Serving the Regime: Protest, Police, and Political Developments in Georgia

Abstract

This article analyzes how the ruling Georgian Dream party reacted to the political protests that erupted following its decision to postpone EU accession talks, highlighting the party's shift toward autocracy through systematic repression. It applies the concept of "strategic incapacitation" to illustrate how protest policing has evolved into a tool for regime consolidation. It further explores patronage-based control over law enforcement, in which high-ranking police officials-appointed based on political loyalty-ensure institutional complicity in suppressing protests. The analysis concludes that protest policing in Georgia reflects broader authoritarian tendencies, where legal and extra-legal mechanisms coalesce to erode civil liberties.