13-05-2024: Colour Revolutions have unfortunately become almost common in recent years, so much so that it runs the risk of becoming an accepted practice in international relations. For working people, however, there is nothing even remotely progressive about a colour revolution as they represent the desperate intrigue of political reaction of which only imperialism is capable. A colour “revolution” is an orchestrated uprising funded by the West aimed at toppling a government which is even slightly independent or adopts even one or two policies against the interests primarily of the ruling elites in the US (United States of America) and Europe. Colour Revolutions involve direct foreign interference for destabilisation up to and including regime change via extraordinary external funding, which would never be accepted by rulers in the West if the reverse was the case.

Third attempt to topple Tbilisi  

The current events in Georgia in practice mark the third attempt at regime change aimed at the Russian Federation in a period of barely four years. In November 2020, huge demonstrations took place in the capital Tbilisi after the elections saw the Georgian Dream party record more than 48% of the vote. Then in March 2023, Tbilisi endured large scale protests against the “foreign agents” bill, even though a majority of parliamentarians voted for the act. Current Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze recently claimed that both of these actions were supported by the US Ambassador and carried out through NGOs (Non-Government Organisations) financed from abroad. He stated that if these attempts to take down the Georgian government had been successful, a “second front line would have been opened in Georgia”.[1] The first front is obviously NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) proxy war on Russia in Ukraine via the arming and funding of Nazi battalions. The fact that this war is obviously being lost by the West at a cost of hundreds of thousands of lives and massive destruction, only drives Washington and London to expand other reactionary fronts against Moscow.

The Georgian Dream party, which is promoting and attempting to pass the draft “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence”, says it is modelled on a US law; the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Its draft law requires all organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, with fines for those who attempt to avoid the process.[2] This is entirely reasonable, and some have commented that the provisions of the bill are indeed very similar to the US government’s FARA Act.[3] However, wherever imperialism is involved, it’s a case of “rules for thee, but not for me”. National sovereignty is ignored by the West, as they continue to bolster “soft power” in many countries around the world, in inverse proportion to their declining economic, military and political power. Yet subversion to the point of overthrowing foreign governments from “within” is not as easy for the ruling classes of the West as it once was. Today, nations across Eurasia, Asia, Africa and Latin America no longer have to go cap in hand to the old colonial powers for economic assistance and other forms of aid. The BRICS alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and now Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) offer an alternative path, even despite some distinctly conservative politics of the BRICS governments. This non-imperialist bloc offers economic (China) and military (Russia) cooperation which was previously out of reach.

Western funded “civil society”

Billionaire anti-socialist regime change specialist George Soros visited Georgia in the year 2000 to establish a base for his Open Society Foundation (OSF), where he met then Georgian Justice Minister Mikhail Saakashvili, a graduate of elite US universities. Soon afterwards, Saakashvili quit his post to found the National Movement political party – with funding from OSF. Later this led to the disastrous war provocations against Russia in 2008. Four years later Saakashvili lost the elections in 2012 to the Georgian Dream party, which has held power ever since. The Georgian Dream is repeatedly accused by the West of being pro-Russian, but in fact it has gone to some length to strike a delicate balance between strengthening Western ties, pushing for EU (European Union) and even NATO membership, while somehow maintaining civil coexistence with Moscow.[4] From afar, the protests in Georgia can appear organic, and no doubt there are some sectors of the population that do favour closer ties with Europe. Yet without serious and ongoing external funding from the likes of Soros and even Western governments themselves, the overthrow of Georgia would scarcely be possible.[5]

Wherever the OSF operates, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is not far behind. The NED is the dedicated regime change arm of the US government’s CIA, and it admits to hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to Georgia just in 2021.[6] NED funding to so-called civil society organisations creates anything but a civil society. Organisations set up in Georgia by the NED include supposed human rights organisations, educational forums, electoral observers and “independent” media organisations. In reality, all of these shell organisations undermine Georgia’s legal, journalistic and educational institutions in preparation for a colour revolution trigger when the signal is given. The creation and funding of “opposition” media in the region is extensive. For example, Eurasianet claims to be an independent (!) news organisation, while openly admitting it is funded by Google, the OSF, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the NED while being based at Columbia University in New York.[7]

Another example is Open Caucasus Media which claims editorial independence while admitting it receives funding from the European Endowment for Democracy, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the OSF, the NED, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Tbilisi and the Embassy of Switzerland in Tbilisi, amongst others.[8] The US government’s Agency for International Development (USAID) is also in on the act. USAID head Samantha Power posted on X on March 3 that Georgia’s Foreign Agent laws “gravely threaten” Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future [!].[9] Direct interference from imperialism is rarely subtle.

Working people have a vital interest in pushing back against relentless meddling from the floundering West, which is but an effect of the downward spiral of world capitalism. Despite Georgia’s unfortunate history with Stalinism, genuine workers’ rule needs to once again triumph throughout Eurasia and internationally. Washington and London’s ever more dangerous World War III provocations against Russia must be terminated by a resolute movement for socialism, led by authentic Marxist vanguard parties blazing a path towards new times where those who labour determine their own future. 

Workers League 

www.redfireonline.com 

E: workersleague@protonmail.com

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[1] www.sott.net/article/491196-Georgia-accuses-Washington-of-trying-to-spark-two-revolutions (08-05-2024)

[2] www.reuters.com/world/europe/why-are-georgians-protesting-against-foreign-agents-bill-2024-04-17/ (08-05-2024)

[3] www.justice.gov/nsd-fara (08-05-2024)

[4] www.mintpressnews.com/coup-cia-foreign-agent-law-color-revolution-georgia/283992/ (08-05-2024)

[5] www.mronline.org/2023/03/25/the-georgian-protests/ (08-05-2024)

[6] www.ned.org/region/eurasia/georgia-2021/ (08-05-2024)

[7] www.eurasianet.org/about (08-05-2024)

[8] www.oc-media.org/who-we-are/ (08-05-2024)

[9] wwwtwitter.com/PowerUSAID/status/1631356011024900103 (08-05-2024)

Image: Anti-government protest in Georgia in 2023, with participants flying the European Union (EU) flag as well as the flag of the United States of America (US) – a tell-tale sign of who is behind them. http://www.columbian.com