The Power Of Values

Come to Georgia and you will witness an extraordinary transformation, a triumph of Western values that cost not a single American bullet nor the life of a single European soldier to achieve.

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A country that five years ago was falling apart—where electricity came and went and corruption and criminal syndicates ruled—is now an emerging liberal European democracy rooted in the rule of law and respect for human rights. Our elections are truly free, our economy is one of Europe's fastest growing, and the World Bank ranks Georgia as the No. 1 reformer in the world.

Georgia is a signal triumph of soft power—that is, the persuasive power of ideas—and a foreign policy that stresses morals as well as interests. The 2004 Rose Revolution, which unfolded without violence, was fomented by a growing awareness among the Georgian people that there were other, better ways to be governed. The current cabinet is composed of young leaders educated at the West's best universities, often thanks to scholarships. My own studies at Columbia University's School of Law were made possible by a Muskie Fellowship specifically designed to help advance economic and democratic growth in Eurasia.

Such Western aspirations are not limited to Georgia's well-educated elite. More than three quarters of Georgians, according to independent polls, support NATO integration and want to draw closer to the European Union. Having lived through a series of authoritarian systems, they know their options—and they've chosen to look westward.

This is thanks in no small part to the United States under the Bush administration, which not only championed democracy in its rhetoric but also used its soft power to advance it. Western institutions have helped train Georgia's judges and modernize its prisons. Meanwhile, Washington, together with several EU countries, has argued forcefully for Georgia's integration into NATO. This is not meant to rebuff Russia but to reaffirm NATO's moral relevance by supporting the free will and hard work of my country's people. It also reflects the fact that Georgia is now a net contributor to global security through its participation in peacekeeping operations and as an alternative route for sustainable energy.

As a result of its resolve, the United States remains popular in Georgia—unlike many other parts of the world. This is an echo of the good will America generated in the 1990s with its unwavering support of Eastern European and Baltic states as they pursued their successful integration into the Euro-Atlantic community.