Ep. 4 - The Georgian Dream Is a Nightmare, with Marika Mikiashvili

For the fourth episode of Budapest, I was joined by Marika Mikiashvili — lecturer at Alte University in Tbilisi, and Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Droa, part of the Coalition for Change, Georgia's largest democratic alliance.

Georgia sits at a strategic crossroads in the South Caucasus — and its ruling party, Georgian Dream, has been steadily opening the door to Russian influence. How does a government build legitimacy on electoral fraud and war propaganda? Together with Marika, we explore the Georgian crisis: a hypercentralized state where the billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili is pulling his country away from Europe — and toward the Kremlin.

If you want to support the struggle for democracy and freedom of the Georgian people, donate at georgiaprotest.com

In this episode:

∙ The South Caucasus in the international chessboard

∙ The true face of Georgian Dream

∙ The 2024 electoral fraud

∙ Political prisoners and chemical weapons

∙ The Russian Trojan horse

∙ What the European Union can do for the Georgian people

With reason, not rage.

Timestamps

1:03 – What is your Budapest? The Caucasus dilemma

4:30 – The true face of Georgian Dream and the power of false narratives

9:10 – Elections in 2024: the fraud

17:30 – A year of protest: the regime versus the population in a limbo

22:30 – Too many political prisoners in Georgia

28:40 – Chemical weapons on the population

29:30 – Who is the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili

32:00 – How a hypercentralized, feudal State controls your life

35:00 – Georgia: the Russian Trojan horse

39:00 – The global power of narrative on war and morality

44:45 – A call for European leaders

52:00 – Four actions to support democracy in Georgia

Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto

Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano

Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo

Visual identity: Martina Santurri

Sound designer: Enrico Cabua