The role of Georgia in the fight against the Islamist threat and terrorist activities in the Caucasus (original) (raw)

RUSSIAN STANCE IN THE CAUCASUS AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY OF GEORGIA

After the independence of Georgia, declared in 1991, Moscow’s strategic stance in the Caucasus has been heavily influencing the formation of the Georgian State, and has created many problems to its security. Three separatist regimes supported by Moscow, Russian bases in Georgia, and a significant economic dependence of Georgia on Russian energy markets were the most visible components of this influence. Russian negative influence on Georgia’s security, in combination with many apparent internal problems, determined that during 14 years of independence Georgia became to exist as a failed state. After the “Rose Revolution” of 2003 this situation has changed and Georgia started to develop policies relatively independent from Moscow’s strategic preferences. This thesis tries to define the possible objectives, strategies and means of the Georgian State to achieve its final independence from Russia, exercise its sovereignty on its entire territory, and provide conditions for the prosperous development of the country and its population. The thesis examines global trends and local developments that influence Georgia’s security, and suggests recommendations for the Georgian government.

South Caucasus at the Crossroads of Geo-Strategical Interests: New Era of Regional Security or New Challenges to Peace-Building?

International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies, 2022

The paper explores the new situation emerged in South Caucasus region after the 44-days war in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). After the collapse of the Soviet Union, three conflicts broke out in South Caucasus, and none of them is not yet settled. This fact makes the region more unstable, deeply volatile and continually disintegrated. The political regimes of intra and extra-regional countries, especially regional autocratic ones, have a negative impact on conflict resolution and peace-building process in South Caucasus. The whole potential of this region can't be revealed and exploited without settling frozen and/or unfrozen conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh. The unsolved conflicts will lead to a permanent regional instability and uncertainty by giving chance to extra-regional actors for the use of their geo-strategical interests. The regional instability is transformed into a stable tool for the extra-regional actors, especially autocratic ones, to interfere and to keep pseudo-mediation by promoting their own interests. The issues of regional communications' unblocking, borders' demarcation and delimitation as well as regional integration possibilities are discussed. The exploration of these issues showcased the need for a common platform or practically experienced concept of regional peace-building that have to be shared by all regional countries.

Georgia`s Security Environment and Combating Terrorism - New Challenges and Threat in 21st Century

Sociology of Sport Journal, 2020

327.56 323.8(479.22) DOI: https://doi.org/10.37458/ssj.1.1.8 Review Paper The article discusses Georgia’s security environment through the lens of terrorism. Taking into account that the 21st century took the importance of terrorism on a global scale it became not only a concern of word politic but domestic politics as well. It is the act of violence initiated by humans and is often of a malicious nature. That is a reason for increased attention toward it. Although Georgia is not among the countries with a high risk of terrorist attack, there are some challenges in this respect. However, before estimating the threats coming from terrorism, first, we need to clarify the conceptual meaning of security for Georgia and what are the main threats for it. The security environment in Georgia is linked with Russian occupation and terrorism, especially with Chechen fighters in Syria and Iraq who sometimes are associated with the Pankisi gorge (East Georgia). Returning back these fighters in ...