Over the last decade, we have seen democratic backsliding and autocracy on the rise around the world.

Strongman leaders from Hungary to the Philippines make pledges to restrict rights, crack down on civil society and the media. But few campaign narratives have been more brazen than that Georgia's Dream Party, whose prime minister has promised to ban opposition parties and remove the seats of democratically elected opposition members of parliament should his party win in October.

When I moved to Georgia in 2014, it was a place of great promise. There had just been a peaceful transfer of power from the United National Movement government to a broad coalition of opposition parties. Widespread liberal democratic reforms were underway to address shortcomings in the judiciary, parliament and elections. Parliament passed non-discriminatory legislation and established a gender equality council.

The country was forcefully pushing for EU and NATO membership, even establishing a ministry to that effect. Russia, which occupies a quarter of Georgia, was clearly the enemy, whereas Europe and the U.S. were allies. Georgia was a partner in allied efforts in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Over the next several years, however, the familiar whiffs of illiberalism appeared. As in many backsliding democracies, one of the first signs of decline are attacks on gays, women and ethnic or religious minorities.

True to this playbook, Georgia codified heterosexual marriage in its constitution (though same-sex marriage was already illegal), blackmailed women in public life........

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