The U.S. is now proposing stringent visa restrictions targeting individuals in the Georgian government and their families, despite Georgia being considered a strategic partner. That is only for starters, considering the Georgia is unwilling to toe-the-line as a US-styled banana republic.
In fact, from a Georgian perspective, they are pushing us to Russia and to the East, as one retired school teacher explained. “It is becoming a life and death struggle. Yes, it seems that the situation is getting very interesting. Can you imagine 5–6 years ago if someone could predict what is happening now?”
Apparently the US is getting very desperate, to have to revert to such low-level blackmail and arm-twisting tactics, of all things, to impose Visa sanctions over domestic transparency of foreign funding legislation. Tensions have growing between the United States and Georgia, and this is just the latest, due to the Georgian governments’ unwillingness to back down on what it deems to be essential legislation.
The latest move by the US to impose Visa restrictions on Georgian government officials and their families is a response to Georgia’s new “foreign influence” law, which the U.S. perceives, quite unreasonably, as a threat to democracy and freedom of expression. It is also reviewing its relationship with Georgia, whatever that means!
The US State Department claims that passed law stifles civil rights and independent media in Georgia. Hence, US policy will be adjusted to target those who it claims are closely involved in undermining democracy in Georgia, however, no public list of sanctioned individuals will be provided. Such a scheme, regardless of so-called “good intentions”, will likely lead to potential arbitrary visa denials amongst those who apply, including ordinary Georgian citizens.
Nonetheless, these proposed sanctions are considered by a large segment of Georgia society to be nothing........