Publication

This commentary looks at the impact of western engagement on the political and security situation in Georgia. The author argues that the same dynamics that permit the region’s most vocally pro-West state to preside over an apparently institutionalized semi-authoritarian system have also allowed the hot conflict of August 2008 to remain both unresolved and a threat to global security. Despite granting Georgia disproportionate aid and diplomatic prominence, Western capitals have failed to leverage concomitant progress from Tbilisi in either democratic reforms or conflict resolution.