Foreign policy shifts and strategic challenges in Georgia-NATO relations (1991-2024)

dc.abstract.en	Since it regained independence in 1991, Georgia's aspiration to join NATO has been one of the strongest drivers of its foreign policy, motivated by hopes for Western integration and the need for security in a region taut with Russian influence. In a qualitative study that takes a retrospective view, this analysis seeks to understand how and when Georgia's relations with NATO have evolved between 1991 and 2024, identifying important policy pivots and persistent strategic barriers. The story is a succession of stages: a first phase of tentative steps after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the major push after the Rose Revolution (which raised hopes for membership at the Bucharest Summit of 2008) and the difficult period after the 2008 war with Russia. There are obstacles still in the way of membership. One of them is persistent resistance from Russia, which employs military pressure, occupation and hybrid methods. Domestic challenges, such as maintaining political stability, consolidating democracy and implementing essential reforms, as well as the present war in Ukraine complicate the process. Although Georgia provides geopolitical advantages and is committed to NATO integration, NATO membership requires that Georgia sustain the continuity of reform and democratic consolidation. At the same time, it depends on NATO managing the fraught regional security environment and the challenges of accommodating new members, particularly those with outstanding territorial disputes.
dc.affiliation	Uniwersytet Warszawski
dc.affiliation.department	Wydział Nauk Politycznych i Studiów Międzynarodowych
dc.contributor.author	Tsotsonava, Giorgi
dc.contributor.promoter	Zajączkowski, Jakub
dc.contributor.reviewer	Aryal, Saroj Kumar
dc.contributor.reviewer	Zajączkowski, Jakub
dc.date.defence	2025-12-30
dc.date.issued	2025
dc.date.submitted	2025-12-18
dc.identifier.apd	221325
dc.language	en
dc.language.other	pl
dc.publisher	Uniwersytet Warszawski
dc.rights	ClosedAccess
dc.subject.en	Georgia
dc.subject.en	NATO
dc.subject.en	Europe
dc.subject.en	EU
dc.subject.en	Integration
dc.subject.en	Russia
dc.title	Foreign policy shifts and strategic challenges in Georgia-NATO relations (1991-2024)
dc.title.alternative	Zmiany w polityce zagranicznej oraz strategiczne wyzwania w relacjach Gruzja-NATO (1991-2024)
dc.type	BachelorThesis