How have discourses of Euro-Atlanticism been used in domestic and international affairs by the political elite in Georgia? After the 2003 Rose Revolution, as relations with Russia soured, a Euro-Atlantic orientation portrayed as a single and coherent strategy became the cornerstone of Georgian foreign policy as well as a model for domestic reforms. This promise of a prosperous future offered new hope to the Georgian population. Scepticism or critical thinking towards President Saakashvili and his government were equated to pro-Russian treason and pro-western orientation and impressive reforms, promoted as being modelled along â__European standardsâ__, emerged simultaneously with an outspoken rhetoric and active symbolism. References to Europe and the Euro-Atlantic structures became ubiquitous as European flags were brandished throughout the country. Addressing a gap in the existing literature the author examines a large volume of data extracted from news items from 20 different Georgian and International media channels over a ten-year period. Through this he identifies patterns in the discourse to explain the intentions of the Georgian elite and examines the effectiveness of the rhetoric.

How have discourses of Euro-Atlanticism been used in domestic and international affairs by the political elite in Georgia? After the 2003 Rose Revolution, as relations with Russia soured, a Euro-Atlantic orientation portrayed as a single and coherent strategy became the cornerstone of Georgian foreign policy as well as a model for domestic reforms. This promise of a prosperous future offered new hope to the Georgian population. Scepticism or critical thinking towards President Saakashvili and his government were equated to pro-Russian treason and pro-western orientation and impressive reforms, promoted as being modelled along â__European standardsâ__, emerged simultaneously with an outspoken rhetoric and active symbolism. References to Europe and the Euro-Atlantic structures became ubiquitous as European flags were brandished throughout the country. Addressing a gap in the existing literature the author examines a large volume of data extracted from news items from 20 different Georgian and International media channels over a ten-year period. Through this he identifies patterns in the discourse to explain the intentions of the Georgian elite and examines the effectiveness of the rhetoric.

How have discourses of Euro-Atlanticism been used in domestic and international affairs by the political elite in Georgia? After the 2003 Rose Revolution, as relations with Russia soured, a Euro-Atlantic orientation portrayed as a single and coherent strategy became the cornerstone of Georgian foreign policy as well as a model for domestic reforms. This promise of a prosperous future offered new hope to the Georgian population. Scepticism or critical thinking towards President Saakashvili and his government were equated to pro-Russian treason and pro-western orientation and impressive reforms, promoted as being modelled along ’European standards’, emerged simultaneously with an outspoken rhetoric and active symbolism. References to Europe and the Euro-Atlantic structures became ubiquitous as European flags were brandished throughout the country. Addressing a gap in the existing literature the author examines a large volume of data extracted from news items from 20 different Georgian and International media channels over a ten-year period. Through this he identifies patterns in the discourse to explain the intentions of the Georgian elite and examines the effectiveness of the rhetoric.

Three years after the Russia-Georgia war, ambiguity surrounds Georgia's path to Euro-Atlantic integration as Russia remains in violation of the ceasefire agreement that ended the conflict and has become an occupying force in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. US and European leadership is needed now more than ever if Georgia is to succeed in its quest for democracy, prosperity, and Euro-Atlantic integration. The next two years in advance of parliamentary and presidential elections will be a litmus test for Georgian democracy and Western policy. During this critical time, Georgia must demonstrate a firm commitment to democratic principles and advance important political and economic reforms. At a time when Georgia's future is in play, Washington and Europe must reinvigorate their engagement with Georgia in order to bolster its political, security, and economic future. A policy of "hold close, push hard" premised on a shared commitment to a united, democratic Georgia in NATO and the European Union and backed up by specific initiatives will help secure Georgia's place in Europe. This is the main message of the Atlantic Council's new report, Georgia in the West: A Policy Road Map to Georgia's Euro-Atlantic Future. The report reflects the findings of the Council's bipartisan expert Task Force on Georgia, co-chaired by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Lindsey Graham.Georgia in the West: A Policy Road Map to Georgia's Euro-Atlantic Future highlights key recommendations for US and European policymakers to strengthen Georgia's ongoing integration with NATO and the European Union, by offering a clear vision and concrete intermediate benefits as Georgia progresses. The report also offers recommendations for the Georgian government and all sectors of Georgian society to undertake important internal reforms that advance Georgian democracy. The report also lays out strategies to counter Russia's creeping annexation of the occupied territories and solidify an international commitment to Georgia's territorial integrity over the long-term.

This book provides an up-to-date discussion of the effect of crises on European identities in the post-Soviet states. In doing so, the book presents an original study on dynamics of European identities during four crises in Georgia and Ukraine. More specifically, it considers the comparative impact of two colour revolutions and wars involving Russia on European identity constructions in Georgian and Ukrainian public identity discourses, studied through national mass media. It compares outcomes of change and continuity during such “big bang” events in identity discourses and establishes scope conditions that allow or inhibit change. The major finding of the study is that the selected events can indeed instigate sudden shifts in European identity discourses but only when the elite power structure also changes in such hybrid regimes, as Ukraine and Georgia. These changes include shifts in elite groups and in the relative power they hold in the overall power structure.