On January 28, the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) held a presentation for its policy paper, “Psychological Resilience in Georgia: Confronting the Challenge of Information Threats.” The event brought together media and security experts, embassy representatives, academics, students, and other key stakeholders.
During the presentation, the authors discussed Georgia’s resilience against information threats, emphasizing that disinformation and manipulation often target political opponents, civil society organizations, and independent media. Additionally, coordinated campaigns seek to undermine trust in Western institutions, exacerbating societal divisions and polarization.
The event opened with remarks from H.E. Ambassador Gareth Ward (British Embassy in Tbilisi), Prof. Kornely Kakachia (Director, Georgian Institute of Politics), and Beata Patasova (Programme Officer, Engagements Section, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO HQ). A keynote speech was delivered by Alexander Vinnikov (Head of the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia), who outlined NATO’s evolving approach to countering information threats.
The policy paper’s authors then presented their findings: Dr. Bidzina Lebanidze (Senior Policy Analyst, Georgian Institute of Politics); Marek Kohv (Head of the Security & Resilience Programme, International Centre of Defence and Security, Estonia); Salome Kandelaki (Policy Analyst, Georgian Institute of Politics); Shota Kakabadze (Policy Analyst, Georgian Institute of Politics).
The discussion, moderated by Natia Seskuria (Director, Regional Institute for Security Studies), focused on three key questions:
- How do Georgia’s geopolitical position and historical experiences with Russia shape its vulnerabilities to information threats, and how do these compare to those of other small states like Estonia?
- What role do societal factors—such as political polarization and value-based divisions—play in undermining Georgia’s psychological resilience against disinformation and malign influence?
- How can Georgia adopt a more effective whole-of-society approach to combat information threats, and what lessons can it draw from Estonia’s strategies for strengthening societal resilience?
The event was held as part of the project “Managing Information Manipulation Impact on Georgia’s Psychological Resilience,” co-sponsored by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the British Embassy in Tbilisi.
