Tuesday, September 3, 2025 | 9:00-10:00 AM ET | 5:00-6:00 PM Tbilisi time | Register here
Western policymakers now face a strategic decision: What is more important—a cooperative Georgia or a reform-oriented Georgia? This discussion will explore the recent history of Western engagement in the Caucasus, focusing on the strategic missteps and policy failures detailed in the new policy paper, The West's Inflection Point in the Caucasus: Untying the Georgian Knot. The conversation will also cover broader regional issues, including the Black Sea and Russian foreign policy, and examine potential pathways for a recalibrated Western approach in the region.
PANELISTS:
John DiPirro, Senior Fellow for Eurasia at the Central Asai-Caucasus Institute of the American Foreign Policy Council
Tengiz Pkhaladze, Senior Fellow at the European Center for International Political Economy
Laura Linderman, Senior Fellow and Director of Programs at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of the American Foreign Policy Council
MODERATOR:
Tamar Kekenadze, Managing Director of the CAMCA Regional Forum
RELATED PUBLICATION: The West's Inflection Point in the Caucasus: Untying the Georgian Knot
The Silk Road Studies Program is pleased to highlight recent media coverage featuring Senior Fellow for Eurasia and Director of Programs at Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Laura Linderman, who was quoted extensively in an interview with Voice of America regarding the concerning political developments in Georgia.
As head of the Central Asia and Caucasus program at the American Foreign Policy Council, Linderman provided expert analysis on Georgia's democratic regression, describing recent actions by the Georgian Dream party as showing "alarming signs of autocracy."
Please read more here.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS:
Michael Hikari Cecire and Laura Linderman
February 27, 2025
The Caucasus is today a region traversing a period of escalating instability and profound transformation. Historically characterized by its fragmentation and diversity, the Caucasus remains a patchwork of overlapping identities, allegiances, and grievances. This delicate balance is being disrupted by external and internal pressures, creating a volatile environment that could reshape the region’s geopolitical and social fabric in the years to come.
In Georgia, opposition parties have accused the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party of stealing recent elections, leading to protests and calls for an investigation into electoral violations. Discrepancies between official results and exit polls have sparked demands for snap elections supervised by an international body. The European Union has called for a thorough inquiry into allegations of voter intimidation and multiple voting. The protests are also a response to fears of Georgia shifting closer to Russia, with Western support at stake. The situation could lead to EU sanctions, further complicating Georgia’s aspirations for EU and NATO membership.
For more details, check out the video.
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