Following the United States’ purchase of the establishments in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, the decapitation of Venezuela’s leadership, and after launching a bloody crackdown in Iran in an attempt to force its regime change, Georgia’s time has now come:
“After successfully expanding US influence in Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Trump administration should set its sights on Georgia… But President Donald Trump ignores Georgia at America’s risk. Washington doesn’t need to “bless” Georgia’s ruling party or grant it a high-level state visit to protect US interests, but it should keep targeted pressure on Tbilisi to reverse democratic backsliding. It is also important to expand support for civil society and media so that Georgia doesn’t become a durable platform for Russian and Chinese leverage on the Black Sea. With Georgia, a blend of incentive and threat is warranted. The incentive would be the prospect of American investment, encouraged by the Trump administration. The threat would be a clear sign of US determination to impose sanctions on Georgian Dream’s leadership and its enablers unless they hold new, transparent, internationally-monitored parliamentary elections and end the persecution of journalists and political opponents, making fair elections impossible”[1].
In the lead-up to this moment, Trump was reportedly pushed toward taking decisive action:
Georgia’s strategic location makes it vital for U.S. objectives in Eurasia. Sitting at a crucial crossroads in the South Caucasus, Georgia has long been militarily and economically important, with oil and gas pipelines that pass through its territory playing a critical role in Europe’s energy security and, by extension, U.S. interests. If Russia were to gain greater control over Georgia – whether formally or informally – it would significantly enhance Moscow’s geo-strategic position while undermining America’s… The US needs to restore its respect in Georgia”[2],
“What Washington needs to do isn’t to entirely re-evaluate its strategy in the South Caucasus, but to act quickly to protect its existing leverage. The ultimate goal isn’t to fundamentally change the politics in Georgia, but to safeguard remaining American influence at a critical crossroads of Eurasia. Washington needs to do four things: draw red lines, punish spoilers, hedge with Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Armenia, and prioritize leverage over ideals”[3],
“Washington must act. Passive policies toward authoritarian regimes carry tangible costs, especially when those regimes operate in regions of high strategic value. Without renewed American engagement, Russia will consolidate its control over trade and information networks in Georgia and across the South Caucasus. China will exploit its growing influence by expanding its infrastructure and debt footprint along the Black Sea, embedding itself in projects of geoeconomic and strategic importance. Iran will exploit Georgia’s permissive environment to facilitate new sanctions-evasion schemes”[4].
Georgia now faces coercion into submission; should it refuse to comply, its leaders will be eliminated – physically, if it comes to that. Such is the “free world” as defined by the United States.
“How the White House Is Keeping Russia out of the South Caucasus” (Dmitriy Shapiro, and Keti Korkiya, The National Interest, February 27, 2026);
2 https://www.hudson.org/democracy/partner-problem-georgias-anti-american-turn-luke-coffey
“From Partner to Problem: Georgia’s Anti-American Turn” (Luke Coffey, Hudson Institute, Sep 10, 2025);
“Without Georgia, US Caucasus Policy Is Incomplete” (Nicholas Chkhaidze, The National Interest, September 23, 2025);
4 https://nationalinterest.org/blog/silk-road-rivalries/how-georgia-became-russias-back-door
“How Georgia Became Russia’s Back Door” (Nicholas Chkhaidze, The National Interest, December 5, 2025).