26 May Georgia celebrates its Independence Day. The country stands out from its neighbours thanks to its democratic credentials. Yet in recent years, the South Caucasian country of 3.7 million people has been plagued by political and economic tensions, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the parliamentary elections held in October, 2020. For the European Union, however, the ensuing crisis was a test of its soft power capabilities and an opportunity to project it in a country that in 2008 fought a disastrous war with Russia – write Zaza Akhvlediani and Bruno Surdel in analysis “Georgia. Between Russia and the West”.
