Opinion: The West needs to take a hard look at Georgian Dream’s propaganda operation
Architects of disinformation should face sanctions.

In confronting daily anti-government protests, the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi has fashioned itself as a bulwark against what its leaders describe as liberal fascism. That many Georgians buy into the double-think notion of Lockean tyranny is a testament to the effectiveness of anti-Western, Russian-style propaganda which is the staple of Georgian Dream-aligned media outlets today.
For most of the 21st century, Georgia prioritized integration with the West, even enshrining a commitment to seek membership in the European Union in the country’s constitution. But Georgian Dream over the past 18 months has reversed course, adopting illiberal legislation, such as the ‘foreign agents’ law, which critics say can be manipulated to muzzle watchdogs and dissent. At the same time, pro-government media outlets, including Imedi TV, have fed citizens a steady diet of slanted anti-Western coverage, fueling societal polarization.
An egregious, but not unusual example of Imedi disinformation was a social media post December 9 on its branded channel accusing pro-EUprotesters of purposefully burning a coffin containing a likeness of Jesus Christ. In reality, the crowd was burning an effigy of Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. The Imedi post cast the protest and its participants enemies of core Georgian values.
Opinion polling conducted by the International Republican Institute in 2023 highlighted the polarization trend. Georgia suffered a disastrous defeat in its five-day fight against Russia in 2008, and Russia occupies the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, yet IRI polling found that one third of respondents support “further dialogue” with Moscow with another third opposed. The results also showed that almost three-quarters of Georgians favored EU membership, even though it seems many believe Georgian Dream-propagated arguments that Western values are at odds with Georgian traditions, and that EU integration would threaten Georgian sovereignty and culture.
In late 2024, shortly after Georgian Dream claimed a mandate to govern in what observers described as heavily manipulated parliamentary elections, party leaders suspended EU integration efforts. This brazen move to ignore the constitutional mandate and popular will, steering the country away from the West and back into Russia’s orbit, prompted mass protests across the country that have gone on for almost two months. The polarization of society has accelerated since the start of fall protests, with support for EU integration equally met by those who justify GD officials’ u-turn and their use of force against protesters.
Georgia’s ideological transformation has real consequences for its citizens. It has had a profound impact on my own family. As someone with an American father and a Georgian mother, I have witnessed Georgia’s evolving attitudes firsthand. My father, renowned for his work in Georgian polyphonic music, once helped symbolize strong Georgian-American ties. In the late 2000s, my family participated in the Chveneburebi Festivals, an initiative by then-president Mikheil Saakashvili to promote Georgian culture domestically and abroad. At the time, our Americanness was celebrated as a bridge connecting Georgia to the West.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this admiration has faded. A relative who once cherished our American connection now accuses us of being enemies of Georgia and products of a “sinful union.” On a recent visit to a church near Chiatura, my father encountered a priest who declared Westerners unwelcome—an unprecedentedly hostile gesture never previously experienced in the 30 years of my parents’ marriage.
Such incidents aren’t limited to my own family’s experience. A viral 2024 video showed a priest at TbilisiHoly TrinityChurch verbally assaulting a Georgian-American visitor, calling him a “Soros Agent” out to destroy Georgian traditions. There are many more examples of anti-Western rhetoric and actions, an odd juxtaposition considering former US president George W. Bush, the only US leader to have visited Tbilisi, still has a street named after him in the Georgian capital.
The outcome of Georgia’s current political crisis remains uncertain. Protesters are pushing for a new parliamentary vote. In a genuinely fair election, Georgian Dream’s ability to remain in power is no sure thing. But anti-government forces appear to lack the strength to compel Georgian Dream to accede to their demand; at the same time, incumbent authorities, despite the widespread use of brutal police tactics, lack the muscle to sweep the protesters off the streets.
As the crisis grinds toward a denouement, one thing is certain: mass media will exert heavy influence in shaping citizens’ views. Those wanting to see Georgia get back on a Western track need to face up to the fact that Georgian Dream’s skillful use of Russian-style messaging has had, and will continue to have a significant, even decisive impact on public opinion. State-aligned media’s constant portrayal of the West as a cultural and moral threat deepens feelings of alienation among Georgian from the West and nudges the country closer to its authoritarian, historical enemy, Russia.
The stakes are enormous. Losing Georgia to Russian influence would mean the collapse of one of the most promising experiments in post-Soviet democratization, as well as a strategic setback for the West. It would embolden Russia’s ideological warfare across the region and encourage more ideological expansion, undermining efforts to promote rules-based economic and political systems in the post-Soviet space.
Georgian Dream’s chief purveyors of propaganda, including those in charge of Imedi TV and PostTV, should face sanctions and other punishments for spreading disinformation. In addition, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, could take a stand against the willful distribution of disinformation on its platform by banning Imedi, PostTV and other disseminators of untruths. Such action could have a considerable impact, given that many Georgians obtain their news from social media. Georgian Dream’s disinformation operation should not be given more space and time to warp public attitudes.
Luke Linich is a Georgian-American Master's student at Columbia University studying international relations focusing on the Caucasus and the post-Soviet space.
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