Married to the Deep State: Halloween at Georgian Dream

When Western influence is demonized – unless it is sitting at the dinner table

Politically speaking, every day in Georgia is currently Halloween. Not on the calendar, but certainly in the political behavior of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has now elevated it to an art form to telling its own people one horror story after another – with the West as a dark demon, NGOs as specters of infiltration, and the US and German embassies as haunted castles of foreign influence.

As with any good Halloween production, it's less about reality than about emotion. The idea is to scare the public, not ask questions. It's about playing on the fear of "foreign influence," demonized terms like "agent," "globalists," "Soros financing"—all lumped together, vigorously stirred, and served up for media attention. But no matter how careful the masquerade may be, anyone who takes a closer look quickly realizes that the scariest masks aren't worn on the streets, but in parliament. And that those who warn the people about the West during the day welcome the same West to dinner in the evening—without any masks, without any smoke machine.

The contradiction could not be greater: While NGOs have to register because they receive support from Brussels or Berlin, while investigative media are portrayed as enemies of the nation and human rights organizations are declared fifth columns, a quick look into the private lives of some leading GD politicians reveals a completely different story – a story that is neither gruesome nor conspiratorial, but simply embarrassing.

It is known that the wife of Nikoloz Samkharadze , the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in parliament, works at the German embassy in Tbilisi . The same applies to the wife of his deputy, Giorgi Khelashvili , who works at the US embassy . Both women are, by all accounts, qualified, professional employees who perform their duties with integrity and competence. They are part of the diplomatic infrastructure upon which Western-Georgian relations can be based in the first place. And for that very reason, they deserve respect.

But what does one earn for a policy that declares the West the enemy in public and accepts it—yes, even integrates it—in private? A policy that makes the people fear "Western influence" while simultaneously smiling at embassy receptions, taking grants, and striving for credibility in international bodies?

The Halloween metaphor seems almost too mild in this context—because Georgian Dream isn't simply staging an annual horror show; it has long since elevated the game of masks, deception, and fear to a permanent form of government. The public sees ministers who loudly demand sovereignty, but behind the scenes have family members on the payroll of Western embassies. And that's not illegitimate—it's just remarkably inconsistent.

If the same thing had happened in the opposition's orbit—imagine an NGO activist married to an EU diplomat—outrage would be inevitable: suspicions, TV campaigns, Telegram leaks, perhaps even legal consequences. But within one's own sphere of power, a different standard applies. There, the supposedly destructive "foreign influence" suddenly becomes a completely normal part of everyday life. The Deep State, which the people are warned about, then doesn't live abroad, but down the hall.

This is how the principle of this government can be summarized: Trick-or-treating for the people, treat-only for the family. Those who need the West get it – as long as they don't object. Those who profit from it while remaining critical are demonized. Those who promote democracy with Western funding are suspect. Those who are affiliated with a Western diplomatic institution remain untouched.

This double standard isn't an anecdote; it's systemic. It reveals the inner emptiness of anti-Western rhetoric, which in truth has nothing to do with national self-determination, but everything to do with power tactics. "Foreign influence" isn't a clearly defined term, but rather a variable code word—flexibly deployed against political opponents, against the media, against unwelcome voices. For one's own environment, the rule is: no questions, no registration requirements, no drama.

The tragedy of this is not only the obvious hypocrisy, but also the political impact. While the party loses itself in its self-made Halloween reality, Georgia's international credibility is being destroyed – step by step, law by law, mask by mask. Yet there are enough examples within their own country of what constructive relations with Western institutions could look like. The wives of Samkharadze and Khelashvili are two such examples – whether intentionally or not, they embody the Georgia that Georgian Dream claims to fear: a Georgia that is interconnected, cooperative, and professional.

Maybe it's time to stop the masquerade. Maybe it's time to admit that we need the world we demonize. And maybe it's time to stop regaling the people with horror stories about Western subversion—while simultaneously doing business with the West, signing contracts, and starting families.

Georgia deserves more than a government that limps from Halloween to Halloween, hoping no one lifts their masks. The citizens of this country have a right to the truth—and to politicians who stand by what they say publicly, even at home.