From Dream to Disillusion: Rewriting the Georgian National Narrative

In modern Georgia’s history, few moments have been as defining for its statehood and national identity as the speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 January 1999 by former Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania: “I am Georgian, and therefore I am European.” These words have since become a cornerstone of Georgia’s national narrative and the motto for European aspirations.

Membership in the European Union and NATO represents the primary guarantee of Georgia’s security, development, and prosperity. It is a concept based on Georgia’s civilisational choice, reflects broad public consensus, and is cemented in the Foreign Policy Strategy of Georgia and the Constitution. The latter reads: “Constitutional bodies shall take all measures within their competences to ensure Georgia’s full integration into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.”

Georgia’s aspiration to be part of the wider European family is deeply rooted in the centuries-old bonds and the nation’s collective historical memory. The country’s cultural, political, military, religious, and economic ties with Europe have historically shaped its modern political endeavour—integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic family has since become one of the cornerstones of the modern Georgian national narrative.

This brings us to contemporary efforts at changing Georgia’s history. Reshaping a national narrative is not just about rewriting history—it means rethinking how a nation sees its past. Whether the current Georgian government under the Georgian Dream (GD) party is truly prepared to take on such a deep and delicate transformation remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: the strength of Georgia’s historical awareness and its resilience to disinformation will face serious tests in the years ahead. Rewriting one’s own history is no easy task. It requires a complex engagement with the collective memory, as well as challenging long-standing identities, values, attitudes, and prejudices.

Georgian Dreamers

To fully understand the context, Georgia’s recent history should be examined, especially the years since 2012 when the GD took over and began steering the country in a new direction. At that time, however, the public rhetoric of political leaders remained largely the same, with its subtle changes neither clearly visible nor easily understood by the majority of Georgian society. Only a few, clear-eyed critics openly called the ruling party a “Russian project” for pursuing what they viewed as a pro-Russian agenda.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the government’s rhetoric shifted significantly. It became increasingly obvious that Georgian authorities were, through their statements, gradually aligning with the Kremlin’s narrative, yet justifying this position under the guise of pragmatism and peace—something that Georgia desperately still needed following the lingering trauma of the 2008 war.

Georgia’s pursuit of EU candidate status during this time was also rife with difficulties. Due to domestic challenges—such as the struggle for de-oligarchisation, political polarisation, slow adoption of anti-corruption measures and judicial reform, lack of media freedom, poor human rights protections, etc.—Georgia initially failed to receive EU candidate status in June 2022 as part of the Association Trio together with Moldova and Ukraine. Instead, Tbilisi was granted a so-called “European Perspective,” i.e., a step toward candidacy contingent on reforms.

In December 2023, however, Georgia received EU candidate status, albeit having made only partial progress. It seemed the EU recognised that denying the status to Georgia would primarily punish the people, who were the least culpable, rather than the government. The alternative would have handed a victory to Russia and those political forces in Georgia who support Moscow.

As a result of political discrimination and repression unleashed against the GD government’s critics, the Georgian public sector has been drained of qualified personnel. Consequently, state agencies, once responsible for steering the country’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration, have lost critical institutional memory.

We Have All Sinned

When GD came to power, neither the public nor the opposition recognised the severity of the threats facing the country. No one viewed the situation as mature or alarming enough to warrant decisive action. More specifically, the possibility of an existential crisis seemed unimaginable—until now. Today, Georgia stands at a critical crossroads.

The opposition, hindered by limited financial resources, has struggled to mount an effective resistance. Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili’s vast financial power continues to overshadow and suppress the pro-western political flank. Beyond the imbalance of resources, opposition leaders face ongoing persecution: physical attacks, arrests, and intimidation.

Furthermore, both the opposition and the civil sector misjudged the pre-election landscape in October 2024. They failed to identify the sophisticated mechanisms of electoral manipulation that were being applied. In retrospect, these tactics were not only deliberate but disturbingly foreseeable.

Euroatlantists in Retreat

Georgia’s growing economic reliance on Russia, the steady inflow of Russian nationals, and the government’s increasingly anti-western rhetoric—framing the EU and the United States as being led by the so-called “global war party”—all point to a troubling trajectory. These developments raise serious concerns that Georgia is drifting toward becoming a proxy state under the Kremlin’s influence, serving the Kremlin’s broader agenda of regional dominance. The implications are even more alarming. In this dynamic, Georgia risks becoming a satellite state of Russia, reinforcing its authoritarian rule across the region. Such alignment would allow these states to circumvent sanctions and participate in illicit trade.

