I consider the political initiative “Georgia First” to be a healthy union. I equate the word “healthy” with a very specific meaning, especially in our times and circumstances.
In my understanding, this healthiness is linked to: who has united, what united us, and for what purpose we united to have our say through action.
We are people for whom politics is not a necessary or sole means of self-assertion. Behind each member of “Georgia First” lies a very practical professional and life path, public recognition, and social weight.
Consequently, by entering politics, none of them are “starting” a socially useful function, nor will they “end” their service to the country upon leaving politics. Therefore, there is nothing behind them to “lose” and nothing ahead of them to “gain” for personal gain. In other words, long before the emergence of the “Georgia First” political initiative, we introduced ourselves to the audience, said hello, and extended a hand of partnership and sincere participation to improve reality. By launching this initiative, we have declared our assumption of political responsibility, alongside social and civic responsibility, for the practical effectiveness of this partnership. We have done this openly and boldly, without attempting to avoid difficult or uncomfortable questions.
In short, we presented ourselves as we are, with our merits and flaws, without vanity or hypocrisy, evaluating things and issues sensibly and naming them with principle.
What United Us
We were united by principles that, at first glance, seem basic to the essence of the process, yet are not fully realized in the Georgian reality. We were united by what seems simple to understand but has proven very difficult to translate into practice. We were united by agreement on things that any sane person should probably agree upon without hesitation, yet which represent an unusual and unproven (I wanted to say unpopular) material for broad social agreement in Georgian politics.
We were united by the firm belief that without turning these specific principles into a tradition, national unity cannot be achieved; and as a result, without this unity, national energy cannot be transformed into the most important thing: a modern civic unity. Without such civic unity, we cannot talk about a modern Georgian state as a foundation of Georgian civic nationalism within the country, or as its standard-bearer and “armor” outside the country.
Briefly, within the scope of “one word,” we were united by the following:
• Remembering that every coin has two sides;
• Refusing to divide politics and national affairs into only “black” and “white”;
• Whether we like it or not, knowing that the truth is always somewhere in the middle;
• Though unusual, thinking primarily about reforms while in power, instead of thinking about the next election;
• Not being constrained by the “pleasing the voters” complex: real work is not done this way, and practical results cannot be achieved;
• Regardless of the importance of an issue, being careful that “form” does not overshadow “content,” and “paper” does not consume “identity.”
Why We United: General Foundations
We united to offer the Georgian voter, Georgian society, and the citizen of Georgia something new:
• Liberation from the old;
• Breaking useless clichés;
• Realizing the stereotypes that act as brakes;
• Escaping stagnation or, at best, moving in circles.
The essence of this offer is to create the preconditions for Georgia’s leap into the First World, against the backdrop of evaluating the past and present objectively, critically, calmly, and by directing academic thought toward practical results, in partnership with you, the citizens of Georgia. In this process, we, “Georgia First,” take responsibility upon ourselves as a political entity.
The goal of this offer is to learn to analyze system-creating events within and outside the country and to transform the conclusions drawn from this analysis into the service of our country’s interests and the factual improvement of its citizens’ conditions.
Likewise, the purpose of our offer is to create a solid bridge between Georgia’s rich and proud historical past and a competitive and dignified claim on the future by the Georgian state through a new political style and culture. The realization of this claim should mean that the designation “Georgia” equals a country of high attraction for living and working, while the word “Georgian” provides the means for self-development and a highly desirable opportunity to contribute to the country’s progress.
I will say openly that during discussions on these and other issues, the question often arose among the members of “Georgia First” as to which ideology we support or represent. On the surface, a so-called centrist line emerged. However, due to the blurring of the word “centrism” in the modern world, it became clear that we had to reject a “centrism” that tells our fellow citizens nothing. Yet, we could not and would not fully reject “The Middle” (shvashistoba), while right-wing tendencies emerged in certain disciplines. Consequently, it became necessary to tie these two currents into a single “ideological” framework, which gave rise to the name Pragmatic Right.
This short insert on ideology is for those who stubbornly try to classify any political initiative by ideological markers. But for those who are free from ideological exercises and measure political activity by concrete results, “Georgia First” calls for reflection, conversation, and formation through action on the following:
1. Homeland or Nation-State?
A fundamentally incorrect equation currently linked to the pseudo-national policy of the present government, disguised with national rhetoric. This policy is pseudo because: a) National rhetoric remains merely “nationally sounding” and does not serve the Georgian national state with deeds. Moreover, behind the hypocrisy of “nationality”:
• The country is drifting toward mere geography;
• National security is a nominal concept;
• Professional diplomacy gives way to image-damaging “wheeling and dealing”;
• Instead of social agreement, preference is given to fragmentation, disunity, and anxiety;
• The economic system, instead of generating national opportunities, is formed as an “economy of elite pockets”;
• Ignorance replaces knowledge;
• An environment is encouraged where business is enslaved;
• Justice is trampled upon, and the rule of law is equated with the supremacy of the “written law” alone.
b) Openly declared conspiracy theories outweigh state thinking, the direct result of which is the nullification of the political process within the country and the transformation of the country into an object of others’ interests on the international stage.
c) Constant, and most importantly, cheap appeals to “Homeland” (which we have had for many centuries regardless of this government), “Sovereignty” (which anti-sovereign actions of recent years have denied), and “The Will of the People” (which is actually hybrid coercion practiced on the psyche and consciousness of its own citizens).
