The Changing Image of Russia in the European Project of Post-Soviet Georgia

• Tamar Gamkrelidze ^[1]
  1. [1] Ilia State University

     Ilia State University

     Georgia

     
• Localización: Europe en formation: les cahiers du fédéralisme, ISSN-e 0154-9928, Nº. 385, 2018 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Central Asia and the South Caucasus: The EU’s Involvement and Regional Perspectives), págs. 26-36
• Idioma: inglés
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  • The article deals with the role of Russia in Georgia’s European project instituted by the United National Movement (UNM) government in 2004-2012. It investigates why the European project which initially foresaw cooperative relations with Russia ultimately turned its northern neighbour into the chief antagonist. The study shows that pro-European politics in Georgia entailed a skillful combination of inclusion and exclusion of Russia: the Kremlin was excluded from Georgian domestic issues and simultaneously engaged with in Georgia’s foreign policy initiatives. This tactic collapsed in 2008 due to miscalculations and mistakes resulting in the transformation of Russia into the main enemy of the country