For the fourth episode of Budapest, I was joined by Marika Mikiashvili — lecturer at Alte University in Tbilisi, and Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Droa, part of the Coalition for Change, Georgia's largest democratic alliance.
Georgia sits at a strategic crossroads in the South Caucasus — and its ruling party, Georgian Dream, has been steadily opening the door to Russian influence. How does a government build legitimacy on electoral fraud and war propaganda? Together with Marika, we explore the Georgian crisis: a hypercentralized state where the billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili is pulling his country away from Europe — and toward the Kremlin.
If you want to support the struggle for democracy and freedom of the Georgian people, donate at georgiaprotest.com
In this episode:
∙ The South Caucasus in the international chessboard
∙ The true face of Georgian Dream
∙ The 2024 electoral fraud
∙ Political prisoners and chemical weapons
∙ The Russian Trojan horse
∙ What the European Union can do for the Georgian people
With reason, not rage.
Timestamps
1:03 – What is your Budapest? The Caucasus dilemma
4:30 – The true face of Georgian Dream and the power of false narratives
9:10 – Elections in 2024: the fraud
17:30 – A year of protest: the regime versus the population in a limbo
22:30 – Too many political prisoners in Georgia
28:40 – Chemical weapons on the population
29:30 – Who is the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili
32:00 – How a hypercentralized, feudal State controls your life
35:00 – Georgia: the Russian Trojan horse
39:00 – The global power of narrative on war and morality
44:45 – A call for European leaders
52:00 – Four actions to support democracy in Georgia
Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto
Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano
Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo
Visual identity: Martina Santurri
Sound designer: Enrico Cabua