It is commonplace these days to invoke the fears that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has awoken in Eastern Europe. With the 2008 invasion still fresh in the minds, the Black Sea nation of Georgia is also bracing itself against the Russian bear.
The latest surveys dating from March show amid the war in Ukraine, 90% of respondents perceived Russia to pose a significant political threat and 83% an economic threat to the country.
However, the question of how to respond to the war has clearly deepened political polarisation in the country. Led by social democratic party, Georgian Dream (GD), the government has tiptoed in its response to the invasion out of a so-called fear of provoking its neighbour, even as thousands have poured in the streets to demand more solidarity.