The call of “Georgia First” is to fill “Homeland,” “Sovereignty,” and “The Will of the People” with real content, which is primarily possible if:
• We turn the homeland into a state, and
• We become a systemic nation.
As a result of this essential transformation, we will obtain a Nation-State. We believe that only a systemic nation-state is what we need most to preserve our Georgian identity, restore sovereignty, ensure nationality, and confront today’s and tomorrow’s challenges with high efficiency. We will achieve a state where the precious and lofty feelings associated with a transformed homeland become a capable state (at last!), and the Georgian living in their own country, instead of being a guest, becomes the host—the owner. Therefore, the Nation-State is the call of “Georgia First.”
2. A New Understanding of “Georgian”
The modern context requires the substantive clarification and correction of many concepts and categories. This is necessary not only for academic but, primarily, for practical needs. For example, we believe that the existing ethnic understanding of “Georgian” requires expansion and the infusion of political content. Along with the transformation we already mentioned, from homeland to nation-state and from a people to a nation, the collective and all-encompassing understanding of “Georgian” should fully contain the civic status of political-economic-social rights. A Georgian should be the creator of their own destiny, the main employer of the state in creating this destiny, a full participant and the main voice in the country’s processes, a co-owner of the Georgian state, and not a passive witness to the property of narrow circles or an involuntary “notary” of the property seized by others.
3. Civic Nationalism
The core idea of civic nationalism proposed by “Georgia First” is to multiply the effect of existing cultural-ethnic nationalism and put our proud national ego into the practical service of the Georgian nation-state.
Along with other important elements that require the normalization of the country, its institutionalization, and a return to its civilizational roots, the load-bearing walls of civic nationalism are:
• The Georgian state functioning as a Service Provider. The main services for citizens are: (a) Ensuring a safe physical environment and property; (b) Ensuring equal access to opportunities for economic and business activities; (c) Ensuring social justice and necessary basic conditions.
• Building relationships between the state, the citizen, and other relevant entities on solid contractual foundations. Among such “contracts,” the Constitution of Georgia (the political “Holy Book”) and other legal instruments with constitutional priority (e.g., a constitutional agreement/”Concordat” with business, academia, etc.) are primary.
• A Thinking State, where the political position on key issues represents a synthesis of opinions between state, social, business, and creative institutions—an agreement based on co-ownership of the state.
• Consequently, Georgian Thought must become the primary source of Georgia’s national-state development: our own thought about ourselves, about who we are, what we want, and how we intend to achieve it: the “Georgia First” thought.
4. The West as Our Civilization
When talking about diversifying the country’s foreign political ties, the West is for us neither just geography, nor a collection of legal norms, nor simply a strategic partner. For the Georgian nation-state, the Western world is much more: it is Our Civilization. With this assessment, the conversation about the importance of Georgian-Western relations is immediately sealed and declared. Along with other concrete benefits, it is this relationship of the highest rank and content that gives Georgia, as the West’s “Five-Crossed” national bastion in the region; a distinguished role as a stable, predictable, and in-demand link between the West and the East. In other words, it helps our country gain and actualize functional utility, which is so critical for establishing one’s place in a world of “disordered order” under modern conditions.
Why We United: Concrete Foundations
Agreeing on general conceptual issues requires reflection in specific sectors and directions. “Georgia First” has already published its vision on several directions, and material on several more will be published after final processing. Therefore, detailing specific concrete points in this letter is unnecessary due to the public nature of that material. However, I will try to summarize individual directions with a phrase or two:
Defense and Security: Real peace is achieved only through solid national security and close cooperation with strategic partners. Phobia-ridden rhetoric and a submissive, undignified “policy” create a constant sense of being a passive victim, which only fuels the country’s vulnerability. Additionally, “Georgia First” considers it necessary to adopt a “Defense Act,” which should further strengthen the primary precondition for the country’s security between the government, defense forces, and citizens.
Foreign Policy: The main condition for the success of foreign policy is the country’s successful domestic policy and health: you cannot sell a bad and perishable “product” with any diplomacy. Also, in a world of “disordered order,” the country must learn to talk to all main poles or system-creators, master the craft of multilateral policy, and learn, with Georgia’s priority first, to trade its own interests to the maximum extent possible.
Economic Policy: Success in the economy depends not on the volume of resources, but on the wise use of those resources. The foundations of a correct economic model are clear rules, strong institutions, and free entrepreneurship. The corresponding vision is presented as a technocratic, measurable, and result-oriented document. Special attention is paid to aspects of economic security.
Business Environment: We believe that healthy business and a corresponding environment are a national priority, to be strengthened by a high-ranking legislative act. At the same time, business should be seen not only as a business process but as Georgian “soft power” and a promoter of the country’s international positions.
Justice: Along with “the making of law,” it represents the guarantor of stability and national security in the country. Furthermore, Ilia’s [Chavchavadze] assessment of justice as a “daily necessity” further strengthens the “Georgia First” approach toward institutions as service providers. It is essential that the legislative and structural changes presented in the vision aim for Georgian justice to exit the “government service zone” and serve society with real deeds.
Nothing can stand in the way of changes if those changes are natural. In the Georgian reality, changes are also necessary. Consequently, based on their naturalness and necessity, these changes are inevitable. We offer these changes to the citizen of Georgia together with us, through the participation of “Georgia First.”
Now it is our turn, it is the turn of Georgian thought, it is Georgia’s turn.
Op-ed by Victor Kipiani
