Europe or Russia. It’s really that simple. That’s the choice Georgian voters face as the strategically vital Black Sea nation elects a new parliament and a new government in two weeks time.
But while the choice may be simple, the election campaign has been anything but as Georgia’s pro-Moscow rulers have spun up a massive disinformation and voter intimidation campaign as they seek to cling to power.
And lurking over the whole process is the implicit threat of war as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds on.
We’ve all got Georgia on our minds this week at The Power Vertical Podcast as host Brian Whitmore speaks with former US Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute; Eto Buziashvili, a Research Associate for the Caucasus with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Research Lab; and Shota Gvineria, the former deputy secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council and currently a lecturer at the Baltic Defense College.
SHOW NOTES
Shota Gvineria’s article, “Georgia’s Cognitive Battlefield: A Case Study in Authoritarian Propaganda,” which was referenced in the podcast can be accessed here.
Eto Buziashvili’s work for the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, which was referenced on the podcast, can be accessed here.
David Kramer’s recent article in The Hill, co-authored with Ian Kelly, calling for sanctions on Georgia’s oligarchs can be accessed here. David kramer’s other published works can be accessed here.
Brian Whitmore’s recent article for The National Interest, “Russia’s Strategy of Capture,” which was referenced in the podcast, can be accessed here. The Power Vertical Newsletter on Substack can be accessed here. Recently published work by Brian Whitmore can be accessed here, here, and here.