(Eurasianet) As Georgia finds itself in the deepest crisis with Russia since the 2008 war between the two countries, Tbilisi’s closest ally, the United States, has been conspicuously quiet.
The Kremlin has banned flights to Georgia, asked tourists not to visit the country, and has threatened further economic sanctions. The Russian media is full of tales, some exaggerated and others entirely fictional, about rising Russophobia in Georgia, and Russian diplomats have warned darkly, if vaguely, of “war.”
Publicly, the U.S. has barely responded. The embassy in Tbilisi issued a brief statement, following the outbreak of protests against the appearance of a Russian official in Georgia’s parliament and the government’s violent crackdown, calling for an investigation into the use of force against the demonstrations and for “dialogue among all political actors that will strengthen Georgia’s democracy.” Senior officials in Washington have not weighed in. […]
“Georgians got spoiled a little bit, it had so much U.S. involvement in all issues related to Russia and security,” said Kornely Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, a think tank. Now, he told Eurasianet, “we feel kind of isolated.
“Because of the unclear situation in DC, Georgia is not at the top of the priority list and that makes Georgians a little bit nervous,” Kakachia said.
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