Lela Rekhviashvili

@Musicandteach @Volod_Ishchenko indeed, I will take your 'good faith' advises "to openly reckon with the reliance on Western imperialist powers and neoliberalism" and embrace "brittleness & insularity in my thinking". I will embrace that despite these, its actualy me who makes "fallacious attacks".

Classic situation: excluded from one's own nation, even when expressing the views of a large part of one's own people. Such a common and important paradox of today: supposedly inclusive, democratic and populist politics reinforce ethno-nationalism, authoritarianism and elitism.

@Musicandteach @Volod_Ishchenko Oki I am not read fairly, but who cares about me: what is that you advocate? what do you suggest Sopo and Almut's article advocates in terms of EU integration?

@Volod_Ishchenko Assuming that you have t read the two articles on LeftEast that clarify where Sopo's analysis goes wrong, I can share the most recent one with you and hope that you will take some of our arguments to heart: tempestmag.org/2024/06/resist…

@LelaRekh That is why I can personally relate to Sopo. But I don't judge what's happening in Georgia from just one source. I read and compare different authors, have my own observations and post-Soviet experience, including in civil society and with Western grants.

@Volod_Ishchenko I understand your solidarity. I do not understand why you support her analysis. What is so new about criticizing both the government and the NGOs? Why should we dismiss the growing evidence of repression that makes it impossible to resist Georgia's transit hub developmentalism?

@LelaRekh Lela, this is literally what I've been accused of by self-proclaimed "Ukrainian voices," even though I lived in Ukraine, researched, and published about Ukrainian politics and was politically active in Ukraine myself much longer than many of them.

@Volod_Ishchenko that is exactly what worries me: if you read various sources about Georgia and still belive Sopo's position is close to what is going down there.

@Volod_Ishchenko I hear you on the latter. As for Sopo's position: she says what some on the left seem to want to hear, while providing an analysis that is really far from any empirical accuracy. I would just be careful about declaring her (or anyone) to be the voice of her people too easily.

@LelaRekh I understand Sopo's position as being critical towards GD and their law and also critical towards the protests and NGOs. Isn't it a large part of Georgians? It's not a proof of anything. I am just personally sensitive to the situation which Sopo is experiencing.