From Kyiv to Chisinau to Tbilisi and beyond, civil society activists in the former Soviet space have been bolstered for decades by assistance from the United States in their quest for democratic reform.
So what happens when official Washington is no longer on the side of the pro-democracy advocates?
With the futures of key US foreign aid and democracy-promoting institutions such as USAID and the State Department’s Bureau for Democracy, Rights, and Labor at risk, this is no longer a theoretical question.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with former USAID official Jonathan Katz, the senior director for the Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Security Project at The Brookings Institution and Batu Kutelia, who served as Georgia’s Ambassador to the United States and Deputy Secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council. Enjoy…
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SHOW NOTES
The audio clips opening the podcast and the second segment came from U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s speech to the British Parliament on June 8, 1982. A video of the speech can be accessed here and the transcript can be accessed here.
The Brookings Institution’s Democracy Playbook, which was referenced in the podcast, can be accessed here. Johnathan Katz’s other work can be accessed here.
Batu Kutelia’s work can be accessed here.
The Power Vertical Newsletter on Substack can be accessed here. Recently published work by Brian Whitmore can be accessed here, here, and here. Please follow Brian Whitmore and The Power Vertical on Bluesky @powervertical.bsky.social