Eurasianet

3 weeks ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

Leaders of the Georgian Dream government in Tbilisi do not hide their affinity for Viktor Orban, Hungary’s authoritarian-minded leader. They are also turning to Hungary for inspiration in their efforts to cement themselves in power, using salami tactics, a political takeover method perfected in communist-era Budapest, to crush political opposition. Salami tactics involve incremental changes that gradually erode the ability of government critics to mount effective political opposition.

3 weeks ago | eurasianet.org | Justin Burke

Having arrived in Central Asia to make deals, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did a lot of name-checking during a policy address at the Astana International Forum. First, she went for the low-hanging fruit, giving a shout-out to Marco Polo, pointing to the legendary 13th century Venetian merchant-explorer to support her assertion that it is in “the DNA of the Italian people” to seek new trade possibilities.

1 month ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

Georgian government officials are growing increasingly frustrated that the Trump administration is not enabling their steady drift toward authoritarianism.

1 month ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

A report compiled by watchdog groups documents systematic rights abuses by security forces in Georgia, adding that the Georgia Dream government seeks to “reduce the remaining space for dissent and continue its rule indefinitely.”The report, published by the Georgian Young Lawyers Association with the help of 10 other civil society groups, disputes the validity of last fall’s parliamentary election results, which cemented Georgian Dream’s control over the legislature and government.

1 month ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

On the first day of May, a Russian passenger airliner landed in Sukhumi, the capital of the separatist region of Abkhazia, disgorging a load of vacationers hoping to bathe in some Black Sea sunshine. This seemingly innocuous flight had large political ramifications, marking the reassertion of full Russian control over territory that under international law still belongs to Georgia.