When David Cameron flew to Georgia last year, it was perhaps the clearest and most welcome statement of foreign policy made by the party since he became leader. Liam Fox’s piece on conservativehome today pays tribute to this, and gives us a welcome reminder of the stakes. The Russian threat is growing: there are 10,000 troops there and settlements will soon start. The best the West can do is show solidarity, and there is no clearer sign than going there. As Cameron did.
Like Israel in the Middle East, Georgia is a light of democratic freedom in an area with plenty of unlit candles. There is something totemic about its independence, something the Conservatives can express clear and unequivocal support for. And at a time when plenty of people are asking what the Conservative Party’s values are, Georgia provides an answer in an international context.
What really brought home the importance of Georgia to me was hearing Mikheil Saakashvili tell his story at the American Enterprise Institute in 2006.
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