July 15, 2003

MEMORANDUM TO: OPINION LEADERS

FROM: DANIEL McKIVERGAN, Deputy Director

SUBJECT: Democracy in the Republic of Georgia

Over the 4th of July weekend, the United States struck a blow for democracy and the rule of law in a nation in an important region of the world, and just a stone's throw away from Iraq. Although little reported in the national media, former Secretary of State James Baker traveled to the Republic of Georgia with the task of: 1) making clear that the U.S. expects free and fair parliamentary elections to be held in Georgia this fall; and 2) securing an agreement with the government of Georgia that ensures that the election process will reflect the will of the Georgian people.

Since gaining independence from Moscow more than a decade ago, Georgia has moved in a different political and economic direction than many other former Soviet Republics. But Georgia's reformist path isn't irreversible. In fact, recent signs of backsliding by the Tbilisi government in ensuring free and fair elections led to Secretary Baker's trip. Indeed, the fact that President Bush chose James Baker - a close friend of current Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze - to go to Tbilisi shows the high priority the administration attaches to credible parliamentary elections in November. More broadly, it also manifests the president's judgment that long-term regional stability, whether in the Middle East, the Far East or the Caucuses, is inextricably tied to the success of democratic, constitutional governments in those areas. It is now up to the government in Tbilisi to put the terms of the Baker-brokered agreement* into action, and for American officials in the United States and in Georgia to hold that government responsible for fulfilling its agreed-to responsibilities.

*Provisions of the agreement include: publicly available voter registration lists, equal access to media outlets for all candidates, and an election commission consisting of nine members nominated by the opposition parties, five by the government, and a chairman appointed by Europe's Organization for Security and Cooperation (Associated Press, July 7, 2003).