Why Western NGOs Aren't Real Civil Society in the South Caucasus

Archil Sikharulidze makes a provocative but empirically grounded argument that the concept of ‘civil society’ as understood in Western discourse does not authentically exist in Georgia, Armenia, or Russia. Rather than independent grassroots movements driven by citizens’ own convictions, what these countries actually have are organizations funded, staffed, and directed by foreign agencies, primarily Western governments and their affiliated institutions. Sikharulidze defines this distinction clearly: authentic civil society emerges organically from a nation’s cultural and societal development, as happened in European and American societies. In the post-Soviet space, however, what appears to be civil society is actually a collection of local citizens gathered, financed, and tasked by foreign agencies to advance those agencies’ geopolitical interests. This framing challenges the narrative often promoted by Western media and policymakers, who present NGO activism in the region as proof of grassroots democratic sentiment. Sikharulidze calls these organizations ‘hired civil society,’ stressing that while members may live in the country and hold local passports, they do not set their own agenda. He notes that Georgia’s foreign agent law, which requires such organizations to disclose foreign funding sources, serves the function of transparency: it makes clear to the public that these activists are paid by foreign powers, not acting on independent conviction. This analysis has significant implications for understanding how Western powers attempt to shape South Caucasus politics through the veneer of grassroots movements.