Here is a brief summer reading on what a small Georgian village taught me about faith, power, and pluralism globalengage.org/portico/the-...

In this episode, we look into Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel Gilead, uncovering how its epistolary form becomes a vessel for theological reflection, intergenerational reckoning, and luminous grace. Tune in via Spotify and Apple! open.spotify.com/episode/3Xtk...

I just got back from #ISSR2025 in Kaunas. Here’s what I learned. ⬇️

Finally the validation for ASEEES has come. Now it joins Harvard's Ukraine Institute and other "undesirables"

Today Georgia celebrates Independence Day. In this blog I reflect on what does it mean to be “independent” in a society where dissent is criminalized, artists are arrested, and political youth are beaten in the streets? #Georgiaprotest #Georgia #art #TbilisiOpenAir open.substack.com/pub/tornikem...

🧵Was Russia's invasion of Ukraine a "preventive war"? Professor Barry R. Posen, MIT Professor argues that basically yes. Here are his arguments—and some problematic aspects of this article written in a major academic journal of IR published by @mitpress.bsky.social 👇 direct.mit.edu/isec/article...

In Georgia, an activist - whom I know from shared friends for 18 years - was attacked with the same shade of ink used in political intimidation tactics across Russia. The message is clear—and chilling.

BREAKING: Georgian Dream just passed sweeping changes to the Law on Grants—requiring foreign donors to obtain gov’t approval before funding local orgs. What does this mean for civil society and research in #Georgia 🇬🇪? A short thread. 👇 civil.ge/archives/676...

My take on #Georgiaprotests and the necessity of a paradigm shift

#GeorgiaProtests have entered their 100+th day. For many, it no longer feels like resistance is working. Protesting has become an existential act—not to win, but to not betray oneself and political prisoners. But to move forward, the paradigm must shift. Here's my speculative answer how 🧵 #Georgia

If God is silent in the face of suffering, does this mean his absence - or is his silence a form of presence itself? In this episode of my podcast Religion in Praxis, together with my good Phil MacGillivray, we discuss Shusaku Endo's fascinating novel "Silence" 👇 open.spotify.com/episode/583i...

An extremely helpful and informative article on Georgia's China shift #GeorgiaProtest

The U.S. has spent three decades lecturing former Soviet states on democracy and urging protests against authoritarian regimes (nearly at all costs)—so where is that massive protest now as its own democracy gradually erodes?

Every couple of decades, when Serbian students get angry, Georgian students start taking notes. Just saying #GeorgiaProtests

🟢 The Kremlin denies sovereignty and territorial integrity not only to Ukraine but also to Georgia. But unlike Ukraine, the ruling Georgian Dream party follows the Russian playbook and uses the Russian threat to maintain authoritarian power, writes @sonjaschiffers.bsky.social 👇

Beware of Russia's so-called peace talks. Any deal limiting Ukraine’s defense or forcing premature elections risks turning Ukraine into a vassal state. The West must not fall for this trap, write Professors Popova and Shevel #Ukraine #Russia nationalinterest.org/feature/be-w...

100 days of #GeorgiaProtest. Given Georgia’s history of sudden political shifts (e.g., the Rose Revolution) and the public’s relatively low tolerance for overt injustice, it is risky for any government to dismiss the significance of a protest movement simply because it has seemingly plateaued 1/4

A Georgian woman embodies the resilience and spirit of the Georgian people. ❤️✊🔥 🇬🇪🇪🇺 #GeorgiaProtests #InternationalWomensDay

I was part of this interview series on the Russian war over Ukraine. I discussed several speculative scenarios about the implications of thr US foreign policy shifts towards #Ukraine and #NATO, Article 5, Moldova and more. I am somewhere around min 53.

Watch Meduza's latest video overview — illustrated with animated maps — of what’s happening on the front lines as politicians in Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. prepare to discuss potential peace terms.

Do you have a burning desire to dissect religious identities in democracies? Can you tolerate a supervisor (me) who’s mildly obsessed with the RELIDEM project? Good news: Lund University is hiring a PhD student to join my team (apply or share please). lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

The changes in U.S. policy are not accidental or incidental—they are part of a systematic ideological shift. The administration is deliberately reshaping US's role in the world: From multilateralism to unilateralism. From deterrence to appeasement. From global leadership to national retrenchment 1/3

The DC show should not distract from the core matter: Nuclear-weapon states - Russia, China, North Korea & now the US - are disrespecting the integrity of a non-nuclear-weapon state under the #NPT. The message that now also the US is sending to all nations: Better get your own WMDs! @nti.org

🧵1/ Ukraine is not just fighting for its survival—it’s the firewall preventing a geopolitical disaster that could spread across Europe. If Ukraine falls, Moldova is next. Then, Putin will test NATO’s Article 5 in the Baltics. Here is why I think so ⬇️ #Trump #Zelensky #Ukraine #Russia #NATO

We often think of Byzantium in terms of emperors, mosaics, and theological debates, but this episode with Dr. Thomas Arentzen uncovers a hidden Byzantine world: one where trees weren’t just resources but symbols, spiritual beings, and even moral teachers. Tune in! open.spotify.com/episode/2s5U...

