David Kramer for the Washington Post about Georgia

On September 19, The Washington Post published David Kramer’s article about Georgia. In this piece Kramer reviews the country, calling it “an island of democracy amid a sea of authoritarianism” and stating that Georgia has a rightful place in Europe while criticizing recent developments inside the state.

“Times are changing in Georgia. The political environment struck me as more on edge and polarized than I have noticed in more than a dozen previous visits to Georgia over the past few years,” writes Kramer in the Washington Post. The author recalls his experience at the 5th Annual Tbilisi International Conference in the article and connects the Irma Inashvili incident to the recent developments in the country.

The piece reviews Georgia’s pro-Western past and all that the country has done for Euro-Atlantic integration. In fact, Kramer writes that “in many respects, Georgia is more qualified for NATO membership than some current members”.

Finally, Kramer believes that “Georgians deserve to have their international friends speak truth to power and stand with them against those threatening to take the country in the wrong direction”.

David J. Kramer is a senior fellow in the Vaclav Havel Program for Human Rights & Diplomacy and director of European and Eurasian studies at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs.

Read the full article from the Washington Post here.

By Nini Dakhundaridze