Natalie Sabanadze

Oct 30, 2024 | almendron.com | Natalie Sabanadze

As the people of Georgia went to the polls on 26 October, many were hoping not only for a democratic change of government but also for an end to one-party dominance and a return to the path of European integration. The previously weak and divided opposition had grouped itself into four major electoral centres, promising a coalition government and framing these elections as a choice between Europe and Russia.

Oct 23, 2024 | carnegieendowment.org | Thomas de Waal |Natalie Sabanadze |Stefan Lehne |Rosa Balfour

Can the West Help Revive Global Democracy? Richard Youngs and Thomas Carothers discuss the future of the global democratic agenda and take stock of what Brussels and Washington can do to support it. Can Europe Resist the Radical Right? Rosa Balfour and Stefan Lehne discuss why the radical right is on the rise in Europe, how this trend might impact EU policies, and what can be done to contain it.

Jun 26, 2024 | gmfus.org | Natalie Sabanadze

In May, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chose Beijing for the first foreign visit after his re-inauguration. The meeting was Putin’s forty-third with China’s President Xi Jinping, who told his “best friend” that China would continue to provide an economic lifeline, political support and equipment needed for Russia to win in Ukraine. Russia and China continue to deepen their partnership, mounting a common challenge to the West.

May 17, 2024 | almendron.com | Natalie Sabanadze

Russia has been courting the states of the Global South to circumvent Western sanctions and avoid international isolation – with notable success. In February 2024, Moscow hosted the first ‘For the Freedom of Nations’ forum with 400 delegates from 60 countries, aiming to rally the countries of the Global South against ‘Western neo-colonialism’. The previous year, it hosted both a Russia-Africa summit and a first international parliamentary conference of Latin American countries.

Nov 16, 2023 | carnegieeurope.eu | Natalie Sabanadze

There has been one constant in Georgia’s foreign policy since the restoration of the country’s independence in 1991. All successive governments, irrespective of their political color or persuasion, have pursued a pro-Western foreign policy. The only way to mitigate the Russian threat and ensure Georgia’s sovereignty, they believed, was by allying with the West and pursuing integration into Western institutions.