| | | | |  | | By Robbie Gramer, Maggie Miller and Eric Bazail-Eimil | | 
Supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream party attend the party's final campaign rally in Tbilisi on October 23, 2024, ahead of October 26 parliamentary elections. | Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP via Getty Images | With help from Joe Gould and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Robbie | Email Eric Let’s talk about the high stakes of Georgia’s elections. No, the other Georgia. Voters in Georgia are heading to the polls on Saturday in what is viewed as a pivotal do-or-die moment for the south Caucasus country’s fragile democracy — there’s the risk of a major Russian geopolitical win against the West waiting in the wings. Georgia was once the poster child of how the EU and NATO membership process could propel democratic reforms in countries on the periphery of those transatlantic institutions, as Georgia’s government expanded protections for civil society and new measures to reduce corruption and shore up institutions in its pursuit of greater integration with the West. But in recent years, the country’s Russia-aligned ruling party, Georgian Dream, has eroded its democratic institutions and embraced more anti-Western policies that mirror Russia’s playbook on targeting civil society, opposition groups and the media. Saturday’s election will determine whether the Georgian Dream party stays in power or whether a government with ambitions for Georgia to join the EU takes over. Georgia’s election follows elections in Moldova, where the government of Russia was accused by the U.S. and the EU of conducting a hybrid war to interfere in the democratic process. They alleged massive disinformation campaigns aimed at Moldovans, cyberattacks and directly paying Moldovans to vote against joining the EU. Moscow and its friends in Tbilisi are already taking action. The Georgian government raided the homes of two experts on disinformation tactics from the Atlantic Council in Tbilisi on Thursday, confiscating their electronic devices. This came the day after one of the experts, ETO BUZIASHVILI, published a report detailing how Russia is “directly and indirectly meddling” in the Georgian election. The Atlantic Council strongly condemned the move by the Georgian government. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has accused the U.S. of plotting to carry out a regime change in Georgia. (Officials in Washington have flatly denied the Kremlin’s allegations.) Meta in August also removed a network of accounts on its platforms linked to Russia that were posting fake news stories in support of the Georgian Dream party. Russia’s actions in Georgia are the latest example of the Kremlin strong-arming countries on the EU and NATO’s outskirts even beyond Ukraine to prevent their tilt toward the West — particularly in the Balkans and South Caucasus. “Georgians see themselves as being on the frontlines of bigger battles between ‘autocracy united,’ led by Russia, and democracy, led by the transatlantic union,” said BATU KUTELIA, a former Georgian ambassador to Washington and deputy secretary of Georgia’s national security council. “This election is the last chance to reverse ongoing Russian interference and state capture,” he said. In Washington, U.S. officials and lawmakers are keeping a close eye on the Georgian elections. “We've watched as the ruling party backtracked on its commitment to a Euro-Atlantic future and more closely align itself with Russia — all of which has put its relationship with the United States in a precarious place,” said Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.). Shaheen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced legislation with the committee’s top Republican, JIM RISCH ( R-Idaho), that would sanction Georgians implicated in undermining the country’s democratic institutions. House Intelligence Chair MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio), who recently traveled with Shaheen to Georgia, said at an event hosted earlier this week by the American Enterprise Institute that “it’s important for the United States government to pay attention, right now.” “When this election happens Saturday, if there should be a change, the United States should make it clear that a smooth transition to power needs to occur, and that the United States will be paying attention and that we will be active,” Turner said.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Constantly evolving to meet emerging threats. In today’s world, you need to spot the threats before they’re seen.
