Co-optation or Empowerment? The Fate of Pro-Democracy NGOs after the Rose Revolution

Abstract

Western governments spend millions of dollars annually supporting the non-governmental sphere, and especially pro-democracy organisations, in non-democracies. The essay explores how inclusion of pro-democracy organisations into the state after democratic breakthrough can enhance or inhibit democratic consolidation, arguing inclusion can actually weaken the NGO community by creating rifts between one-time partners with suddenly disparate agendas. This argument is applied to the case of Georgia following the 2003 ‘Rose Revolution’. Evidence is based on elite interviews conducted in summer 2007.

Notes

¹See also Schmitz (2001, p. 159); May (2005, p. 1); Diani (2006, p. 140); Friedman and Hochstetler (2002, p. 32).

²See also Tarrow (1994).

³G. Ugulava, Mayor of Tbilisi and former founder/director of non-governmental organisation ALPE, 21 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁴Author's interviews with L. Tarkhnishvili, Head of Georgian Public TV, 24 July 2007, Tbilisi; N. Saakashvili, Executive Director of Horizonti, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi; M. Mullen, Former Georgia country director for National Democratic Institute, 26 June 2007, Telephone Interview; U. Nanuashvili, Executive director of the Human Rights Information and Documentation Center, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁵Anonymous interview with a United States Government Official, 5 January 2007, Washington, D.C.

⁶A. Dolidze, Former Chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (2005–2006), 10 July 2007, Telephone Interview.

⁷Anonymous interview with a Government of Georgia Official, Tbilisi.

⁸K. Kublashvili, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia, 23 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁹‘About Alpe’, ALPE Foundation, available at: http://www.alpe.ge/alpe/about_alpe/, accessed 5 March 2012; UNA, ‘About United Nations Association of Georgia, United Nations Association of Georgia’, available at: http://www.una.org.ge/unag.html, accessed 6 January 2008.

¹⁰Human Rights Information and Documentation Center (HRIDC), ‘Mission’, available at: http://www.hridc.org/eng/mission.php, accessed 6 January 2008.

¹¹Other organisations whose members were interviewed include Horizonti and the International Center for Civic Culture (organisations dedicated to the development of civil society); the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (an independent think tank); representatives from the independent TV station Rustavi II; and representatives from various international organisations previously involved in opposition support (Open Society Georgia Foundation, Eurasia Foundation, National Democratic Institute).

¹²N. Saakashvili, Executive Director of Horizonti, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi.

¹³Author's interviews with U. Nanuashvili, Executive director of the Human Rights Information and Documentation Center, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi; N. Kakabadze, Head of Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi; and G. Nikoleishvili, Deputy head of Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi.

¹⁴M. Chokheli, Executive Director of the organisation ‘Article 42 of the Constitution’, 18 July 2007, Tbilisi.

¹⁵M. Chokheli, Executive Director of the organisation ‘Article 42 of the Constitution’, 18 July 2007, Tbilisi.

¹⁶A. Dolidze, Former Chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (2005–2006), 10 July 2007, Telephone Interview.

¹⁷M. Chokheli, Executive Director of the organisation ‘Article 42 of the Constitution’, 18 July 2007, Tbilisi

¹⁸U. Nanuashvili, Executive director of the Human Rights Information and Documentation Center, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi

¹⁹U. Nanuashvili, Executive director of the Human Rights Information and Documentation Center, 16 July 2007, Tbilisi

²⁰Author's interviews with G. Ugulava, Mayor of Tbilisi and former founder/director of non-governmental organisation ALPE, 21 July 2007, Tbilisi and K. Kublashvili, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia, 23 July 2007, Tbilisi.

²¹Anonymous interview with a Senior Government of Georgia Official, Tbilisi.

²²G. Ugulava, Mayor of Tbilisi and former founder/director of non-governmental organisation ALPE, 21 July 2007, Tbilisi.

²³G. Ugulava, Mayor of Tbilisi and former founder/director of non-governmental organisation ALPE, 21 July 2007, Tbilisi.

²⁴L. Ramishvili, Head of Liberty Institute, 17 July 2007, Tbilisi.

²⁵G. Meladze, Member of Liberty Institute and former member of Kmara (political youth organisation), 17 July 2007, Tbilisi

²⁶G. Khaindrava, Former Minister for Conflict Resolution and current head of the Egalitarian Institute, 24 July 2007, Tbilisi

²⁷S. Subari, Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia, 18 July 2007, Tbilisi.

²⁸E. Tevdoradze, Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, Parliament of the Republic of Georgia, 24 July, Tbilisi.

²⁹Z. Guntsadze, Director of ALPE Foundation, 23 July 2007, Tbilisi.

³⁰Z. Guntsadze, Director of ALPE Foundation, 23 July 2007, Tbilisi.

³¹G. Chkheidze, Chairman of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (2007–2008), Tbilisi, 17 July 2007.

³²Author's interviews with G. Chkheidze, Chairman of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (2007–2008), Tbilisi, 17 July 2007 and L. Chkhetia, Deputy Chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (2006–2007), Tbilisi, 17 July 2007.

³³A. Dolidze, Former Chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (2005–2006), 10 July 2007, Telephone Interview.

³⁴Author's interviews with K. Kublashvili, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia, 23 July 2007, Tbilisi; and with a Senior Government of Georgia Official, Tbilisi.

³⁵K. Kublashvili, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia, 23 July 2007, Tbilisi.

³⁶G. Chkheidze, Chairman of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (2007–2008), Tbilisi, 17 July 2007.

³⁷A. Dolidze, Former Chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (2005–2006), 10 July 2007, Telephone Interview.

³⁸L. Chkhetia, Deputy Chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (2006–2007), Tbilisi, 17 July 2007.

³⁹Anonymous interview with a Senior Government of Georgia Official, Tbilisi.

⁴⁰G. Papuashvili, Chairman of the Constitutional Court and former Minister of Justice and Minister of Environment, Republic of Georgia, 25 July 2007, Tbilisi; and anonymous interviews with a Senior Government of Georgia Official, Tbilisi.

⁴¹G. Ugulava, Mayor of Tbilisi and former founder/director of non-governmental organisation ALPE, 21 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁴²T. Karosanidze, Executive Director of Transparency International, 19 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁴³T. Karosanidze, Executive Director of Transparency International, 19 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁴⁴T. Karosanidze, Executive Director of Transparency International, 19 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁴⁵Anonymous interview with a Senior Government of Georgia Official, Tbilisi.

⁴⁶T. Karosanidze, Executive Director of Transparency International, 19 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁴⁷I. Tsintsadze, Deputy Head of Department of Prisons, Republic of Georgia, and former head of Alternativa NGO, 25 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁴⁸Freedom House, ‘2012: Freedom in the World’, available at: http://www.freedomhouse.org/report-types/freedom-world, accessed 5 March 2012.

⁴⁹Author’s interviews with T. Karosanidze, Executive Director of Transparency International, 19 July 2007, Tbilisi; and E. Tevdoradze, Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, Parliament of the Republic of Georgia, 24 July, Tbilisi.

⁵⁰T. Karosanidze, Executive Director of Transparency International, 19 July 2007, Tbilisi.

⁵¹E. Kitsmarishvili, Former head of Rustavi 2, 23 July 2007, Tbilisi.