What better images of our imperial way of life that these? Our lebensraum: a sun that goldens glory, pleasure & wealth. Quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Three months. Every day. Georgians have taken to the streets, facing repression, arrests, and violence—yet they stand firm. Not just against Georgian Dream’s authoritarian drift, but for Europe, for democracy, for their future. For Ukraine. #GeorgiaProtests

Guria, western Georgia, is buried under heavy snow. Day 2, no major government response. While the Georgian Dream government remains absent, ordinary citizens from Kutaisi and Tbilisi have stepped up, organizing their own rescue missions. #Georgia

Three years of war. Three years of resistance. Three years of Europe at a crossroads. On this day in 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine—an unprovoked act of aggression that shattered peace in Europe. #Ukraine #Russianinvasion #Russianinvasion 1/4

Make this @OfficialUoM press release viral “Trump … echoed Kremlin talking points, by falsely claiming …Zelensky’s approval rating stands at a mere 4%…polling…puts his approval rating at 63% - making him the most popular politician in the country.” www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/t...

“Together, the Nordic-Baltic countries are the second-largest bilateral donors to Ukraine globally,” says Swedish Foreign Minister. "Close Nordic-Baltic cooperation is more important than ever. Our support to Ukraine is steadfast." www.government.se/press-releas...

The five-month in-residence fellowship, apply if you are PhD and citizen of #Afghanistan, #Armenia, #Azerbaijan, #Belarus, #China (check details), #Georgia, #Kazakhstan, #Kyrgyzstan, #Moldova, #Mongolia, #Russia, #Tajikistan, #Turkmenistan, #Turkey, #Ukraine & #Uzbekistan cas.bg/en/2025-2026...

How does Donald Trump’s political style blur the line between fiction and reality, and why does this matter in today’s media-driven politics? My colleague from Lund University, Aaron James Goldman writes for our platform Religion in Praxis #Trump #WWE religioninpraxis.com/wrestling-wi...

1/10 The European Parliament has passed a strongly worded resolution on Georgia’s deepening democratic crisis. It calls the Georgian Dream govt illegitimate, demands new elections, and urges sanctions on top officials. Here’s what this means for the #GeorgiaProtests

In my recent article, I am critiquing GOC’s dual role: cultural guardian vs. pluralism barrier. Legal-financial dominance perpetuates inequalities (funding, property, legal), marginalizing minorities. Yet, theology (perichoresis/kenosis) leverages pluralism www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

1/10 New poll (Jan 2025) released by ISSA that confirms overwhelming public discontent with Georgian Dream. 82% say the country is in political crisis, 78% blame the govt. The regime is in a political minority—but does that mean change is coming? #GeorgiaProtest www.issa-georgia.com/ge/non-entre...

The art of selective journalism. The Euronews, agency co-funded by the EU, interviews Georgian Kobakhidze in Tbilisi while ignoring the massive protests outside and brutality of gvt. Not a single question about #GeorgiaProtests. Impressive commitment to looking the other way youtu.be/2X0mNR9ylRo?...

1/10 When order is the only virtue, dissent becomes a dangerous anomaly: that's where we are in GEO with protesters/journalists jailed and persecuted. I observed 69 days of #Georgiaprotest and I argue 3 types of GD supporters are hegemonic, each with distinct motivations and responses to dissent.

What can fiction teach us about faith, power, and morality? We are launching Literary Corner, a new literature series on Religion in Praxis where together with Phil MacGillivray, we examine novels that wrestle with topics of religion, belief, doubt, and the institutions that shape our lives 👇

After PACE adopted a resolution calling on Georgian Dream to organize new elections and release political prisoners, Tea Tsulukiani announced that, by the GD’s decision, they are ceasing work in the assembly.

How has ecclesiology been shaped—or distorted—by fear, coercion, and political power? Can synodality, freedom, and true spiritual leadership guide the Church through the eye of this storm? We have recently published a piece by Prof. Cyril Hovorun. #Russia religioninpraxis.com/ways-of-russ...

What does Trump’s participation in the wrestling ring have to do with his politics and religion? I sat down with Dr. Aaron James Goldman (Researcher in Lund, PhD from Harvard University) to discuss kayfabe, the concept that can help us to better understand Trumpism open.spotify.com/episode/52rM...

I was the editor of the Religions journal special issue "The Sacred Battlefields of Eastern Europe: The Role of Orthodox Christianity in Geopolitics" that examines the intersections between Orthodox Christianity, geopolitics, and nationalism. Read more at www.mdpi.com/journal/reli...

Free speech vs religious freedom: Where should democracies draw the line?In this episode, I sat with Prof. Oliver Scharbrodt (Lund University) to discuss Sweden's Quran-burning dilemma and its ripple effects across Europe. #Islam #Quran #Sweden open.spotify.com/episode/7tBl...

What are the historical roots of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Join my podcast interview with renowned historian Serhii Plokhii (Professor at Harvard University), where we look into the deep historical and geopolitical forces shaping this conflict #Ukraine open.spotify.com/episode/09Xv...

1/ President Salome Zourabichvili’s decision to leave the presidential residence today carries deep strategic implications. Here's why I think it was the most logical and impactful choice for #Georgiaprotests🧵

Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi transformed in some kind of Social Club, where protest meets culture. The atmosphere is festive, friendly and political. #GeorgiaProtests

1/5 Kobakhidze’s blunt lies, easily debunked in real-time, reflect an outdated method of deception—or do they? In today’s polarized Georgian media, the act of lying itself becomes performative, energizing supporters while provoking opponents. #Georgia

This is how the Party was defending the Christmas Tree lighting yesterday' guarded by cops and water cannons. It was disrupted as protesters occupied the street and projected dissent onto the Parliament building photos @ocmedia.bsky.social #Georgiaprotest