My internship began in May 2024. I arrived almost a month earlier, just as the so-called Foreign Agents Law was being introduced for the second time in Georgia and protests erupted all over the city. My internship came at a time when Georgia has been described as a country at a crossroads between democracy and authoritarianism.
During my internship at hbs, I had the opportunity to experience the political turmoil firsthand. I gained valuable insights by attending meetings with civil society representatives and the partners of the foundation, discussing current events and possible strategies.
Daily tasks at the office included setting up daily media monitoring to trace current developments in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process and media coverage of the upcoming World Climate Conference in Azerbaijan. I was also involved in preparing seminars, workshops and briefings, where I learned a lot about geopolitical relations and conflict transformation in the South Caucasus, the politics of memory in post-Soviet states, EU enlargement as well as authoritarian tendencies and how civil society under pressure operates.
All of this came together during the Green Academy, hbs’ summer school that I had the opportunity to attend, which marked a perfect wrap-up of my internship at the HBS South Caucus office. Back in Germany, I will start my Master’s of Peace and Security Studies, combining first-hand experiences and observations with my studies.