A Region lost? In the South Caucasus: The West is out, Turkey is in, and Russia is stronger than ever

Op-Ed Bidzina Lebanidze[1] The South Caucasus region has recently witnessed significant upheavals: a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabagh, political chaos in Armenia, post-election turmoil in Georgia, and a shifting geopolitical dynamic between Russia and Turkey. As Armenia, Azer...
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The Turkey-Russia Power Play Unfolding: Can Georgia Weather the “Frenemies” Trap?

Ivanna Machitidze The developments resulting from Russia and Turkey’s turbulent relations have been shaping the political, economic and security landscape in the post-Cold War South Caucasus for three decades already. For Georgia it is a necessity to pursue a delicate maneuver due to the circumsta...
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From “peaceful protests” to “manifestation of depravity”: How did the Georgian Dream present the June crisis to the public?

Levan Kakhishvili In the context of democratization and democratic consolidation, internal political crises, caused by either external shocks or dynamics in the domestic arena, pose a significant challenge to the stability of the Georgian political system. Such crises can jeopardize not only interna...
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Would temporary suspension of NATO’s Article 5 over Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region eliminate Russia’s de facto veto on Georgia’s North-Atlantic aspirations?

Expert Comment #8 / October 2019 On September 10, while attending the 5th Annual Tbilisi International Conference organized by the McCain Institute and Economic Policy Research Center, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated that the Georgian government...
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Protests in Tbilisi: What can be learned about the role of Russia as an issue in Georgian party competition?

Levan Kakhishvili[1] Protests and demonstrations are not uncommon in Georgia. However, the recent wave of protests that started on June 20 was still unexpected. The demonstration started against the Russian MP from the Communist Party, Sergei Gavrilov, who is also the President of the General Assemb...
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Foreign policy and domestic constraints: what political regimes can and cannot do in Georgia

Kornely Kakachia, Bidzina Lebanidze Sparked by the presence of Russian Duma members in Georgia’s parliament, anti-governmental protests in Georgia have rattled the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and caused a political crisis. The incident, including the disproportional amount of force used in cr...
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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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