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2 weeks ago | 
eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze
Having gained total control over present-day political life, Georgian Dream party leaders seem intent on rewriting the past so they can rule for the foreseeable future. The Georgian Dream-controlled legislature has moved rapidly since last fall’s disputed election to remakeGeorgia’s political landscape.
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2 months ago | 
tol.org | Irakli Machaidze
The U.S. foreign aid freeze empowers Europe’s autocrats, weakening democracy and pushing anti-Western narratives. The global halt on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and State Department foreign aid under President Donald Trump doesn’t just sideline U.S. influence. It also hands other powers – many hostile to Western interests – a golden opportunity to step in, shape the future of struggling democracies, and bend them to their own agendas.
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2 months ago | 
msn.com | Irakli Machaidze
Continue reading More for You Continue reading More for You
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2 months ago | 
telegraph.co.uk | Irakli Machaidze
Georgia, until recently a source of economic optimism on the troubled fringes of Europe, has elected to follow an anti-democratic path towards Moscow. The ruling Georgian Dream party has effectively halted the country’s EU accession talks, triggering political unrest, Western sanctions and mounting investor anxiety. The TV images of protesters being beaten are heartbreaking.
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Dec 15, 2024 | 
emerging-europe.com | Irakli Machaidze
EU politicians shouldn’t try to turn the DSA into a tool for banning TikTok. That’s not what it’s for. Platform regulation needs clear, evidence-based policies, not hasty political decisions. The EU is at it again. Brussels is trying to stretch the Digital Services Act (DSA) far beyond its intended purpose.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
emerging-europe.com | Irakli Machaidze
Growing street protests, heightened interest from Western partners, and the president’s implicit support, could push Georgia toward a challenging yet transformative new chapter. The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party claimed over half the vote and declared victory in Georgia’s historic elections on October 26, while the country’s pro-Western president Salome Zourabichvili called the outcome a ‘Russian special operation’ and encouraged opposition parties not to recognise the results.
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Oct 16, 2024 | 
emerging-europe.com | Irakli Machaidze
The EU doesn’t need more red tape and fancy titles. Instead, specialised roles with a clear, focused purpose are essential in the context of the EU’s role in European defence. Along with the traditional commissioner roles, President Ursula von der Leyen’s second European Commission, presented last month, introduces a new portfolio: Commissioner for Defence and Space. Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius is her pick. He is still awaiting approval from the European Parliament.
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Oct 5, 2024 | 
moderndiplomacy.eu | Irakli Machaidze
We now know President Ursula von der Leyen’s picks for the next EU commissioners, the key figures likely to shape the bloc’s executive direction over the next five years. However, with European Parliament hearings still ahead, the future looks less promising for EU candidate countries. The incoming Enlargement Commissioner, Marta Kos, and the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, may pose challenges for these hopeful future members.
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Sep 2, 2024 | 
emerging-europe.com | Irakli Machaidze
The European Union must take steps which hold Georgia’s government accountable without undermining the European aspirations and faith of the Georgian people. In June, EU leaders paused Georgia’s accession process over concerns about democratic backsliding, particularly after the country passed a Russian-style ‘foreign influence’ law. The EU took this step to signal its disapproval of Georgia’s move toward a more Russian approach to governance.
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Aug 12, 2024 | 
euractiv.bg | Irakli Machaidze
Унгарското правителство даде да се разбере, че няма да се откаже от битката с Брюксел за висш еврокомисарски пост. Премиерът Виктор Орбан отново номинира Оливер Вархеи за еврокомисар по въпросите на съседството и разширяването. Този ход показва, че противоречивите планове на Орбан остават непроменени. След като страстите от европейските избори бяха уталожени, започна истинската битка в ЕС.
