Published October 9, 2012 | By Elizaveta Egorova and Felipe Umaña

Recently, Georgia has demonstrated significant socio-economic and political gains. After a severe economic crisis and the war with Russia in 2008, Georgia has moved towards ample recovery and has shown signs of stability. The country’s foreign policy relations and the overall political image internationally have also improved. Relations with the U.S. (particularly through NATO) and the European Union have likewise grown as the government under Mikheil Saakashvili has increased diplomacy with the West. However, the somewhat unexpected 2012 victory of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgia Dream party in legislative elections may lead to increased political divisions ahead.

Published July 6, 2011 | By Kristen Blandford

Georgia’s substantial score improvement in 2011 is encouraging for future reforms in the country. Successful political reforms and significant economic recovery boosted the state’s legitimacy. The country is improving across the board, demonstrating a steady recovery from political and economic setbacks in 2008 and 2009, and increasing its ability to attract foreign investment. However, the country still faces a number of challenges, including separatist movements, corruption, widespread poverty, shaky relations with Russia, and a large number of IDPs. Political tensions also remain a concern, as elites become increasingly split between supporters and opponents of President Saakashvili. The quality of the next elections will be crucial to determining Georgia’s continued improvement.

June 20, 2011
By J. J. Messner
The Failed States Index

If the Failed States Index were a championship, then Somalia would be the undisputed four-time champion (or cellar-dweller, depending on how you look at it). In the seven years of the Failed States Index, Somalia has had the ignominious distinction of occupying the worst spot for the past four years straight. Despite having a relatively functional and pretty much autonomous ‘state’ in the north, Somaliland, the country as a whole still manages to score badly enough to make up for that glimmer of unrecognized hope. Worse still, the country is in no danger of losing its position anytime soon. A combination of widespread lawlessness, ineffective government, terrorism, insurgency, crime, abysmal development and a penchant for inconveniencing the rest of the world by taking their merchant vessels hostage has given Somalia a score that – much as they seem to try – neither Chad, Sudan, Zimbabwe nor the Democratic Republic of Congo can hope to match.

June 20, 2011
By J. J. Messner
The Failed States Index

It is less than three years since Russia attacked Georgia, ostensibly over the disputed regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In the 2009 Failed States Index, Georgia ranked 33rd and into the Alert category. Though the country has definitely performed better in the past (ranking as well as 60th in 2006), the fact that it has rebounded to 47th in this year’s Index is somewhat remarkable. Even more remarkable, Georgia is this year’s most improved nation in the 2011 Failed States Index, having improved by 10 positions and by a score of 4.0.

As Georgia and Russia moved away from conflict, and as relations between the government in Tbilisi and its separatist regions stabilized, this reversal of hostilities — both internal and external — are reflected in the country’s scores. The Demographic Pressures and Group Grievance scores have improved by 0.4 points each; the other two social indicators (Refugees/IDPs and Brain Drain) have also marginally improved. Similarly, the External Intervention indicator, which reached a high point of 9.5 in 2009 as a result of the Russian incursion, has now settled back to 8.5—although this is not a good score by any means, it marks a significant improvement of 1.0 points in just 2 years.

Published February 25, 2011 | By Jonas Vaicikonis

Status of International Nonproliferation and Counterterrorism Efforts in the Caucasus & Central Asia