Research

Within the frames of the BRIDGE initiative, Civic IDEA has contributed to the creation of the International Republican Institute’s 2021 report “A WORLD SAFE FOR THE PARTY, CHINA’S AUTHORITARIAN INFLUENCE AND THE DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE”. The research includes the case studies of Nepal, Panama, Kenya, Montenegro, Georgia, and Greece and exposes the impact of CCP influence operations on fragile democracies around the world.

Georgia’s case focuses on its strategic geolocation, making it an essential part of the “Silk Road Economic Belt” in China’s BRI. However, Sino-Georgian economic cooperation boosted through the BRI, FTA, and various dual agreements have yielded mixed results. “BRI-related investments by Chinese state-owned or government-linked companies in Georgia have spurred infrastructure developments while fueling corruption and rent-seeking behavior among Georgian politicians. Many large projects undertaken by Chinese companies are left unfinished or are beset by financial and logistical problems.” 

Although China is more perceived as an economic partner of Georgia, the Sino-Georgian cooperation has gone beyond the economic sphere covering other areas such as media, CSO, culture, and academia. The various initiatives implemented through these domains influence Georgian public opinion about China and serve the CCP’s broader foreign policy goals.

For more information, please visit the following link 

https://www.iri.org/resource/china-expands-global-authoritarian-influence-efforts-some-fragile-democracies-show

Report:

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The BRIDGE initiative, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, works to bolster democratic resilience to foreign authoritarian influence. By increasing awareness of authoritarian tactics and equipping stakeholders with the tools and resources to overcome them, BRIDGE programming supports at-risk countries to safeguard democratic institutions and advance their democratic development. 

“Insights from Young Scholars and Peacebuilders from the Caucasus” is the collection of articles and research papers developed within the frames of Civic IDEA’s and Berlin-based Corridors – Dialogue through Cooperation’s joint workshop. Sixteen young experts from Abkhazia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Russia participated in the project, which combined academic input, practical training, and regional exchange. This publication consists of ten selected papers that have been developed, presented, discussed, and reviewed during the project. It provides the reader with first-hand insights, analysis, and opinions from young scholars and peacebuilders from the Caucasus region. In this way, the edited volume facilitates the exchange of knowledge both within the region and internationally.

Sincere gratitude to our engaged colleagues, inspiring and courageous participants, and the German Federal Foreign Office for its generous funding.

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COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown of Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities, the peripeteias associated with the Nariman Narimanov monument, and the events surrounding David Gareja, have uncovered a deep and veiled problem of decades of inequality and racism in society. Although the state legislation of Georgia has been trying to develop a policy of equality for minorities for years, the construction of a multi-religious and multiethnic state and the real integration of the minority community still remains a problem. From the 1990s to the present, Georgia has not been able to overcome the narrative of ethno-religious nationalism that ‘Being Georgian means being Christian’ and the rest is ‘a guest’ and ‘the other’. The discourse – ‘Us’ and ‘Others’, like other minorities, applies to the Azerbaijani community in Georgia, but in the conditions of the pandemic, it particularly affected them. The fact that the Azerbaijani community is considered a ‘foreigner’ by the public, along with belonging to a different ethnic group, is often facilitated by the lack of knowledge of the Georgian language and the adherence to Islam. In the eyes of the dominant ethnos, the Azerbaijani community was and is considered to be a stereotypically, backward and underdeveloped entity. According to Kamran Mammadli, one of the Azerbaijani activists, they were a tamed ‘sheep-breeder’ community. The low level of community integration, for many officials or politicians, is usually the fault of the Azerbaijani community and the line of accusation runs through ignorance of the state language. And the problem of language ignorance is presented as if the community itself does not want to learn the state language and integrate. The state views the minority community exclusively through the prism of security policy. The basis of such an approach is the narrative established in the 90s of the last century, as if there was a threat of separatism in the Azerbaijani community, just like in the Armenian community. It is fair to say that the Azerbaijani community has never given any specific, tangible reason to any of the authorities, and it would be perfectly legitimate to measure their loyalty to the Georgian state in exactly the same way as any other ethnic group living in Georgia, including Georgians.

The Georgian Orthodox Church plays an important role in deepening ethnic-religious nationalism. The Church’s designation of minority-populated areas as ‘Christian territory’ is indicated by the activity of local dioceses and clergy in Kvemo Kartli and the tendency to erect Christian crosses in Muslim villages.

Along with the xenophobic statements made against the Azerbaijani community during the pandemic, the continuation of the narrative of ethno-religious nationalism is the peripeteias associated with the Nariman Naromanov monument and the issue of David Gareji. Behind these issues, in addition with the cultural dimension, lies the issue of political representation, monoethnic and mono-religious domination.

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“Georgian Government’s Tightened Belts: How Much Does Electoral Loyalty Cost?” 10/12/2020 We present the report “Georgian Government’s Tightened Belts: How Much Does Electoral Loyalty Cost?” covering the use of budgetary resources for ensuring the loyalty of the ruling party during elections. The first report addresses the issue of sports events and athletes.

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Download the report from the following link ?

Civic IDEA published another report “Virus of Urgency”

The cases discussed above represent clear examples that the pandemic has hit the world economy on a global scale and almost every country has suffered signicant damages in this regard, although actions of governments were aimed not only at strengthening health systems but also at maintaining economic stability, which cannot be said about Georgia. According to the data from September 2020, the national currency of Georgia depreciated by 4.35 Tetri against the US dollar and the value of one dollar reached 3.3332 GEL. And in relation to the Euro, the exchange rate depreciated by 5.2 Tetri and the value of one Euro became 3.88 GEL.

