Some 80 percent of Georgians want to join the EU, which begs the question of why the ruling party feels so secure.

Eighty percent of Georgians want to join the European Union, so how can the government be so confident it will hold onto power by spurning Brussels and seemingly deliberately torpedoing the nation’s EU prospects?

That’s the political paradox at the heart of the crisis gripping the country.

In a sharp slap in the face to the EU, the ruling Georgian Dream party has passed Russian-style legislation that Brussels fears could be used to label media, think-tanks and NGOs with even a drop of Western funding as “foreign agents,” crimping freedom of speech.

The EU is making clear this legislation means membership is effectively off the cards, and the authorities used water cannon and pepper spray against thousands of protestersdemonstrating against it outside parliament on Wednesday night.

  • SteefLem@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Why are some of these countries governments so hell bent on to be on russias side. What the hell does russia have that is so good that you would want to be partners with a country that always backstabs you never keeps a promise and is a shit show economically.

    • freebee@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      For Georgia it’s a proximity issue. If they’d join NATO, if they’d join EU, it’s still geographically right next to Russia while EU is far away. Already Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians don’t really feel like they’re covered enough by nato, how would Georgians feel?

      Also, I’m guessing blackmailing/corruption of some sort. Russia’s got dirt on party top stuff like that.

    • Mazoku@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      Can you explain the backstabbing you speak of? I’ve recently started listening to podcasts and interviews with various historians and leaders, and the more I listen, the more I feel like the USA and Britain are the major perpetrators of this conflict. But maybe what I’ve been listening to is Russian biased, so I would love to hear conflicting information. Thanks

      • ferret@sh.itjust.works
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        8 months ago

        I mean Ukraine agreeing to nuclear deproliferation on the contingent they wouldn’t get invaded by Russia, then getting invaded by Russia less than 30 years later is a recent and very topical one

        • Mazoku@lemmy.ml
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          8 months ago

          But isn’t the primary reason for the Ukraine invasion because NATO and western nations are encroaching further and further east, practically on Russia’s doorstep? If I recall properly, NATO also agreed they wouldn’t expand eastward, but they broke their promise as well.

          Think of the Cuban missile crisis. The USA hated the thought of having missiles so close as well.

          • hitwright@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            The primary reason is Russian Imperialistic dream of restoring the Soviet Union.

            Reasoning that a country can invade another country just because it feels insecure is insane. Not to mention that the border would become even closer, because now Russia would be expandee.

            The baltic states are already close AF to primary population centers to have serios damage. Not to mention that Finland is also now NATO. Why didn’t Russia invade them also?

          • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            The primary reason for Russia invading Ukraine is that they feel Ukraine is Russian. It has nothing to do with Putin’s anti-NATO propaganda, which wasn’t even seriously being discussed until Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.

            This is all due to Russian aggression, nothing else.

    • FluffyPotato@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      The last time they showed any interest outside of Russia they got invaded by Russia so yea.