Paradoxical as it may seem, the further Georgia distances itself from the democratic orbit of the western partners, the more it appears to align with an EU member state—Hungary — and its ‘Orbanist’ approach. The ruling Georgian Dream party seems to be following Viktor Orbán’s playbook, echoing him on protecting the homeland, upholding ‘conservative’ values, and defending ‘traditional families’. These themes are also central to the rhetoric of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who argues that Georgia’s traditions and principles are under threat from Western elites and what he calls the “global war party.” This narrative of victimhood and external threat closely mirrors the Kremlin’s long-standing imperialistic propaganda repeatedly used to justify Russian actions across the region. As ties between Tbilisi and Budapest grow stronger, Viktor Orbán seems increasingly intent on securing another regional ally to bolster his stance against the European Union and its policies.

Yet another challenge is information manipulation, which has become a powerful instrument for the GD to influence a disoriented public in Georgia. This is especially evident in rural regions, where many still struggle with basic needs and are more vulnerable to tactics such as bribery. Georgia’s increasingly authoritarian regime seems willing to tighten its grip on power at any cost—even if this means misleading its own people. Through deliberate and sustained disinformation campaigns, it seeks to gradually reshape the country’s security priorities, defence and foreign policy objectives, and even the national narrative.

Recent polls in Georgia reveal a concerning trend: public support for the EU is waning, with trust in the union dropping by 9%. This decline is accompanied by institutional setbacks, as key government bodies responsible for promoting public awareness on EU and NATO integration are being dismantled. A notable example is the planned closure of the NATO and EU Information Centre, a flagship organisation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although the government claims the centre will be absorbed as a department within the ministry, the decision signals a broader retreat in both strategic communication and the government’s commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration.

A Twisted Reality

The achieve this, the GD has been pushing several key messages that seek to reshape how Georgians see their national identity, history, and place in the world. This campaign is carried out with the help of pro-government media, influencers, and coordinated statements by party officials. On the surface, it appears an unsubtle effort to move the country’s national narrative away from its European and democratic aspirations, nudging it instead toward a stance that is more tolerant of Russia.

First, western countries and NGOs are accused of interfering in Georgia’s domestic affairs and undermining its sovereignty under the guise of promoting democracy and human rights. Secondly, liberalism is depicted as a threat to Georgian traditions, Orthodox Christianity, and family values, whereas LGBTQ+ rights and other non-traditional views are framed as western ideological impositions that contradict Georgian identity.

Moreover, the so-called “Georgian knights”—i.e., politicians from the ruling party—are described as defenders of the nation battling the “deep state” to protect Georgia, Christianity, and national identity. Any form of foreign engagement, even diplomatic efforts, is twisted as a hostile intervention against the will of the people.

Thirdly, the GD presents itself as the guarantor of peace, while opposition parties and pro-western voices are blamed for dragging Georgia into another war with Russia—potentially turning it into the “second front” of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

And finally, key historical developments such as the 2008 war, Soviet occupation, and the independence movement are being re-interpreted to downplay Russian aggression. In the meantime, domestic failings—particularly the faults of former President Mikheil Saakashvili—are being highlighted and explained as a “betrayal by the west.”

Taken together, these narratives aim to redirect Georgia toward becoming a ‘neutral’ state with authoritarian tendencies, more closely aligned with the Orbanist model in Hungary or even Russian-influenced hybrid regimes.

An Illusion of Peace

To this end, the GD regime, led by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, is trying to exploit every possible resource—financial or human, rational or extreme—to construct a new narrative for Georgian society. It is one that revolves around contrasts—black and white, good vs evil— and draws on the moral dichotomy deeply rooted in Christianity, national traditions, and strict conservatism. This version of Georgian national identity is aligned with neighbouring Orthodox Russia. It portrays Georgia as a victim, while casting the western world, especially EU political elites and transatlantic allies, as moral and cultural adversaries.

Total confusion and misunderstanding loom as the ruling party continues to issue contradictory statements, undermining Georgia’s core national narrative. Instead of clarity, a machine of anti-western propaganda fuels chaos, misinformation, and an illusion of reality that disputes Georgia’s core values rooted in the constitution and its aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration. All of this is conducted in the name of “peace”—yet much has already been sacrificed under that very promise.

With its roots in antiquity, the Georgia of today appears to be a postmodernist tale of a young, western-oriented, democratic state gradually backsliding into an authoritarian dystopia reminiscent of the USSR. It is the story of a journey from an ideal Georgian dream toward disillusionment. What lies on the autocratic menu remains unknown.