Latest News

    05/08/2025 - 16:59

    Kavelashvili Schedules Local Elections for October 4

    Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili has set October 4 as the official date for Georgia’s local elections, issuing a decree on August 1 that formally launches the campaign for the partially boycotted municipal vote. Nine opposition parties, including United National Movement/Unity and the Coalition for Change – two of the groups that cleared the 5% threshold in last year’s disputed parliamentary elections – are boycotting the vote, while two other major forces – Lelo/Strong Georgia…

    Latest Articles

      29/07/2025 - 15:25

      NBG Replenishes International Reserves as IMF Praises Georgia’s ‘Resilience’

      23/07/2025 - 14:20

      Georgian Dream Resignation Streak: Who Left and Why

      23/07/2025 - 14:03

      Dispatch – July 22: Play Dead

      14/07/2025 - 21:27

      Georgian Dream’s Ex-Officials and Business Associates in Hot Water

      07/07/2025 - 18:49

      U.S. Ambassador: GD Sent “Threatening, Insulting, Unserious” Letter to Trump Administration

      Newsletters

        Moscow Calling – July in Review

        In July 2025, Russian state and pro-Kremlin media continued to develop a systemic narrative about Russia as a besieged fortress…

        Moscow Calling – August 5

        Kadyrov’s mother awarded for services to Kherson region Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Russian administration in the occupied part…

        Moscow Calling – August 4

        Grushko: EU losses from cutting ties with Russia exceed €1 trillion Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that the…

        Moscow Calling – August 2

        TASS: India continues to purchase Russian oil despite Trump’s statements The Indian government has not instructed the country’s oil refineries…

        Moscow Calling – August 1

        Head of Roscosmos awaits NASA chief in Moscow to continue cooperation Dmitry Bakanov, head of Roscosmos, said during a visit…

        Moscow Calling – July 31

        TASS: Crocus City Hall attack motivated by money, not religious fanaticism TASS, citing materials from the criminal case, reports that…

        Moscow Calling – July 30

        TASS: Ukrainian Armed Forces conceal captivity to save on payments The command of the 95th Air Assault Brigade of the…

        Moscow Calling – July 29

        Medvedev: The U.S. will not dictate to Russia when to start negotiations on Ukraine Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of…

        Moscow Calling – July 26

        Medvedchuk: The West will not replace Zelenskyy, fearing exposure Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Other Ukraine movement, said in an…

        Moscow Calling – July 25

        Chinese scientists unveil record-breaking crystal for powerful lasers Researchers at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy…

        Moscow Calling – July 24

        Federation Council supports law imposing fines for advertising VPNs and searching for extremist material The Federation Council Committee on Constitutional…

        Moscow Calling – July 23

        Zakharova condemns cancellation of Gergiev’s concert in Italy Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has condemned the cancellation of conductor…

        Years in Review

          Dispatch 2024 | Year of Fireworks

          In what has become a tradition, new years in Georgia begin before January 1. The year 2023 began on December 29, 2022, when People’s Power, the far-right offshoot of Georgian Dream, first announced that it would introduce a law on foreign agents. And 2024 started on December 30, 2023, when Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili – two weeks after Georgia was granted the long-awaited EU candidate status – ominously announced his comeback to formal politics in what would become a harbinger of many other unfortunate returns.  Now, as 2024 draws to a close, what is the event that will inaugurate 2025? Is it sanctioning Ivanishvili on the anniversary of his third coming? Or the departure of President Zurabishvili from her residence into a broader resistance? Or Georgian Dream Mikheil Kavelashvili enacting a myriad of repressive laws on the day of his widely boycotted inauguration? Or whatever will happen on the announced New Year’s Eve protest night on December 31?  With only a few hours to go before the end of the most endless year, there is a feeling that something could still happen to turn the context of the ever-shacking country upside down. And while we are holding our breath, …

          Dispatch 2023 | Bracing for Chaos

          To get a sense of how 2023 went in Georgia, go to Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue. The street has witnessed many highs and lows of independent Georgia and has stayed busy for the past twelve months. Countless shining stars – all blue and gold – covering the main thoroughfare reveal the year’s happy endings. The crowds around the Parliament bring back the memories of numerous massive gatherings – in the same place, but for different reasons. The EU flags proudly displayed on the parliament building take us to times when their absence would stir controversies. Occasional startling noise from explosives and fireworks only reminds us that there used to be more of it, showing the silent change activism can bring. A giant panda figure, awkwardly trying to fit in front of the Christmas tree, hints at all foreign policy uncertainties that Georgia brings into 2024. And then, behind the Christmas tree, there is a cross. The cross, once put there by violent crowds, stands untouched to warn how destructive faith can be when it’s misused – and perhaps also how the greatest perils still lurk behind the trees. As 2023 nears its end, Georgia says goodbye to another rollercoaster year. …

          Dispatch 2022 | Farewell to Masks

          As we slowly roll into the new year, the ending of 2022 in Georgia does not appear to be much different from last December: the country is caught in the continued polarization, with a renewed spotlight on the health of its jailed ex-President; economic hunger here again meets the political one for change; and the blaring horns of traffic jams in Tbilisi scream public discontent. As the music from Christmas celebrations drowns out all unhappy noises for a while, the eternal discussions resurface about the right date to mark Christmas, to best fit our religious, pragmatic, and – most importantly – geopolitical preferences.  And yet, Georgia is bidding farewell to a year that shook us with unthinkable developments with lasting and dramatic impact. In 2022, one global crisis followed another, and Georgia found itself at the center (isn’t it always at the center?) of all new chaos and new opportunities. But all these new things got lodged in older, firmly fixed local narratives and patterns of thought and action. Nini is back to the Dispatch to conclude 2022, review its highlights, and outline the trends to watch for in the coming year. Farewell to Masks, Hello to Arms THE VIRUS …

          Dispatch 2021 | Pandemic and Tumult

          In Georgia, 2021 was a tumultuous year of continued and new crises, but also a year of attempted solutions, many of them with no success and some of them still underway. The year of memorable departures and arrivals, 2021 was of deals sealed and unsealed, unprecedented attacks against media, alleged surveillance leaks, and ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few. The past 12 months also saw an unusual impact of collective actions. Below are some of the most remarkable moments and trends that unfolded over the outgoing year. Ivanishvili Quitting Politics, Again Bidzina Ivanishvili, a Georgian billionaire who founded the Georgian Dream and shortly served as a Prime Minister in 2012-2013, was still the ruling party chairperson as 2021 arrived. But early in January, he stated about quitting politics for good, including giving up his party membership. Days later, he also stated about handing a significant part of his assets to Cartu Foundation, a charity organization he founded. His departure met skepticism for it was not his first time doing so. But Ivanishvili largely remained in shadows for the rest of the year, even though government critics mainly attributed the ruling party’s decisions to its reclusive founder.   Gakharia Leaves, …
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