Georgia’s government plays into Putin’s hands as it moves to suppress art and culture

By Emma Loosley Leeming, Professor of Middle Eastern and Caucasian Christianities, University of Exeter

With media coverage still dominated by the Ukraine war, you might assume that Vladimir Putin’s machinations in eastern Europe are focused solely on Ukraine. And you might be right. After all, why would Russia’s president need to get involved in states where homegrown politicians seem more than prepared to do his work for him?

This is the situation currently unfolding in Georgia. The country’s ruling political coalition, Kartuli Otsneba (Georgian Dream), is pursuing a policy of religious nationalism and social conservatism that brings Georgia in step with the social policies of Putin…

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