That’s why Lockheed Martin’s vision of 21st Century Security® means pushing the boundaries of defense tech to build a new standard of deterrence and protection. Learn more. | | | | | STOKING VIOLENCE IN LEBANON: The leader of Lebanon’s Druze community is warning that Israel is looking to stoke sectarian violence as it continues to strike the country. In an interview with our own JAMIE DETTMER, Druze leader SHEIKH AKL SAMI ABI AL-MONA said that Israel is adopting the same playbook it used in the 1980s in Lebanon that previously exacerbated tensions between Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims in the country. Those tensions resulted in the creation of militant groups like Hezbollah. “The Israelis are playing a game,” he told POLITICO. “They want to set sectarian groups at each others’ throats and to fight each other … Israel will try more and more to create conflict between Shia and Sunni, between Christians and Muslims, as they did after they invaded in 1982.” The leader’s comments come as Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN rounds out his swing to the Middle East today. In London, Blinken met with Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, NAJIB MIKATI , and discussed “the United States’ commitment to a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Lebanon that fully implements United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and allows displaced Israelis and Lebanese to return to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line,” per a State Department readout. ELON’S CALLS WITH PUTIN: Tech mogul and Trump ally ELON MUSK appears to have a cozier-than-known relationship with Russian leader VLADIMIR PUTIN. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that Musk, whose companies are major contractors for the U.S. government and other allies, has spoken on the phone several times with Putin and has even done favors for the Russian leader. At one point, Musk intervened to stop satellite services to Taiwan at the request of Putin, who wished to do a favor for Chinese leader XI JINPING. The bombshell has prompted sharp rebukes from Democrats, our own IRIE SENTNER reports. In a statement, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.), said that the allegations raise “serious questions.” Meeks added that Musk “and his preferred candidates DONALD TRUMP and JD VANCE don’t understand or care about U.S. national security, only their own personal interests” and called them “easy tools for Vladimir Putin to exploit.” NASA Administrator BILL NELSON , who works closely with Musk’s company SpaceX, said that he thinks there should be an investigation and that “if the story is true ... that would be concerning.” PARTON THE PEACEMAKER: Country singer DOLLY PARTON may have once been worried that JOLENE was stealing her man, but there’s no competition in the eyes of the State Department. The State Department announced today it would award the Tennessee icon its 2024 PEACE through Music award. The award, presented alongside the Recording Academy, will be given in recognition that “Parton embodies all that the PEACE Through Music Award represents: understanding, peace, inclusion, and unity.” In a video , Parton sang about peace and said “We all want it. Some of us, all around this whole world can only dream about it. But as people, we all deserve it.” DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of the national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring MINDAUGAS LIUTVINSKAS, Lithuania’s vice minister of finance, who spoke to Eric for Thursday’s NatSec Daily. Eric couldn’t let Liutvinskas, who was in Washington for this week’s high-level meetings of the International Monetary Fund, return to Lithuania without asking him the most important question in Washington. Elections are also being held in Lithuania this weekend, so Liutvinskas says he’s focused on that when he gets home. But once that wraps, he’s eager to get back to the gym, sleep and have some homemade food, including a lasagna. And maybe then a beer. “Maybe in the evening then a cold IPA,” Liutvinskas said. “But that’s not the top priority. Getting sleep and homemade food, and then some sport. That's top three, and then maybe, maybe a beer after that.” We respect it. Cheers, minister! IT’S FRIDAY! WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at rgramer@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow Robbie and Eric on X @RobbieGramer and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s global security team: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @RosiePerper, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @ErinBanco, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, and @JGedeon1
| | | |   | | | | | BACKING KELLY’S CLAIMS: More than a dozen former Trump administration officials came out in support of Trump’s former chief of staff, JOHN KELLY, who warned this week that Trump fits the definition of a fascist and would seek to rule like a dictator if elected. As our own MERIDITH McGRAW scoops , these former officials warned in a new letter that the “revelations General Kelly brought forward are disturbing and shocking. But because we know Trump and have worked for and alongside him, we were sadly not surprised by what General Kelly had to say.” Trump responded to Kelly’s comments in a post on Truth Social calling Kelly a “total degenerate” who “made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred.” The former Trump aides who signed the letter backing Kelly include KEVIN CARROLL, former senior counselor to Kelly, ELIZABETH NEUMANN, former assistant secretary of Homeland Security, former White House press secretary STEPHANIE GRISHAM and former White House director of strategic communications and Pentagon press secretary ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN. Kelly is a former four-star general who also served as Trump’s secretary of Homeland Security.
| | STATE’S GEC PLANS: The State Department is making plans in case Congress refuses to extend the mandate of an effective, yet little known, part of the department’s anti-disinformation efforts abroad. Our own JOSEPH GEDEON reports that the State Department held a town hall Wednesday to discuss plans with staffers for the future of the Global Engagement Center, the U.S. nerve center for combating foreign, state-backed disinformation campaigns in other countries. Some Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns that the center has been complicit in alleged attempts to censor conservative viewpoints in America, and it may close at the end of December if Congress does not reauthorize it. Several House Republicans, including House Foreign Affairs Chair MIKE McCAUL, have faulted the State Department, saying it has not "answered questions we’ve asked about GEC’s relationship with outside entities,” namely Global Disinformation Index, a U.K.-based non-profit that looks at media entities across countries and rates them based on how likely they are to spread disinformation. A group of bipartisan senators is working to avert the closure of the GEC. “[The GEC] has played an indispensable role in combating Russian and Chinese disinformation. It would unnecessarily undermine U.S. national security if we eliminated this tool,” said Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), who co-led the bill that helped create the center in 2016 and who is now leading the effort to save it from extinction alongside Sen. JOHN CORNYN (R-Texas).
