Once again, the leaders of our country abdicate our centuries-long advocacy of democracy and instead applaud cronyism. This time the country is Georgia.
The top U.S. official for the Caucasus praised Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Sunday for his leadership over the last 4 years, but suggested he lift a state of emergency and restore an independent media.
In contrast some Western countries have criticized Saakashvili for a violent crackdown on opposition protests and the muzzling critical media last week.
“The president of Georgia has shown remarkable leadership,” said Matt Bryza, assistant secretary of state for European affairs.
Saakashvili shocked his Western allies on Wednesday, ordering police to baton charge and fire tear gas at protesters calling for his resignation and then imposed a state of emergency, justifying it by accusing Russia of stirring unrest.
As I posted earlier, the Georgian government stormed opposition news agencies and shut down the press. And America stood up for them.
