Beyond Soft Power: Analysing Russian and Chinese Vaccine Diplomacy in the South Caucasus

Mariam Gamdlishvili The use of soft power – the abilities of states to influence behavior and attitudes of foreign populations through attraction, rather than through military or economic means (i.e., hard power) – by a number of international actors is not a novel phenomenon and is exercised in...
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Government Coalitions and Consensus Politics: Case of Lithuania

Lukas Pukelis, Mažvydas Jastramskis The following paper analyzes how, in the case of Lithuania, various political parties managed to reach an agreement and cooperate on issues relevant to the national interests of the country. The peaceful and civil transition of political power has contributed to ...
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More responsibility or lack of interest? German Perspective on the South Caucasus after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

Mikheil Sarjveladze Germany’s new federal government will not only decide the direction of German foreign policy but will also influence EU foreign policy. Alongside the transatlantic partnership, European integration and the European Union form the framework and direction of German foreign po...
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Geopolitical Reshuffling in the South Caucasus in the Aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War and the EU’s Policy Options

Hasmik Khachatryan The EU has strived to strengthen the sovereignty and independence of the South Caucasus states, to bring the neighbours closer to the EU. To this end, the EU has undertaken a series of effective measures since the 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of a new...
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Right-wing Populism in Associated Countries: A Challenge for Democracy

DENIS CENUSA, TAMTA GELASHVILI, ANNA MEDVEDEVA This policy paper provides a structured comparative analysis of the nationalist populist actors, discourses and strategies in three Associated[1] Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries – Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. It assesses the challenges of the rad...
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Radicalization of Georgian Party Politics: in Search of Long-term Stability

Bidzina Lebanidze The recent post-election crisis highlighted the role of political radicalization as a major challenge for Georgia’s fragile democracy. Political radicalization in Georgia undermines the process of democratic consolidation and weakens state institutions in the country by contribut...
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The European Union’s New Role in Georgia: Successful Mediation and a Way Ahead

Levan Kakhishvili Consolidation of democracy is a lengthy and turbulent process, in which political crises can be a recurrent phenomenon. For Georgia, aiming to apply for the membership in the European Union (EU) by 2024, it is politically costly to let crises become unmanageable. However, the curre...
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Quest for Credible Elections in Georgia: Is “E” the Answer?

Shota Kakabadze This policy paper discusses the idea of employing internet voting in elections in Georgia and all the advantages and disadvantages this offers. It engages with detailed analysis of the Estonian case as the only country that has been using E-voting nationwide for fifteen years, and th...
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Black Sea Security Under Strain: Why the Stakes Are Higher After the Nagorno-Karabakh Ceasefire?

Ivanna Machitidze The autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh and the outcomes of the ceasefire turned unexpectedly into a gamechanger, with implications far beyond the South Caucasus. In the aftermath, the escalation of events created long lasting shifts in the region’s dynamics....
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Why do Georgian Political Parties Struggle to Negotiate? Structural Disincentives to Compromise-Based Politics

Salome Minesashvili The recent political crisis following the contested election results of October 2020 drove both the opposition and the ruling party into a deadlock for several months, with respective displays of drastic demands and stiff resistance. The fact that they have gone through several r...
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