This reporting project concerns the Republic of Georgia, which has exposed the dark hand of Russia in the background, but also the desire to become a thriving democracy.
The pervasive cult of Stalin laid the basis for generations of blind acceptance of strong leaders, of stolen elections, beaten protesters, and puppet regimes propped up by the Kremlin. What is occurring in Georgia today has new aspects, including the shadow of the war against Ukraine and its threatening implications for this Caucasian country, which was at war with Russia in 2008.
At the same time, this is part of an enduring anti-democratic pattern, going back to the fall of the Soviet Union and before. Georgians have only known short, sporadic bursts of democracy, swiftly swept away by the totalitarian broom.
Project Georgia 2025's goal is to explore the dangerous situation at hand in Tbilisi and other cities and to address the underlying causes of the repetitive repression Georgians have known for many years.
