Resilience and democracy: Can a pragmatic EU still promote democracy in Georgia?

Bidzina Lebanidze Strengthening resilience in EU neighborhood states is a cornerstone of Brussels’ new ambitious global agenda. It aims to strengthen the states and societies that make up the EU neighborhood so they can better cope with challenges and crisis and adapt to fast changing political, s...
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Georgia’s Dangerous Slide Away From Democracy

Kornely Kakachia, Bidzina Lebanidze Originally published by Carnegie Europe It’s a repetition Georgia could do without. This strategically important country in the Caucasus has been beset by yet another political crisis. This time, the catalyst was the government’s failure to follow through on...
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Democratic backsliding in Georgia?

Levan Kakhishvili Originally posted by Institute for European Politics (IEP) There is a long tradition in Georgia of reforming the electoral system. Each government has tried to adjust the system in a way that would help to guarantee the preservation of its own power. In June 2019, against the backg...
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GIP participated in a public discussion – “Georgia and the EU–Looking for a Common Vision for the EaP”

On October 10, Dr. Kornely Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, was invited to participate in a public discussion – “Georgia and the EU–Looking for a Common Vision for the Eastern Partnership (EaP)” – organized by the Heinrich Böll Foundation Tbilisi Office. The event...
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Gauging the effects of the Eastern Partnership: Democratization efforts in Georgia

Nikoloz Tokhvadze[1] 10 years ago, when the Polish-Swedish tandem initiated the Eastern Partnership (EaP), the expectations in the region were overly hopeful. Having leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan posing together on the podium and president Lukashenko on the guest list,[2] spelled brighter future...
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A new book by Bidzina Lebanidze – “Russia, EU and the Post-Soviet Democratic Failure”

SpringerVS published a new book by GIP Senior Policy Analyst – Bidzina Lebanidze – “Russia, EU and the Post-Soviet Democratic Failure”. This publication is a part of the Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft book series (VGPO) By studying the influence of the two main external ac...
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GIP hosted its annual Democracy Conference “Polarization trap: Georgia’s democracy on the edge of trust crisis and the rise of populism” #GEODEM2019

The rise of populism and the polarization of political parties and the media are two of the most problematic issues that Georgia faces today along its path to democratization. In spite of the actuality of these topics, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge and academic discussion about these probl...
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Polarization: What do we know about it and what can we do to combat it?

Dr. Fernando Casal Bértoa[1] A specter is haunting Europe, the specter of polarization. In the last decade vote for anti-political-establishment parties, being them populist, radical and/or extreme has exponentially increased. And with it the distance between political parties and the irreconcilabl...
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Decreasing level of trust in Georgian political parties: What does it mean for democracy and how to avoid negative consequences?

Levan Kakhishvili[1] Trust in political parties in Georgia has dropped from 21 percent in 2012 to 8 percent in 2017. Although the level of trust has never been particularly high, this trend should raise concern and inspire political parties to act. Political trust is mostly determined by societal be...
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GIP Commentary: When an Election Damages Democracy: Lessons from the 2018 Georgia’s Presidential Election 

Kornely Kakachia, Bidzina Lebanidze Georgia’s recent presidential elections exposed many of the problems that have been aggravating the country’s democratization process over the last few years. By electing the country’s first female president, Georgia has made one step forward — but the...
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