In 2008, Russia invaded and illegally occupied one-fifth of the Republic of Georgia. Now Moscow’s authoritarian influence again threatens the country.
Georgia’s wealthiest oligarch, Bidzina Ivanishvili, made his fortune in Russia and reportedly maintains business interests there. Meanwhile, anti-Western elements have sought to influence Georgia’s state institutions and civil society in recent years, and relations with the United States and European Union have become increasingly strained.
Russian influence within Georgia has significant implications for Ukraine’s fight for freedom. Tbilisi’s stance toward Kyiv has been lukewarm despite strong public support for helping Ukraine. Georgia’s strategic location and economic dependence on Russia raise concerns that it could become a hub for sanctions evasion. And the recent influx of Russian émigrés has prompted fears that the Kremlin could use their presence as a pretext for further interference or aggression.
Please join leading Georgian and US experts at Hudson Institute for a discussion on countering Russia’s influence in Georgia.
Please join Hudson Institute for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs and John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and co-director of the Urban Warfare Project.
Join Hudson Institute and the Ben Franklin Fellowship for a two-panel discussion examining US policy as it confronts the crisis of terror in Nigeria.
Join Hudson Institute's Center for the Economics of the Internet for a keynote address given by Tricia Paoletta on the Trump administration's progress in managing and reallocating the electromagnetic radio frequency spectrum from the federal domain.
Join Hudson Institute for a discussion with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Senior Fellow Harold Furchtgott-Roth.
