🆕Civil society is in danger of getting squeezed – in some countries, almost entirely out of existence. A new report, edited by @richardyoungs.bsky.social and Elene Panchulidze, suggests that we need radically different protections. Their authors have ideas⤵️

In this piece for Civil Georgia, I try to look at how government-driven Euroscepticism and autocratization interact with the structural challenges facing Georgia, and how pro-democracy actors must navigate these dynamics to sustain the country’s democratic foundations. civil.ge/archives/718...

The final verdict is in. foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/30/d...

Spread the word! Do not forget Georgia! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

290th day of protest. "Protect visa free [regime with EU]" - was the main message for today. More photos: www.instagram.com/p/DOjd0SPjIw...

290 day of uninterrupted protest 🇬🇪

What a paper!

Averting acute escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine url: academic.oup.com/ia/article/1...

Right before the EU 'visa free deadline'. civil.ge/archives/698...

A peace treaty would settle a long and bloody conflict—and create new geopolitical options in the region. foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/26/a...

The Russia-Ukraine war isn't just about Trump and Putin. Russia’s imperial state structure shapes the state’s behaviour, regardless of who leads it or how the West reacts. ✏️‬@pierzynskigabriel.bsky.social @ho-centre.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

Georgian Dream uses all the repressive measures at once. Still, the protests carry on.

Some good read there journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Due to protests, Georgian Dream also withdrew the first foreign agent law in 2023. Then you know what happened. The point is, once autocratic logic sets in, it can resurface. Ukrainians must remain vigilant.

Khazaradze sure has money but that cannot buy the popularity he and his party desperately needs to be a sole opposition player. They are so unpopular, the best they can do is to organize meetings with their party members and they will probably struggle even with that.

Across the #SouthCaucasus, democratic spaces are shrinking at an alarming pace. Join us for an urgent conversation about #authoritarianism, #resistance, & the future of #democracy in the South Caucasus. Wed, 09 July / 6:30 – 8:00 pm At @boell.de Berlin & online! calendar.boell.de/en/event/aut...

🇬🇪 "Western partners can and must take steps to help Georgia back toward a more democratic path, which would also aid their geopolitical objectives." Read @iraklisirbiladze.bsky.social‬'s latest insight:

Very pleased about our new @gmfus.bsky.social policy brief by @iraklisirbiladze.bsky.social, taking stock of Georgia's democracy crisis and its international context, with a clear view of how Europe and the US can and should help address it, not least by supporting the country's civil society

No one thought it before but seems like LinkedIn is becoming a new Twitter. Bluesky gotta do better job I guess

He also said Kier Starmer could not hold his head up when Kobakhidze was talking at the EPC panel 🤦‍♂️

It's become almost commonplace to say that the promise of democracy is that it will deliver higher standards of living. But that was never the claim made by the Chartists, the women's suffrage movement or those who struggled to win democracy in the past. And it's a bad test to set for the present.

"When citizens must think twice about criticizing or opposing the government because they could credibly face government retribution, they no longer live in a full democracy. By that measure, America has crossed the line." @stevelevitsky.bsky.social, @lucanway.bsky.social and @dziblatt.bsky.social

In this piece, I argue that Georgia's attempt to pursue multi-alignment has fallen short due to its limited strategic value. Multi-alignment is successful if states offer value that forces all competing actors to accept the multi-aligning state’s engagement with their rival power.

Some insightful readings on Russia and the Black Sea. There, you will find our article too.

To address Europe’s most fundamental political and security challenges, European governments will need to design a new regional order—one that includes more fluid and flexible alliances, write @sophiabesch.bsky.social and @richardyoungs.bsky.social.

Is Russia really that powerful? Is it a waning power coasting on the nostalgia of the Cold War? Or a power that punches well above its economic weight? @spaikin.bsky.social hears from @seva.bsky.social (@uoft.bsky.social), Kathryn Stoner (Stanford), and Angela Stent (Georgetown University)

It’s like complaining of a trade deficit with the local corner shop.

In this short book chapter, we argue that there is a storm in the U.S.-Georgian relationship, and that GE re-committing to democracy and close ties with the US and the EU could help weather it. So far, the Trump Administration shows continuity in US policy toward Georgia. But things could change.

"When taking on a controversy with life-and-death implications, recognizing this hierarchy of evidence is essential—as is the need for ensuring factual accuracy." www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/why-...

Here you have President Salome Zourabichvili describing the EU's problem rather well. Screenshot from Civil.ge: civil.ge/archives/674...

So, what kind of ontological unit is the deep state?

"A critical risk in this looming trade war is the cascade of unintended consequences, where measures aimed at a single adversary provoke disruptions far beyond the original scope. "

Listen to the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” featuring Jude Blanchette and Ryan Hass in conversation with editor Dan Kurtz-Phelan: fam.ag/4j9MNkk

Georgian photojournalists and documentary photographers issued a joint statement regarding the decision of @WorldPressPhoto to award TASS photographer for his story on Georgia protests.

in A.D. 2101 war was beginning

Well, transatlantic relations at it best, innit? "Per the president's request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans."

I made a meme. Americans unhappy with Trump need to accept there is not a normal to go back to.

📉 60 countries experienced score declines in 2024 as elected leaders undermined the institutions that brought them to power and people around the world navigated devastating armed conflict. More data from #FreedomInTheWorld 2025: freedomhouse.org/report/freed...

A group of six Bulgarian nationals residing in the UK have been convicted of operating a Russian spy ring, following an extensive counterintelligence investigation by the Metropolitan Police. ukdefencejournal.org.uk/six-arrested...

Day 100

I don't remember the last time I read an article with such joy. This is a must-read for political theory and IR folks.

'Starmer has done it all very well, but it’s partly a question of circumstance... the EU clearly isn’t the optimal institution to handle all the things that are going on' 🇺🇦 UKICE's @anandmenon.bsky.social on Starmer & Ukraine crisis talks in @theguardian.com👇 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Russians are happy. Russia's power stems from Europe's powerlessness.

And finally it is snowing 🇬🇪

Georgia has become a mulcting autocracy. Georgian Dream targets and fines everyone they notice protesting on the main Rustaveli Avenue. Sadly, international environment now enables autocrats to crack down on dissent even more. Pro-democracy actors everywhere are now on self-help mode.

Day 80 of resisting Georgia’s fast-paced autocratization. Imprisonments, fines and threats are the order of the day. But the Georgian Spring will bring victory against injustice 🇬🇪

Was one of them 🇬🇪

🚨New First View Article🚨 "The Rousseauian roots of neorealism" by @josephclarkson.bsky.social is now available online. And it's #OpenAccess! 📜➡️ buff.ly/418KYhi