Georgia

Georgia’s democratic election dream becomes a screamer

Georgia’s October 26 Parliamentary elections did not hold up as “free and fair” even under the lightest of scrutiny. Despite the presence of a...

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan railways upgrading the Middle Corridor

Much has been reported in the last few years about the steady progress across Central Asia and the Caucasus in establishing the so-called “Middle...

Georgian officials sanctioned for anti-democratic actions and human rights abuses

In the continuing wave of new sanctions announcements this month against actors who are seen as undermining democracy and abusing human rights, the Biden...

Romania talks bring green power line deal for Caspian Sea – EU energy

At a meeting in Bucharest, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary reached milestone agreements on the establishment of a Green Energy Corridor, aiming at bringing...

Georgia’s “Foreign Representatives Law” moves forward amid protests

On May 14, Georgia’s parliament approved (84/150) a hotly contested law on “Transparency of Foreign Interests” regulating the amount of aid local civil society...

COP 29: Azerbaijan takes the spotlight

The next global climate conference, COP 29, will occur in November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The gathering is essential to continue discussing and developing strategies...

Kyrgyz “Foreign Representatives Law” enacted amid criticism

On April 2, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced that he had signed a hotly contested bill that allows authorities to register organizations as "foreign...

Investors Forum brings the Middle Corridor into EU-wide focus

Huge investment numbers were thrown around in Brussels January 29-30 at the Global Gateway Investors Forum for the European Union – Central Asia Transport...

Meeting conditions for Georgia’s EU accession is a tall order for Tbilisi

The European Commission’s provisional endorsement of Georgia’s EU chances contained a not-so-subtle message couched in diplomatic jargon: Tbilisi must forge a stronger national consensus...

Georgia has shown the world that a Kremlin project can be defeated

In early March, the world’s attention was on Georgia. We saw massive protests fueled by anger, concerns and fear, and eventually, we witnessed a...

Conflict in Ukraine and Kosovo are connected

Vladimir Putin claims that protecting ethnic Russians justifies military action against Ukraine. Putin’s concern for Ukraine’s Russian minority is bombastic. His greater global goal...

Only the West can save Georgia

“We need you back, Tim,” said nobody. “Coverage of what's happening in Georgia just isn't enough. Goddamit man, it's only Ani Chkhikvadze out there...

New political patterns in the South Caucasus

Developments in the South Caucasus continue to race ahead of Europe’s understanding of them. By the time an event has been noticed, recognized, digested,...

The road to conflict resolution in Karabakh

Events are moving quite quickly in the South Caucasus, although they have not yet reached a breakthrough. Nevertheless, the first anniversary of the outbreak...

On 9/11, it’s time for a reckoning and reflection of decades of failed US national security policy

A reckoning with America’s failed national security policy is long overdue.Our calamitous misadventures in the Middle East and the global financial collapse of 2008...

Europe willingly forfeited a leadership role in Afghanistan

If Winston Churchill were alive today, I imagine he might have said something like “Never in the history of human conflict have so few...

Mikheil Saakashvili – The post-Soviet space’s once and future buffoon

It isn't every day you find yourself talking to a major figure of recent history, especially not one who has staged both a successful...

Romania’s renewable energy market on the rise

Romania is about to scale up the deployment of renewable projects to achieve its 30.7 % target for 2030, about 6 GW of new...

How can Ukraine vanquish Russia on the theocracy chessboard?

Granting Autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2019 not only had a strong impact on Ukrainian society's rethinking of traditional religious symbols -...

The status of Crimea is far more complicated than the Western media admits

“If there were a moral to be drawn from the Crimean War which might apply to the present it would be this: in a...

Making sense of the Italy-UAE rift

Earlier this month the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ordered the withdrawal of all Italian aircraft and personnel from its Al Minhad Air Force Base...

COVID-19 restrictions expand in Eurasia as vaccination rate picks up

Russian employers in the food supply, grocery service and other sectors - all of which are obliged to have 60% of their employees vaccinated...

Everyone in Georgia needs to calm down

There is nothing more tedious than the expatriate resident who declares he is leaving his country of residence to move on to bigger and...

Violence in the name of God

On July 5, Georgian far-right activists dispersed the planned Tbilisi Pride week by physically attacking more than 50 people, of which 53 were members...

The COVID-19 situation across Eurasia is getting worse

The COVID infection rate in Moscow is still growing and is also starting to rise in St Petersburg as well as in the Moscow...

The West must find its spine

I usually take the greatest satisfaction in having been proved right, whether it's a case of 'I told you the turning to the hotel...

Ode to the Cold War: Geopolitics is more complicated than ever

“Christ, I miss the Cold War,” hisses Judi Dench while playing the role of 'M' in the 2006 James Bond reboot, Casino Royale. Well,...

Ukraine’s chances to join NATO are slim to none, despite Zelensky’s claims

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict was once again back in the headlines in April when people across the world followed massive troop build-ups in and around...

In Afghanistan the Allies invested in the US’ security

After nearly twenty years of engagement in Afghanistan, the United States has now set in motion the process of pulling out all its forces...

Learning from past mistakes and moving ahead in the wake of the Albanian elections

In the first days of this week after the election results were announced, I conducted a computer exercise, dividing the result of each subject...

Ukraine is a test for the West and ‘Westlessness’

The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the High Representative of...

Keep Calm and Carry On: Ukraine needs a good relationship with the Western media more than ever

'You can't do right for doing wrong', as the old saying goes. Then there's also 'no good deed goes unpunished'. I had the first-hand experience...

Energy Week Central Asia & Mongolia 2021 highlights renewable energy project potential

Central Asia’s promising renewable energy projects, including Uzbekistan’s clean energy ambition and reaching its climate action goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and...

A ‘burn’ on the Ukrainian border

If you have been to Ukraine, you have surely tried 'gorilka', the national vodka-style spirit. The word 'gorilka' is derived from the verb 'gority',...

How real is the Russian threat to the Baltic States?

During the events that unfolded in Georgia in 2008 and later in Ukraine in 2014, Russia has demonstrated great resolve in attaining geopolitical leverage...

More of the West is needed in Georgia

Before I start describing Georgia as a regional reforms leader and a country, which is well-known for its success while on its way towards...

The EU in the Georgian political crisis: Is it time to expand the cooperation?

The ongoing political crisis in Georgia has now been a consistent issue for almost five months. Matters deteriorated when the country’s opposition refused to...

EBRD and Green Climate Fund extend green programme that spans 3 continents

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on March 11 the bank approved additional headroom for the next phase of its successful...

Post-Soviet foibles lead to European nowhereness

Before I get into the thrust of today's business, I'd like to preface my argument by stating unequivocally that nobody can find former Soviet...

Understanding Georgia’s current political situation

Georgia has been facing a political crisis for more than three months, which reached its peak on February 17. A Tbilisi city court sentenced...

Is this goodbye to Georgia’s democracy?

What we are seeing today in Georgia is a broken democracy. When the main opposition leader is dragged out of his party’s headquarters on...

A tale of two Georgias

After the end of the Trump presidency, it remains to be seen if the Republican Party establishment will break with Trump. A number of...

EU condemns so-called elections in Moscow-baked Abkhazia

The European Union said it does not recognise “the constitutional and legal framework” of the so-called presidential elections that took recently place in Georgia’s...

France rejects suggestions that Eastern Partnership could lead to EU membership

France has rejected suggestions that the Eastern Partnership could lead to EU membership for countries included in the program. The partnership consists of the EU...

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