Eurasia has long been recognized as the linchpin of global power. Today, Georgia—a country perched between Europe and Asia—has become a critical flashpoint.
Georgia’s future will help determine whether America maintains its global primacy or cedes ground to authoritarian rivals in this critical area.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, led by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, has steered Georgia away from its Western course. Tied to Moscow and courting Tehran, the government now embraces Beijing as a “strategic partner.” That partnership threatens to hand control of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port—the Black Sea’s most important trade gateway between East and West and a potential naval base of great import—to the Chinese Communist Party.
Anaklia is not just another port; it is the golden key of the South Caucasus. If ceded to authoritarian influence, it would undercut U.S.-brokered peace efforts in the region and weaken America’s strategic position in Eurasia.
America has an opportunity to stop this slide. The bipartisan MEGOBARI Act provides a practical, non-military tool to support Georgia’s democracy, block authoritarian encroachment, and reaffirm America’s role as a champion of freedom.
By energizing Georgia’s pro-Western opposition and civil society, the legislation would restore the country’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory while denying Russia, China, and Iran a strategic foothold.
The stakes extend well beyond Georgia. Instead of a reliable ally in the Black Sea, Washington now faces a regime that evades sanctions on Russia, obstructs democracy, and advances the agenda of America’s adversaries.
As Vice President JD Vance observed earlier this year, “You cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail.” Yet that is precisely what Georgian Dream does: silencing dissent, persecuting opponents, and eroding the foundations of democracy.
The Georgian people, however, are not giving up.
Night after night, for over 10 months, citizens march with American, Georgian, and European flags, demanding free elections and a return to the West. Civil society and a new generation of leaders are pressing for reform. Opposition parties, once divided, are now coordinating efforts to restore democracy, rebuild the rule of law, and make Georgia once again a trustworthy partner of the United States and Europe. Demonstrators are directly addressing President Donald Trump, chanting “Make Georgia Great Again.”
For decades, Georgians have looked to America not only as a great power but as proof that freedom can endure even in the hardest times. They remember 2008, when Russia invaded, and it was U.S. diplomacy that helped halt the assault and shield Georgia’s sovereignty.
Today’s threat is more insidious: not tanks, but laws and contracts; not bombs, but financial leverage and authoritarian capture. Ivanishvili’s government, playing from Vladimir Putin’s rulebook, is selling Georgia piece by piece to America’s rivals.
Yet history shows what American leadership can achieve. The Abraham Accords demonstrated that U.S. diplomacy can turn confrontation into cooperation. More recently, Washington’s mediation between Armenia and Azerbaijan helped stabilize the South Caucasus and will open new corridors for trade.
Georgia can be the next success story. If secured by a democratic government, the Middle Corridor—the critical route linking Asia and Europe—could become a transparent, resilient artery for U.S.-aligned commerce and security.
The MEGOBARI Act is a smart tool to realize that vision. Enacting it would weaken Putin’s war machine without risking American soldiers, signal to Beijing and Tehran that U.S. red lines are firm, and give Georgia’s democratic forces the space to prevail.
Georgia now stands at a crossroads. It can serve as a loophole for America’s adversaries, or it can emerge as the United States’ most reliable partner in the Black Sea. Anaklia can be a NATO gateway rather than a Chinese stronghold. The Middle Corridor can serve democracy and prosperity rather than authoritarian interests.
The opportunity to engage and change the trajectory of this quickly evolving situation likely won’t get better anytime soon. Congress and the Trump administration should act now, and reaffirm that America’s leadership in Eurasia remains indispensable.
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