattered thunderstorms generally cover between 30% to 50% of the forecast area.
- Although scattered thunderstorms are more widespread, they still leave considerable gaps between storm cells, and not everyone within the forecast area will necessarily experience a thunderstorm.
In summary, isolated thunderstorms are fewer in number and more localized, covering a smaller area with significant gaps between storms, while scattered thunderstorms are more widespread, covering a larger area with numerous individual storms occurring somewhat randomly across the forecast area.
About the National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NWS describes its role as follows:
The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy.
These services include Forecasts and Observations, Warnings, Impact-based Decision Support Services, and Education in an effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation. The ultimate goal is to have a society that is prepared for and responds to weather, water and climate events.
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