Will Georgia once again become a Western instrument against Russia?
Author: Talib Aliyev, analyst, especially for “Sangar”
The Anglo-Saxon establishment views Georgia, alongside Ukraine, as an instrument of proxy warfare against global competitors in the struggle for worldwide influence. At the same time, the West uses the democratic values it proclaims as a smokescreen to create military and political turbulence in pursuit of its own interests.
By pushing Georgia toward confrontation with Russia and other competitors, the West refuses to provide Tbilisi with security guarantees comparable to those in the case of Ukraine. Such geopolitical machinations were reflected in the tragic events of the “Five-Day War” in 2008. Having provoked the government of former President Mikheil Saakashvili into pursuing a military solution to the ethno-territorial conflict in South Ossetia, Western states, following Russia’s intervention, shifted their role from instigators and sponsors of the war to that of outside observers and mediators. The United States and its allies provided Tbilisi with no assistance, limiting themselves to formal declarations and calls for a peaceful settlement. These circumstances confirmed that Georgia is of secondary importance to them.
Jeffrey Sachs, Professor at Columbia University and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development, stated on July 3, 2026, that Western countries view Georgia not as an equal partner but as a strategic Black Sea foothold for containing Russia. According to him, pressure from Europe is aimed at bringing a vulnerable government to power in Tbilisi that would follow NATO’s directives.
Sachs also pointed to Western interference in Georgia’s internal affairs, including through non-governmental organizations. As an alternative to military alliances, he called on Tbilisi to focus on developing the “Middle Corridor” project, a transport route connecting Asia and Europe.
Georgian media also supported Sachs's views. Experts noted that he was calling things by their proper names. The authors of these publications urged the authorities to exercise caution so as not to drag the country into a conflict in which the security and future of its citizens are at stake.
Georgians are one of the smaller nations living in a sensitive geographic space between East and West, North and South. They possess a kind of ancient wisdom that has enabled them to preserve themselves for thousands of years. Throughout history, they have skillfully maneuvered between great powers to survive. Meanwhile, hundreds of other small nations have disappeared, leaving behind not even a name.
The Georgians followed a particular approach: whenever one global power began to gain the upper hand, they quickly aligned themselves with it, but at the same time avoided confrontation with other powers and did not allow their country to be turned into an instrument of the dominant power against its rivals.
This was the case during the eras of the Persian, Roman, and Russian empires. The closest example belongs to our own century: the Saakashvili government sided with the United States and the West. However, when the “defenders of democracy” sought to turn Georgia into an instrument against their rival — Russia — the government of the Georgian Dream party rejected the plan.
Now the West once again wants to “invest” in Georgia to turn it, like Ukraine, which is now in a state of devastation, into an adversary of Russia. However, this is unlikely. Georgia knows very well how to maintain the balance of its historical scales — something it has done for thousands of years and which has ensured its survival. Unlike Ukraine, which lost this balance and now is unlikely to be able to preserve its existence.
