An Experienced and Familiar Hollywood Hand...

Dmitry Medvedev (Дмитрий Медведев)
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council

Discussions around the law on foreign agents in Tbilisi have moved into the realm of street clashes and merry Georgian brawls in Parliament.

Whoever would call such actions spontaneous protests, let him be the first to throw a stone at his mirror. Behind all these rallies we discern an experienced and familiar Hollywood hand.

The main thing that the "protesters" don't like about the law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" that the Georgian parliament is trying to pass is this: It is a "Russian idea" and not a Western one.

A month earlier, a wave of fierce criticism from Western countries was caused by the adoption of a law in Kyrgyzstan that obliges NGOs with foreign funding to register in a special registry.

There were groans, shouts, and threats from European and American pro-government garbage dumps. And also ingratiating, but unpleasant, appeals to the leadership of this country. How dare they? Who allowed it? An internal affair of the state?

Security, sovereignty, independence? No, you haven't one. That is not for you...Behind all this is the arrogance and impotent anger of those who are increasingly given a direct rebuff, and do not want to obey. Advice is not heeded. Subservience out of the question. Demonstrations are suppressed.

A year ago, by the way, the United States Department of State, through its official representative Ned Price, expressed a particular "satisfaction" when the Georgian authorities withdrew the previous draft of the law currently under discussion. Because the document was (literally) "incompatible with Euro-Atlantic values". Well, yes, that's true. Values are different. The Black Sea is not the Atlantic, and Georgia is not Georgia, despite the similarity of names.

At the same time, the European Union is now planning to adopt its version of the law on foreign agents. It is even stricter than in the United States, where it has been in force since 1938. It severely restricts the activities of a wide range of legal entities and individuals, who represent the interests of foreign structures and figures. Fines, imprisonment, deportation, restriction of rights of "undesirable" persons and organizations - the whole arsenal is available, and applied instantly. However, this is considered quite normal. It's American law, and it's the best. I think that even if it provided for the death penalty for foreign agents, Washington would find justification for such repression. That's right, because they are executing America's enemies!

[This is in stark contrast to] the Georgian, Kyrgyz, or the quite liberal Russian law, which allows the activities of foreign agents, but - quite rightly - requires them to be transparent, and prevent covert illegal foreign interference in the internal affairs of the state, its economy, and political life.

Foreign agent laws are in force in many countries. In Israel, for example. Or (much stricter) in Hungary or Australia. But in these cases, Washington and Brussels are also quite happy with everything. No complaints and no condemnation. In other cases - paid Maidans, fights, pressure, blackmail.

And picture hysterics of the senior German sausage maker, the chief gynecologist of the European Commission, and other similar second-rate figures in service to the Americans.

Atlantic values, imposed through Maidan and blood, are extremely dubious gifts. Even those countries, which have been quite submissive to the Anglo-Saxons until now, like them less and less. It appears that their patience and yielding have reached the inevitable limit by today. There will be more to come.

P. S. Generally speaking, Americans are a consistent people. Since 1938 they have been irreconcilable with the enemies of their state.

We should change the law, taking some American rules as a basis. For example, to establish criminal liability for foreign agents, as in the States. And gradually bring the number of foreign agents to thousands, as they have. What's our measly hundreds? There are worthy candidates. Yes, there are. Look for better ones!

Translation by (DeepL + I Love Translation + Grammarly, free edition)

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Source: Дмитрий Медведев. Image: © Reuters (Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party's parliamentary faction, is punched in the face by opposition MP Aleko Elisashvili, in Tbilisi, Georgia, April 15, 2024, in this still image taken from a live broadcast video.) AWIP: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/aQ50