In Georgia, the ruling government's expanding crackdown on dissent is jeopardizing its outreach to the West, opening the door for Russia to reassert its influence more strongly, and raising the risk of another round of potentially violent mass protests. In recent weeks, the ruling Georgian Dream government has increased efforts to limit political and grassroots opposition to its rule. Among other things, authorities have imposed multimonth jail terms and, in most cases, two-year bans on holding political office for six opposition leaders for refusing to testify before a Georgian Dream-led parliamentary commission. While the government says the inquiry is an unbiased attempt to investigate alleged wrongdoing from 2003-2012, when the now-opposition United National Movement controlled the presidency and parliament, critics argue it is a thinly veiled effort to quash opposition to the Georgian Dream's rule. In addition, the government has approved a new law enabling it to ban political parties,...
