Pub Date : 2023-11-03DOI: 10.30965/23761202-20230004
G. Nodia
{"title":"Georgian and Soviet: Entitled Nationhood and the Specter of Stalin in the Caucasus, written by Claire P. Kaiser","authors":"G. Nodia","doi":"10.30965/23761202-20230004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-20230004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139289624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-03DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10026
Naira Sahakyan
{"title":"Clientelism and Nationality in an Early Soviet Fiefdom: The Trials of Nestor Lakoba, written by Timothy Blauvelt","authors":"Naira Sahakyan","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10026","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139290117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10024
Alessandra Russo, Francesca Zambelli
Abstract How and to what extent do the European Union’s (EU) presence and projects in Georgia respond to principles and commitments relating to conflict and context sensitivity and local ownership? Drawing on local turns unfolding in both European studies and peace and conflict studies, the article focuses on EU support to Georgian internally displaced persons ( IDP s) and discusses how this is received and perceived by actors on the ground in the context of the EU’s crisis response and the post-conflict setting in Georgia. The discussion is based on data from a questionnaire distributed to 40 respondents in three IDP settlements and by seven interviews with Brussels- and Georgia-based EU officials, as well as local and national authorities, non-governmental organization practitioners, and international organizations implementing EU projects in Georgia. Despite the existence of EU-sponsored measures of assistance targeting Georgian IDP s and the overall positive perception of the EU’s role in large sectors of Georgia’s society, the analysis reveals that the EU does not seem to be fully capable of interacting with local stakeholders and beneficiaries in an effective way. This limits the EU’s ability to uphold the principles of local ownership and conflict sensitivity.
{"title":"The European Union’s Approach to Post-conflict Displacement and “the Local Turn”: A Study on Georgia’s Second-wave Internally Displaced People","authors":"Alessandra Russo, Francesca Zambelli","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract How and to what extent do the European Union’s (EU) presence and projects in Georgia respond to principles and commitments relating to conflict and context sensitivity and local ownership? Drawing on local turns unfolding in both European studies and peace and conflict studies, the article focuses on EU support to Georgian internally displaced persons ( IDP s) and discusses how this is received and perceived by actors on the ground in the context of the EU’s crisis response and the post-conflict setting in Georgia. The discussion is based on data from a questionnaire distributed to 40 respondents in three IDP settlements and by seven interviews with Brussels- and Georgia-based EU officials, as well as local and national authorities, non-governmental organization practitioners, and international organizations implementing EU projects in Georgia. Despite the existence of EU-sponsored measures of assistance targeting Georgian IDP s and the overall positive perception of the EU’s role in large sectors of Georgia’s society, the analysis reveals that the EU does not seem to be fully capable of interacting with local stakeholders and beneficiaries in an effective way. This limits the EU’s ability to uphold the principles of local ownership and conflict sensitivity.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10022
Clark Webber
Abstract Since achieving independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Republic of Georgia has balanced its aspirations to Westernize with its pre-existing and continuing bonds with Russia. Much of the research looking at this dynamic has focused on security and political issues; this article instead focuses on the economic sphere and examines whether Georgia’s economic ties with Europe and Russia have created closer strategic relations. To determine if Georgia is pursuing economic integration with the European Union (EU) and Russia, the article draws on economic data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia on exports, imports, foreign direct investment ( FDI ), and tourism. It examines the academic literature on Georgia’s strategy of political integration with the EU and its policy of “normalization” with Russia since 2012. Trade and investment have increased with Europe, while tourism from Russia increased substantially between 2015 and 2019. Still, the article finds that Georgia’s economic relations have not created strategic integration with either polity.
{"title":"Georgia’s Strategic Path: Economic Integration as a Strategic Pathway","authors":"Clark Webber","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10022","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Since achieving independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Republic of Georgia has balanced its aspirations to Westernize with its pre-existing and continuing bonds with Russia. Much of the research looking at this dynamic has focused on security and political issues; this article instead focuses on the economic sphere and examines whether Georgia’s economic ties with Europe and Russia have created closer strategic relations. To determine if Georgia is pursuing economic integration with the European Union (EU) and Russia, the article draws on economic data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia on exports, imports, foreign direct investment ( FDI ), and tourism. It examines the academic literature on Georgia’s strategy of political integration with the EU and its policy of “normalization” with Russia since 2012. Trade and investment have increased with Europe, while tourism from Russia increased substantially between 2015 and 2019. Still, the article finds that Georgia’s economic relations have not created strategic integration with either polity.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-20230003
Helge Blakkisrud, Nino Kemoklidze
Abstract In scholarly debates as well as in public discourse, Georgia is often reduced to being one of the states “in-between” Russia and the European Union (EU), and part of a “contested neighbourhood”. The breakaway region of Abkhazia is usually not even credited with that, being treated as a mere appendage to Russia. In this special issue we challenge such approaches by analyzing the forging of Georgia’s and Abkhazia’s strategic paths as much more complex processes than are often assumed. In a context defined by the crisis in Russia–West relations, we explore actorness and agency – in the case of Georgia, within the strategic triangle of Georgia, the EU and Russia; in the case of Abkhazia, within the Abkhazia–Georgia–Russia triangle. Our aim is to expand the scope of analysis in two directions: first, by exploring what actors are shaping Georgia’s and Abkhazia’s strategic orientation, and second, by examining how these actors operate and interact in forging these entities’ strategic paths.
