Phillips’s Newsletter

Well what we are witnessing in Georgia is both depressingly predictable and yet horrifying at the same time. A nation that wanted to be democratic, whose people saw their future in the West, in Europe, is having their freedom corrupted in front of their (and our) eyes. Its shows how fragile democratic systems can be in the face of unopposed brutality.

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Two other stories this week. The connections between Putin and MAGA have come even more into focus, and its clear (once again) what will happen if Trump wins.

Also, the Russians continues with the tiny advances—though clearly many people think they are seizing much more of Ukraine than they actually are. Its important, because understanding what is going on in relative terms can help people understand how Ukraine can be armed to win the war.

What we are seeing in Georgia might best be called the dictator’s playbook—one we have seen used repeatedly in the last few years in countries like Belarus and Venezuela. A state calls an election which it says is free, even allows in some foreign observers—but it goes ahead and in front of the world steals the vote. It uses intimidation, ballot-box stuffing, ballot irregularities, etc, and in the end it simply declares itself the victor. Sure, the people might protest, get together in their hundreds of thousands, but the dictators have prepared for this. They have their security forces, even the army, prepared and by their side. The crush the dissent where its dangerous, and let it die of neglect where its not a direct threat.

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