Hudson Institute president 'concerned' about investigation by Georgia’s state security service

John Walters, president of the Washington-based conservative think tank the Hudson Institute, has expressed “serious concern” after Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG) launched an investigation linked to a report published by the institute on the growing influence of Iran in Georgia.

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In a statement published on the social network X, Walters says the report relies on publicly available and verified information. He adds that the institute prepared the study fully in line with its standards.

He also argues that the report “should serve as a wake-up call,” given that many view Iran as a source of destabilisation in the region.

“Instead of investigating the authors of this report, the Georgian authorities should focus on its conclusions. They are based on publicly available information that the government should already have recognised,” Walters writes.

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Background

The report titled “Georgia’s Turn Toward Iran: The Rapid Expansion of Tehran’s Influence in a Once Influential US Ally” was published on 3 March. Senior Hudson Institute fellow Luke Coffey and Giorgi Kandelaki, project manager at the Georgian Laboratory for Research of the Soviet Past (SovLab), wrote the study.

The authors argue that Iran’s political, religious, economic and cultural influence in Georgia has “sharply increased” in recent years. In some areas, they say, it has already taken on a “systemic” character.

The authors say this process forms part of a broader geopolitical realignment. They add that it also includes a rapprochement with Moscow.

According to their assessment, the trend also affects Georgia’s domestic political environment. It weakens democratic institutions, increases legal pressure on pro-Western media and NGOs, and undermines Georgia’s traditional partnership with the West.

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A few days after the report appeared, on 7 March, Georgia’s State Security Service summoned several politicians and experts for questioning. They included opposition politician Gubaz Sanikidze, former defence minister Tina Khidasheli, report co-author Giorgi Kandelaki and former MP Givi Targamadze, among others.

Investigators appear to link the questioning both to the Hudson Institute report and to statements these individuals made in the media. Authorities disclosed the investigation later, and officials have not clarified its details at this stage.

Hudson Institute on Georgia security probe