{"title":"Strategic Triangles, Actors and Agency: Georgia and Abkhazia in a Changing Regional Context","authors":"Helge Blakkisrud, Nino Kemoklidze","doi":"10.30965/23761202-20230003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-20230003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In scholarly debates as well as in public discourse, Georgia is often reduced to being one of the states “in-between” Russia and the European Union (EU), and part of a “contested neighbourhood”. The breakaway region of Abkhazia is usually not even credited with that, being treated as a mere appendage to Russia. In this special issue we challenge such approaches by analyzing the forging of Georgia’s and Abkhazia’s strategic paths as much more complex processes than are often assumed. In a context defined by the crisis in Russia–West relations, we explore actorness and agency – in the case of Georgia, within the strategic triangle of Georgia, the EU and Russia; in the case of Abkhazia, within the Abkhazia–Georgia–Russia triangle. Our aim is to expand the scope of analysis in two directions: first, by exploring what actors are shaping Georgia’s and Abkhazia’s strategic orientation, and second, by examining how these actors operate and interact in forging these entities’ strategic paths.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10021
Badri Belkania
Abstract This article examines the “Common Social and Economic Space” agreement signed between the de facto state Abkhazia and its patron, the Russian Federation, in November 2020 and its potential implications for the further development of Abkhaz- Russian affairs. Based on a careful assessment of the gradual development of Abkhaz- Russian relations, the content of the new agreement, and the geopolitical context surrounding it, the article argues that Russia is using the agreement, which obliges Abkhazia to adapt to Russian legislation in vital social, political, and economic sectors, to eliminate a crucial legal barrier against Moscow’s further inroads into the de facto republic. The article concludes that this so-called “harmonization agreement” constitutes an important preparatory step towards a potential full integration of Abkhazia into the Russian Federation.
{"title":"The “Common Social and Economic Space” Agreement Between Abkhazia and Russia: A Path to Russia?","authors":"Badri Belkania","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10021","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article examines the “Common Social and Economic Space” agreement signed between the de facto state Abkhazia and its patron, the Russian Federation, in November 2020 and its potential implications for the further development of Abkhaz- Russian affairs. Based on a careful assessment of the gradual development of Abkhaz- Russian relations, the content of the new agreement, and the geopolitical context surrounding it, the article argues that Russia is using the agreement, which obliges Abkhazia to adapt to Russian legislation in vital social, political, and economic sectors, to eliminate a crucial legal barrier against Moscow’s further inroads into the de facto republic. The article concludes that this so-called “harmonization agreement” constitutes an important preparatory step towards a potential full integration of Abkhazia into the Russian Federation.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10014
Till Spanke
Abstract The de facto state literature rarely distinguishes between institutional developments that have been actively promoted by external actors and changes that are due to the competitive setting these unrecognized entities find themselves in and which encourages institutional or policy mimicry. This article addresses this shortcoming by developing a diffusion model to account for the indirect diffusion influences of triadic competition. The model is then applied to Abkhazia’s state building pursuit since 1991, covering sectors as diverse as healthcare, education, and energy. These examples illustrate different responses from the Abkhaz authorities vis-à-vis the parent state, ranging from direct counteraction and patron involvement to compromise. The article identifies the varied implications of diffusion such as institution sharing, developments in public service provision, and accelerated state building responses. It finds that due to parent state pressure and limited availability of alternative support sources, competition serves as a legitimation device for Russian involvement in Abkhazia.
{"title":"Implications of Triadic Competition between Georgia and Russia for Abkhazia’s State Building Development","authors":"Till Spanke","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10014","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The de facto state literature rarely distinguishes between institutional developments that have been actively promoted by external actors and changes that are due to the competitive setting these unrecognized entities find themselves in and which encourages institutional or policy mimicry. This article addresses this shortcoming by developing a diffusion model to account for the indirect diffusion influences of triadic competition. The model is then applied to Abkhazia’s state building pursuit since 1991, covering sectors as diverse as healthcare, education, and energy. These examples illustrate different responses from the Abkhaz authorities vis-à-vis the parent state, ranging from direct counteraction and patron involvement to compromise. The article identifies the varied implications of diffusion such as institution sharing, developments in public service provision, and accelerated state building responses. It finds that due to parent state pressure and limited availability of alternative support sources, competition serves as a legitimation device for Russian involvement in Abkhazia.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"208 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10011
Urban Jakša
Abstract De facto states are often portrayed as possessing little agency in conducting foreign policy. By demonstrating how Abkhazia segregates its audiences, applies strategic ambiguity, and plays different geopolitical roles, this article presents a more nuanced account of Abkhazia’s foreign relations. Drawing on interviews conducted in Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, and the European Union (EU), the author presents a diachronic and multi-sided account of how Abkhazia navigates the Russia – EU – Georgia triangle. De facto states play geopolitical roles to preserve de facto independence, mitigate the negative effects of non-recognition, and leverage resources to increase manoeuvring space. Two key strategies – audience segregation and strategic ambiguity – are examined through the analysis of Abkhazia’s recently adopted foreign policy concept. The analysis shows Abkhazia’s decreased interest in emulating EU member states and the rise of alternative roles of keeper of the status quo and (in)stability entrepreneur, while reactions to the document demonstrate the existence of an independent-minded and domestically contentious foreign policy.
