An Increasingly Polarized Georgia: What Should America Do?

Georgia has entered an election year with an extremely polarized political environment. In 2019, the ruling Georgian Dream party promised and advertised a move to a proportional electoral system with a zero threshold for parliamentary representation. Its reversal of this decision in November caused significant political turmoil, and led  a significant pro-Western fraction to leave the ruling party. The otherwise fractured opposition is now consolidated in its demand for electoral reforms, putting the legitimacy of the election process in question. At several earlier times, the U.S. has taken a role to assist Georgia in difficult times like this. Could it do so again? Should it?  

Speakers:

Michael Carpenter, Managing Director, Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement

Ambassador Richard Miles, Former US Ambassador to Georgia

Anthony C. Bowyer, Europe & Eurasia Advisor, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Moderator: Svante Cornell, Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at AFPC

Where: American Foreign Policy Council: 509 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

When: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 from 2:00 - 3:45 pm

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