By Xie Fei

谢 菲

On October 26, Georgia held a new parliamentary election. According to early official results, the ruling Georgian Dream party won with over half of the votes. However, major opposition parties, including the Coalition for Change and the United National Movement, have refused to recognize the election results. Immediately, the US and some Western countries expressed doubts and opposition to the election results.

10月26日，格鲁吉亚举行新一届议会选举。根据初步计票结果，执政党格鲁吉亚梦想党获超过半数选票赢得胜利，格变革联盟、团结-民族运动等主要反对党拒绝承认选举结果。随即，美西方一些国家纷纷对选举结果表示质疑和反对。

In fact, traces of divisions between the US-led Western countries and Georgia have been evident for some time. After the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the Georgian government refused to follow the US and other Western countries in imposing sanctions on Russia, leading to growing dissatisfaction from the latter. In July this year, the US announced to indefinitely postpone exercise NOBLE PARTNER scheduled to be held in Georgia, which attracted widespread attention from the international community. What made the once close-knit "Noble Partners" part ways?

事实上，美西方和格鲁吉亚的分歧早已有迹可循。乌克兰危机爆发后，格鲁吉亚政府拒绝追随美西方脚步对俄罗斯实施制裁，美西方开始对格不满。今年7月，美国宣布“无限期推迟”原定在格举行的“高贵伙伴”联合军演，引发外界广泛关注。昔日“亲密无间”的“高贵伙伴”，如今为何分道扬镳？

Located in the mid-western South Caucasus, bordering Russia to the north and the Black Sea to the west, Georgia holds a significant strategic position and has long been a key target for alignment efforts of the US-led Western countries. The US and its Western partners once dangled the prospect of helping Georgia join NATO and EU, driving a steady warming of defense cooperation between Georgia and NATO. Among these initiatives, exercise NOBLE PARTNER has been held annually in Georgia since 2015, attracting participation from numerous NATO member countries, including the UK, France, and Germany. However, this year, the US announced to indefinitely postpone exercise NOBLE PARTNER, and the EU suspended Georgia’s EU accession process while freezing defense aid to it... These actions have undoubtedly placed considerable political pressure on the Georgian government and cast a shadow over Georgia's relationship with the US and other Western countries.

格鲁吉亚地处南高加索中西部，北接俄罗斯，西靠黑海，战略位置非常重要，一直是美西方的重点拉拢对象。美西方一度抛出协助格鲁吉亚“加入北约和欧盟”的诱饵，推动格与北约防务合作关系不断升温。其中，“高贵伙伴”联合军演自2015年起每年都在格鲁吉亚境内举行一次，吸引英、法、德等众多北约成员国参与。然而，今年美国宣布推迟“高贵伙伴”联演，欧盟宣布暂停格鲁吉亚的入欧进程并冻结对格国防援助……一系列举动无疑给格鲁吉亚政府带来不小的政治压力，也为格与美西方的关系蒙上阴影。

According to Xu Haiyun, a senior researcher at the School of Global and Area Studies, Renmin University of China, the trigger for the suspension of exercise NOBLE PARTNER was the dissatisfaction of the US with what it considered "false accusations" by the Georgian authorities. It is reported that Georgia has accused some political forces in the US and other Western countries of participating in two failed coups in Georgia and asking Georgia to find an opportunity to engage in a war against Russia.

在中国人民大学区域国别研究院高级研究员许海云看来，“高贵伙伴”联演搁置的导火索是美国不满格鲁吉亚当局对美方的“错误指控”。据悉，格方指控，美西方一些政治势力曾参与两次格“未遂”政变，并要求格寻机对俄“开战”。

"Whether it is the suspension of joint military exercises or the public questioning of the recent parliamentary election results, these actions stem from the dissatisfaction of the US-led Western countries with the current political situation in Georgia. They believe that Georgia has not firmly aligned itself with them and is instead leaning towards Russia," said Xu Haiyun.

 “无论是搁置联合军演，还是公开质疑此次议会选举结果，都是因为美西方不满格当前政治现状，认为格方没有坚定地站在自己一边，反而向俄罗斯靠拢。”许海云说。

Georgia had been a staunch follower of the US-led Western countries, but now its attitude has changed. According to Xu Haiyun, since the 2008 conflict between Georgia and Russia, the Georgian government and its people have gradually realized that the US and other Western countries are unlikely to engage in direct conflict with Russia for the interests of Georgia, nor can they provide security guarantees for the country. The ongoing Ukraine crisis serves as a constant reminder for Georgia not to repeat the same mistakes and become the second Ukraine. Moreover, the repeated failures of Georgia’s aspirations to join the EU, with no hope in sight in the short term, have compelled the ruling party to adjust its foreign policy and choose a middle path, striving to maintain some balance in the great power geopolitical game.

格鲁吉亚曾是美西方的坚定追随者，但如今态度有所转变。许海云表示，自2008年格鲁吉亚与俄罗斯发生冲突后，格政府和民众逐渐意识到，美西方国家不会为了格国家利益与俄发生直接冲突，更无法为格提供安全保障。当前仍在持续延宕的乌克兰危机，也时刻提醒着格鲁吉亚，不能重蹈覆辙成为第二个乌克兰。此外，格鲁吉亚加入欧盟的愿望一再落空且在短期内看不到任何希望，迫使格执政党不得不调整外交政策，选择一条中间道路，在大国地缘博弈中保持某种平衡。

Reports suggest that the recent parliamentary election in Georgia is viewed by the international community as a watershed moment in determining whether the country aligns more closely with the West or with Russia. Regarding the future trajectory of Georgia's relations with the US and other Western countries, Xu Haiyun believes that the US will continue to intervene in the security situation in the South Caucasus to maintain its hegemonic interests and its long-term strategy to win over Georgia and other regional countries will not change.

有报道称，格鲁吉亚此次议会选举被外界视为该国向西方靠拢还是向俄罗斯靠拢的“分水岭”。对于格鲁吉亚和美西方关系的未来走向，许海云表示，为维护自身霸权利益，美国将继续插手南高加索地区安全局势，其拉拢格鲁吉亚等地区国家的长期战略不会发生改变。

All these facts indicate that the so-called "Noble Partner" of the US and other Western countries is only "noble" when used against geopolitical competitors; once the "partner" shows any signs of neutrality, it would be swiftly given up. This also serves as a reminder for relevant countries to remain alert to the schemes of the US to disrupt regional stability for its own gain. Only by independently advancing their political agenda and making their own internal and external policy decisions can countries take control of their security and development.

种种事实表明，所谓美西方的“高贵伙伴”，只有在被用于对抗地缘竞争对手时才“高贵”，只要“伙伴”略为中立，则立即从“棋子”沦为“弃子”。这也提醒相关国家，要对美国搅乱地区局势从中渔利的图谋保持必要清醒。只有自主推进本国政治议程、自主决定本国对内对外政策，才能把安全与发展的主动权攥在自己手里。