Democracy - articles

A new wave of Azerbaijani migration is taking shape in Berlin - politically engaged, largely left-leaning, and critical of both the regime and the opposition back home. Unlike earlier migrants, they do not identify with traditional diaspora structures nor fully align with existing dissident circles. Their community remains fragile, shaped by legal precarity and the psychological toll of exile. Yet there are signs that an 'alternative Azerbaijani diaspora' - one defined more by shared values than by nationality - is emerging.

This year's Sakharov Prize goes to two journalists who are currently imprisoned, including Mzia Amaghlobeli from Georgia.

Independent media in the South Caucasus faces pressure, disinformation and funding cuts. Read our latest on the struggles - and resilience - of media in the region.

Located in the south of Georgia, bordering Armenia and Türkiye, lies the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. This article analyses the challenges of youth (those aged 14-29) in and from the region, focusing on mental health, political participation, recreation, and emigration. In demographically and geopolitically complex surroundings, youth issues usually do not stand in the spotlight of public and political discourse. This results in a lack of awareness and support from decision makers, which in turn reinforces the struggles young people face in their daily lives, likely contributing to high youth emigration rates.

This article explores the relationship between identity, heritage, and place in the villages of Akhali Khulgumo and Tambovka near Paravani Lake. It highlights the social change these villages have experienced since 1991. It examines how the interplay between memory of the past and the changing dwelling practices of the Dukhobor houses in Tambovka is constitutive of broader socio-cultural transformations, positioning the two villages also within current (geo)political dynamics and new identity negotiations.

The Kremlin denies sovereignty and territorial integrity not only to Ukraine but also to Georgia. But unlike Ukraine, the ruling Georgian Dream party follows the Russian playbook and uses the Russian threat to maintain authoritarian power. 

Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections signal the country’s descent into hegemonic authoritarianism. The ruling Georgian Dream party won by engaging in election manipulation, adopting the classical illiberal-authoritarian playbook, spreading disinformation about simultaneously remaining on the EU enlargement track and instrumentalizing Russia’s threat to the country.

Tigran Amiryan, founder of the Cultural and Social Narratives Laboratory, reflects on the foreign agent law adopted by the Georgian Parliament earlier this year in a broader regional context.