Two weeks ago I returned from a research internship I had conducted in Georgia, and I am still very much impressed. Until then, most of the research I had been involved in consisted of desk research, reading a lot of literature, searching for data, interviewing experts who gave their perspective on the situation based on what they themselves had read.
But in this internship, things were completely different. Perhaps I should first say that the essence of the study was to find common ground that could be used to develop relations between Georgia and each individual Central Asian country. By relations I mean not only the development of trade, but also working on adapting reforms and political know-how, scientific cooperation, and removing barriers to improve human connections between our countries.
From the very first days, it was not random experts who took us under their wing, but parliamentary deputies, former government members, ministers, heads of international development offices, ambassadors of Georgia to a number of countries, and representatives of the independent media. In a word, the people who were changing the situation in Georgia, who were implementing reforms with their own hands and bringing the country to the level of development it is in now.
It was surreal to visit the Foreign Ministry, the Parliament, think tanks, universities, the intellectuals, among whom were those who positioned themselves as pro-government and those who were in the opposition. These were high-level meetings, where I simultaneously tried to adopt a diplomatic style of communication and select questions that would allow me to get as much information out as possible.
I would note here that despite all the officiality of the events, they did not take place within the framework of strict protocols; rather, there was a balance between free communication and strictly scientific interest. In the same lecture, the conversation could go from a low level of trust in the authorities, to the fact that among the police began to appear “pudgy” experts. For us, this phenomenon is normal, while the Georgians are trying to maintain the brand of exemplary police that they created during years of reform. Or, here is another example, talking about the lack of an independent court, the conversation flowed smoothly into the problem of the political influence of oligarchs and the talk show of the Georgian billionaire Ivanishvili, who at the beginning of his political career wanted to teach Georgian mothers how to raise their children. The show was a failure, causing Ivanishvili to shut down the entire TV channel.
I would describe this internship as a crash course on Georgian politics and an immersion in an unusual culture that is both close and far away from us. Both countries were part of the Soviet Union, but Georgia chose the Western path – thankfully its geographic location allows it. And almost all the people, with the exception of a few percent of the conservatives, are eager to integrate with the European Union. Hence, the fact that the intelligentsia thinks and tries to behave as the Europeans do.
The striking contrast between the cultures and paths of development that our countries have chosen helps us to feel the unique characteristics of our own national identity. During the lectures, I had an enlightenment that we can follow the path of Georgia, a country that is under strong pressure from Russia, and build real independence by creating a regional organization, without the participation of major players, in which we would discuss the strengthening of the sovereignty of each of the Central Asian countries.
A huge amount of money in Tajikistan is spent on piecemeal reforms that do not bring significant positive changes in the work of the government. In this matter, we can take the experience of Georgia and carry out reforms in the three main branches of government simultaneously. This is the only way to improve the indicators of democratization and economic development.
There are many conclusions. There are also many simple solutions to internal problems, which can be borrowed from Georgia.
For example, if we want to attract tourists, it is time to introduce a visa-free regime with all partners and establish direct, and most importantly, cheap flights. Trade can be established through active participation in the implementation of the TRACECA program, which involves the creation of infrastructure of an electronic customs system. At the same time it is necessary to give tax preferences to exporters of Tajik products abroad. I will explore these issues in more depth in an article on the development of Georgian-Tajik relations, which will soon be published on the website CABAR.asia.
The internship, which was organized by IWPR and the Rondeli Foundation, is definitely one of the highlights of my lifetime. On its last day, we participated in a roundtable discussion in which we shared the results of our research and received feedback from our mentors on whether we were moving in the right direction. I came away with a great boost of inspiration to continue doing regional research, dozens of new connections in research circles, and new tools for my work.