| | HARD QUESTIONS ON ARMY SOFTWARE: Lawmakers are pressuring the Army over software acquisition plans, concerned it could sideline small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors, our friends at Morning Defense scooped (for Pros!). In a previously unreported letter, the bipartisan Defense Modernization Caucus, led by Sens. MARK KELLY (D-Ariz.) and KEVIN CRAMER (R-N.D.) and Reps. ROB WITTMAN (R-Va.) and PAT RYAN (D-N.Y.), urged Army Secretary CHRISTINE WORMUTH for transparency on the initiative, citing potential bias toward large firms. Wormuth missed the lawmakers’ 30-day deadline to respond to their questions, according to the offices of Wittman and Ryan. Some smaller firms argue that the plan’s emphasis on cost-plus contracts disadvantages them. The Army has promised flexibility but has yet to respond to specific caucus concerns.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: A bigger perspective to the battlespace.
Seeing the whole picture is Lockheed Martin’s vision of 21st Century Security® – innovating defense tech to deliver answers exactly when and where they’re needed most. Learn more. | | | | | GOP LASHES BIDEN ON IRAN: Two prominent Senate Republicans are calling on the Biden administration to step up enforcement of sanctions against Iran’s oil industry. In a statement, Risch and Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) blasted the administration for not fully implementing the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act, saying that “The State Department may highlight its commitment to enforcing this law, but this administration’s failure to impose sanctions against individuals and entities tied to Communist China’s purchase of Iranian oil is deeply disturbing.” “On October 7, 2023, the world witnessed Tehran’s evil nature and the U.S. must do everything in our power to cripple Iran’s vital sources of revenue,” the senators continued. This statement is a follow-up to an earlier letter from Risch, Rubio and Reps. JIM BANKS (R-Ind.) and MIKE LAWLER (R-N.Y.), which saw the lawmakers urge the administration to clamp down more on Iran’s primary source of revenue.
| | | PUTIN’S NEW PALS: Russian soldiers were caught on leaked audio complaining about the new North Korean troops being deployed to their country to aid Moscow’s fight in Ukraine, as CNN’s VICTORIA BUTENKO, MARIA KOSTENKO and LAUREN KENT report. One Russian service member described another tasked with greeting the new North Korean troops: “And he’s like standing there with his eyes out, like … f**k,” the soldier says. “He came here and says what the f**k to do with them.” The audio recordings were intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence services from encrypted Russian channels before being leaked to the media. They shed new light on how even as Putin and North Korean leader KIM JONG UN are doubling down on their newfound bromance, the Russian forces tasked with integrating their militaries aren’t as jazzed about it.
| | — MATT CRONIN is joining Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as senior national security adviser. He most recently was chief investigative counsel and deputy general counsel for the House China committee, and is a White House alum. — ABBY AVERY is joining Sen. KATIE BRITT’s (R-Ala.) office as military legislative assistant. She previously was manager of government operation at United Launch Alliance. — LAURA CRESSEY is now acting deputy assistant secretary for regional security in the Bureau of Political Military Affairs at the State Department. — ELIZABETH VERARDO is now a director at the NSC. She most recently was a White House fellow.
| | | | — PETER DORAN, New York Post: North Korea’s troops reveal Putin’s Ukraine pickle — no more cannon fodder — FRANÇOIS DÍAZ-MAURIN, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: North Korea sent troops to Russia. The reason(s) are “left to be seen” — ADAM BEHSUDI, POLITICO: ‘We are bystanders': Poor countries brace for either US election outcome
| | | | — Middle East Institute, 10 a.m.: Arab American voters and U.S. Middle East policy — German Marshall Fund of the United States, 10 a.m.: Southern views on the U.S. elections — Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, 12 p.m.: Anatomy of genocide in Gaza as part of the Gaza Lecture series — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, 1:30 p.m.: A book discussion on “World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century” — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, 3:30 p.m.: A book discussion on "The War for Chinese Talent in America: The Politics of Technology and Knowledge in Sino-U.S. Relations." Thanks to our editor, Rosie Perper, who is meddling in our elections to undermine our democratic institutions. Thanks to our producer, Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, who stands ready to sanction Rosie for election interference. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