{"title":"Abkhazia’s Geopolitical Roles in the Russia – European Union – Georgia Triangle","authors":"Urban Jakša","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10011","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract De facto states are often portrayed as possessing little agency in conducting foreign policy. By demonstrating how Abkhazia segregates its audiences, applies strategic ambiguity, and plays different geopolitical roles, this article presents a more nuanced account of Abkhazia’s foreign relations. Drawing on interviews conducted in Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, and the European Union (EU), the author presents a diachronic and multi-sided account of how Abkhazia navigates the Russia – EU – Georgia triangle. De facto states play geopolitical roles to preserve de facto independence, mitigate the negative effects of non-recognition, and leverage resources to increase manoeuvring space. Two key strategies – audience segregation and strategic ambiguity – are examined through the analysis of Abkhazia’s recently adopted foreign policy concept. The analysis shows Abkhazia’s decreased interest in emulating EU member states and the rise of alternative roles of keeper of the status quo and (in)stability entrepreneur, while reactions to the document demonstrate the existence of an independent-minded and domestically contentious foreign policy.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10019
Tornike Zurabashvili
Abstract This article explores the interplay of Georgian national identity and foreign policy in the rhetoric of Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia in 2004–13, and offers a theoretical framework that captures the complex nature of these interactions. Drawing on the scholarly tradition of critical geopolitics, the article examines perceptions and images of the role of Georgia and its position vis-à-vis the external world in the annual addresses delivered to the Parliament of Georgia. More specifically, the article explores four constitutive areas for Georgia’s geopolitical identity – the world, Europe, the United States and Russia – as well as the meanings attached to these spaces. By uncovering how these external spaces have been framed and communicated by President Saakashvili, the article adds to our understanding of the reasoning and ideational determinants of the foreign policy orientation of modern-day Georgia, as well as of the major tenets of its geopolitical identity.
{"title":"Small Nation in a Big World: Geopolitical Visions in President Mikheil Saakashvili’s Rhetoric","authors":"Tornike Zurabashvili","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10019","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article explores the interplay of Georgian national identity and foreign policy in the rhetoric of Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia in 2004–13, and offers a theoretical framework that captures the complex nature of these interactions. Drawing on the scholarly tradition of critical geopolitics, the article examines perceptions and images of the role of Georgia and its position vis-à-vis the external world in the annual addresses delivered to the Parliament of Georgia. More specifically, the article explores four constitutive areas for Georgia’s geopolitical identity – the world, Europe, the United States and Russia – as well as the meanings attached to these spaces. By uncovering how these external spaces have been framed and communicated by President Saakashvili, the article adds to our understanding of the reasoning and ideational determinants of the foreign policy orientation of modern-day Georgia, as well as of the major tenets of its geopolitical identity.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.30965/23761202-bja10025
Steven Usitalo
Abstract Sergei Parajanov, famously and sardonically, noted in various ways that he was an Armenian, born in Georgia, educated in Moscow, and arrested in Kiev for Ukrainian nationalism. He was also the quintessential idealized Soviet subject of the Caucasus. Parajanov directed a series of highly experimental films that are impossible to categorize. He began work on his Confession ( Ispoved’ ) an autobiographical script exploring his upbringing, as an Armenian, in Tiflis/Tbilisi. Parajanov began to film Confession in 1989, but became ill before more than a fragment was filmed. This essay examines Confession in an effort to decipher Parajanov’s self-image as an Armenian/Soviet director from Tbilisi.
{"title":"Juxtapositions and Inventions: Sergei Parajanov, Ispoved’, and Armenian Identity","authors":"Steven Usitalo","doi":"10.30965/23761202-bja10025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30965/23761202-bja10025","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Sergei Parajanov, famously and sardonically, noted in various ways that he was an Armenian, born in Georgia, educated in Moscow, and arrested in Kiev for Ukrainian nationalism. He was also the quintessential idealized Soviet subject of the Caucasus. Parajanov directed a series of highly experimental films that are impossible to categorize. He began work on his Confession ( Ispoved’ ) an autobiographical script exploring his upbringing, as an Armenian, in Tiflis/Tbilisi. Parajanov began to film Confession in 1989, but became ill before more than a fragment was filmed. This essay examines Confession in an effort to decipher Parajanov’s self-image as an Armenian/Soviet director from Tbilisi.","PeriodicalId":37506,"journal":{"name":"Caucasus Survey","volume":"208 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135485683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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