Givi Gigitashvili | Atlantic Council (original) (raw)
I am a young researcher and international development junior consultant with versatile professional and research experience gathered in Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Germany, and Poland. My professional interests include but are not limited to post-Soviet politics; international relations of Eastern Europe; relations between the European Union and Russia and Eastern Partnership countries. As a researcher, I have 4 years of experience in collecting, processing and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data and a proven track record of preparing high-quality reports, analytical articles and policy papers. In my capacity as an International Development Junior Consultant, I provide support in implementing technical assistance projects in Eastern Partnership region, commissioned by various international donors.
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Papers by Givi Gigitashvili
Centre for International Relations | Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych, 2018
Recent high-profile political currents around Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili, inc... more Recent high-profile political currents around Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili, including his detention in Ukraine and deportation to Poland have put him in the international media spotlight again. The role he played in Georgia’s transformation of the state, democracy and economy between 2004-2013 and then his short political career in Odessa and Kiev have made him one of the more prominent, yet also controversial figures of 21st century post-Soviet politics. He is out of the game since February 2018 but his name still raises emotions both in his country and abroad. In this analysis, an objective evaluation of his contested legacy in Georgia will be made to answer the following question: how did Georgia’s transformative processes of state-building, democratisation and economic development progress under Mr. Saakashvili? Doing so, we will first provide some background and context, before analysing Georgia's transformation during Saakashvili’s presidency, and ending with our conclusions.
European Committee of the Regions.
The Polish government is preparing a draft reform that will abolish the open pension funds (OFE) ... more The Polish government is preparing a draft reform that will abolish the open pension funds (OFE) and transfer their savings to the public and private pillars of the pension system. The move potentially puts one quarter of future pensioner savings at risk.
Vladimir Putin's conservative turn, coupled with imposition of Western sanctions on Russia during... more Vladimir Putin's conservative turn, coupled with imposition of Western sanctions on Russia during Crimean crisis, has aggravated country's international isolation that resulted in diminished enthusiasm on both sides to go back to "business as usual." Seemingly, the current turmoil is the consequence of prevalent misperceptions and abiding unsettled issues in the West-Russia relations. In an effort to undercut its isolation, Russia turned to the East with an aim to forge its ties with China. This article examines the major limitations and opportunities of Russia's cooperation with the West and China from the perspective of its national interests. By doing so, the main text outlines the three fundamental national interests of Russia and seeks to elucidate, how these interests are incompatible with the West's vision and why it can impede healing relations between Russia and the West in a near future. Along with identifying Russia's national interests, first part of article sets out to discuss the deep-seated discrepancies between Russia's expectations and the West's actual response to them. The second part of article highlights the main tenets of Russia-China "win-win" relations and explains why businesslike cooperation with China seems more compatible with Russia's national interests in a short-term perspective.
Discursive and non-discursive practices of securitizing migration in the EU
Centre for International Relations | Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych, 2018
Recent high-profile political currents around Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili, inc... more Recent high-profile political currents around Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili, including his detention in Ukraine and deportation to Poland have put him in the international media spotlight again. The role he played in Georgia’s transformation of the state, democracy and economy between 2004-2013 and then his short political career in Odessa and Kiev have made him one of the more prominent, yet also controversial figures of 21st century post-Soviet politics. He is out of the game since February 2018 but his name still raises emotions both in his country and abroad. In this analysis, an objective evaluation of his contested legacy in Georgia will be made to answer the following question: how did Georgia’s transformative processes of state-building, democratisation and economic development progress under Mr. Saakashvili? Doing so, we will first provide some background and context, before analysing Georgia's transformation during Saakashvili’s presidency, and ending with our conclusions.
European Committee of the Regions.
The Polish government is preparing a draft reform that will abolish the open pension funds (OFE) ... more The Polish government is preparing a draft reform that will abolish the open pension funds (OFE) and transfer their savings to the public and private pillars of the pension system. The move potentially puts one quarter of future pensioner savings at risk.
Vladimir Putin's conservative turn, coupled with imposition of Western sanctions on Russia during... more Vladimir Putin's conservative turn, coupled with imposition of Western sanctions on Russia during Crimean crisis, has aggravated country's international isolation that resulted in diminished enthusiasm on both sides to go back to "business as usual." Seemingly, the current turmoil is the consequence of prevalent misperceptions and abiding unsettled issues in the West-Russia relations. In an effort to undercut its isolation, Russia turned to the East with an aim to forge its ties with China. This article examines the major limitations and opportunities of Russia's cooperation with the West and China from the perspective of its national interests. By doing so, the main text outlines the three fundamental national interests of Russia and seeks to elucidate, how these interests are incompatible with the West's vision and why it can impede healing relations between Russia and the West in a near future. Along with identifying Russia's national interests, first part of article sets out to discuss the deep-seated discrepancies between Russia's expectations and the West's actual response to them. The second part of article highlights the main tenets of Russia-China "win-win" relations and explains why businesslike cooperation with China seems more compatible with Russia's national interests in a short-term perspective.
Discursive and non-discursive practices of securitizing migration in the EU
The following thesis aims to research Russia's status-seeking strategy after Putin's return to po... more The following thesis aims to research Russia's status-seeking strategy after Putin's return to power in 2012, which marked the emergence of state's aggressive foreign policy. Shortly after the annexation of Crimea, Russia made an extraordinary move and first time after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow projected its military power outside of post-Soviet regionin Syria. In addition to this, during Putin's third term as president, discourses about Russia's unique civilizational identity and state's commitment to defend traditional values worldwide appeared in the Russian politics and public space. Drawing upon the social identity theory, this thesis seeks to examine whether Russia's recent military campaigns coupled with resurgence of civilizational and conservative discourses can be considered as the main constituencies of its desire to enhance state's international status and standing. The following work pays a particular attention to socio-psychological factors, such as need for positive social identity and national self-esteem, subjective perceptions, status-related emotions, while analyzing Russia's status-seeking behavior. It also tries to address the current debates about the status markers in a contemporary international system and the concluding part of thesis sets out to review the specific markers of Russia's international status from the point of view of its ruling elite. The overall implication of this work is to research and unpack the foundations of Russia current assertiveness that can contribute to a better understanding of its goals and future activities.