Foreign Correspondent on ABC and ABC iview S35E13 – On Russia’s southern flank, the former Soviet republic of Georgia is fighting for its very existence as a democracy.
Until recently it was a darling of the West, on a fast track to EU membership, but then something dramatically changed. The pro-EU government did an extraordinary U-turn. It stands accused of winning re-election in a disputed ballot, crushing civil society, jailing dissenters and passing a raft of draconian laws eerily similar to those on the books in Russia. So what is going on?
Foreign Correspondent reporter Stephanie March travels to the nation wedged between Russia and Europe on the edge of the Black Sea to witness a democracy crumbling in real time.
The atmosphere is tense with an ongoing crackdown and cyber surveillance. She meets protestors and opposition figures who believe Russia is pulling the strings, while senior government figures claim there’s a dark western backed conspiracy designed to push Georgia into war with Russia.
Many fear the winds of a new Cold War are blowing through Tbilisi as Moscow tests new strategies to gain influence and control across Europe. As Georgia’s last democratically elected President warns “if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere”.
Foreign Correspondent on ABC and ABC iview – Tuesday 22 July at 8.00pm.
Media Release – ABC
TV Central ABC content HERE
Foreign Correspondent on ABC and ABC iview S35E13