The big picture allows for the government’s decisions to be carefully evaluated. Today, it is clear that the measures taken by the Government were catastrophic for the Georgian economy that was unstable even before the pandemic. Instead of a short-term model and a concrete action plan with minimal restrictions of rights that should have been offered by the Executive and the Parliament the Georgian society instead was granted strict restrictions announced by the Government. Despite the systematic removal of restrictions, citizens have lost their sense of stability because the government could at any time impose the same or harsher restrictions under a new ordinance. In addition to all this, is the fact that due to the forthcoming elections or, more generally, due to the lack of the medium to long-term plans the Georgian Executive refuses to hold a public debate in the Parliament. This sort of attitude intensies a feeling of confusion and hopelessness in society.

As we can see, both in the South Caucasus and in the Eastern European countries there are numerous facts of a “temptation” for a power grab. It is quite a difcult challenge to create a strong constitutional regime under a state of emergency as it is always in danger of being politically inuenced. Even the EU member states could not be safe from it, as we have seen in Polish and Hungarian examples. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a mechanism that will better protect the principle of separation of powers and the interest of exercising civil rights even within a state of emergency. Otherwise, the state will be entirely dependent on the goodwill of politicians, which could lead the economic and social development of the country to a certain catastrophe. Unless the appropriate precautionary steps are taken, the emergency measures, as is their nature, will continue to exist for longer than necessary. According to the Venice Commission, the most serious human rights violations take place in the state of emergency situations. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stated that 

„The need for security often leads governments to adopt exceptional measures. These must be truly exceptional, as no State has the right to disregard the principle of the rule of law, even in extreme situations. At all events, there must be statutory guarantees preventing any misuse of exceptional measures“. Once the pandemic is over, states will face new challenges in both, socio-economic and democratic development because no one knows how easily governments will relinquish their increased powers under a state of emergency. Countries with weak democratic traditions and fragile institutions are particularly at risk.

“Fighting the pandemic with a “locked-in” attitude may create a “less open, less free, and less prosperous world.”

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Civic IDEA’s 4^th China Watch report addresses another Chinese state-controlled company Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co Ltd. (TBEA) which has already won two tenders in Georgia and is distinguished with its tainted international reputation. Below, we provide the readers with the key findings of our research:

• The report explains TBEA’s origins and activities in order to expose its affiliation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). TBEA is the enterprise group designated by the Chinese government and has its full support to conduct import-export and business relations outside China. TBEAs activities extend to almost every continent, including Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia and Africa. The main protagonists of its actions worldwide are the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese state-owned Exim Bank. Moreover, the company’s chairman Zhang Xin, is a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), his name is recorded in the list of members of the 11th and 13th National People’s Congress and he also represents the city of Changji in the National People’s Congress. In addition to that, TBEA has been involved in illegal machinations with the Xinjiang Changji Forced Labor Camp, where detainees are tortured, starved, and inhumanely treated. The company exploited the prisoners’ labor rights by forcing them to work without any compensation.
• Our research has revealed particular breaches in the contracts signed between the Georgian state and TBEA Shenyang Transformer Group Co. These agreements were followed by redundant extensions, violation of the fixed terms, futile expenditures. However, the state agencies involved in the procurement procedures, turned a blind eye to these legal violations while granting TBEA with various privileges. To encourage the Chinese company TBEA, the tender commission does not spare any effort to change the terms of the projects while also disqualifying competitors for utterly incomprehensible reasons.
• Our report thoroughly reviews the TBEA corruption and fraud scandals in Gambia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, proving that its reputation is being questioned internationally.  However, this occasion did not prevent JSC “Georgian State Electro system” to entrust the implementation of the large-scale infrastructural projects to TBEA that left the Kyrgyz population without electricity and heating at -27 degrees Celsius, a company whose branch in India is facing the problem of insolvency, a company that is exposed to corrupt dealings with various governments.

• Similar to other Chinese companies operating in Georgia, the state did not even try to implement the so-called “due diligence” concerning TBEA and its activities worldwide. The government failed to examine the company’s international reputation, while even the simplest and the most accessible search platform, Google instantly provides information regarding TBEA’s scandalous and corrupt deals sourced from trusted and qualified media outlets.

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Civic IDEA’s third China Watch Report covers the controversies over SinoHydro & China Railway 23rd Bureau Group Co. The latter brings the story of Sinohydro Corporation Limited and China 23rd Railway Bureau Co, the Chinese companies that are responsible for the main infrastructural projects in Georgia and have a tainted reputation globally. We discuss the misconduct of the projects led by them in Georgia, particularly, the violations of environmental laws, violations of labor rights, violations of contractual terms, and regulations. Also, we evaluate the experiences of foreign countries to highlight the absence of due diligence on the side of the Georgian government while granting contracts to the company.

Civic IDEA’s third China Watch Report ?

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Report on Georgian – Chinese Affair. Report is about Chinese influence operations in Academia, Media and CSOs. We case study Georgia, however report is written with a comparative perspective of similar practices in other countries. 
Before the end of the year we will be publishing several other reports and findings about Cino-Georgian relations, including corrupt practices, lack of due diligence on the side of Georgian government, political influence operations, etc.
Civic IDEA and myself remain grateful to our donors who made our work possible and to Mr. Martin Hala for his continued expertise and support. 
Feel free to distribute it among all interested.