Georgien und das Schwarze Meer: Risiken, Resilienz und Zukunftsperspektiven

By unpacking major views of and dynamics towards the Black Sea region from the Georgian perspective, this analysis addresses two questions: What are Georgia’s key perceptions of the Black Sea region? And which role does the Black Sea play in strengthening Georgia’s economic and security resilience in a quickly changing environment marked by geopolitical and geo-economic competition? The article concludes with thoughts on the region’s future and the role of the EU, Georgia’s closest partner, in it.Diese Analyse untersucht, welche Rolle die Schwarzmeerregion in der georgischen Sicherheits- und Wirtschaftspolitik spielt. Der Fokus liegt auf zwei Fragen: Was sind die wichtigsten Wahrnehmungen Georgiens der Schwarzmeerregion? Welche Rolle spielt das Schwarze Meer bei der Stärkung der wirtschaftlichen und sicherheitsbezogenen Widerstandsfähigkeit Georgiens in einem sich schnell verändernden Umfeld, das von geopolitischem und geoökonomischem Wettbewerb geprägt ist? Der Artikel schließt mit Überlegungen zur Zukunft der Region und der Rolle der EU als engstem Partner von Georgien

Rethinking EU Responses to Global and Diffuse Risks

This policy paper focuses on impacts of global and diffuse risks on the EU and its neighbourhood regions. It provides a brief overview of six major risk categories that cover majority of global and diffuse risks and suggests their prioritization based on temporality, probability of occurrence and multiplication effect. The empirical evidence dictates that, in order to better cope with the impacts of global and diffuse risks and strengthen the resilience of its neighbourhood countries and with extension - of itself, the EU needs to prioritize the global risks which not only endanger the EU and its surroundings in the long term (climate change) but can also act as major spoilers in the short term (irregular migration & geopolitical rivalries). Finally, the EU should also pay attention to multiple effects of global risks and devise strategies based on regional and country-specific differentiation

GLOBAL AND DIFFUSE RISKS IN THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP COUNTRIES

This paper explores the extent to which global and diffuse risks impact the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries of the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood and identifies tipping points at which risks can turn into immediate threats for the EaP countries, with implications for the EU. We apply five major risk categories to the EaP area that cover the majority of global and diffuse risks and suggest their prioritization based on temporality, probability of occurrence, and potential multiplication effects. We identify 28 tipping points which may exacerbate the impact of global and diffuse risks in EaP countries and result in governance breakdowns or new violent conflicts. The evidence suggests three global risks ‒ geopolitical rivalry, unconventional security risks and global economic and financial risk ‒ as most probable and with the most destabilizing impact on the EaP area in the short term. Disease outbreaks can be equally destructive, but with less certain probability. In terms of actorness, a majority of global risks seem to be linked to Russia and its assertive agenda, whereas others are diffuse in nature and hard to locate. Finally, in terms of resilience and mitigation of risks, societies in the EaP area seem to possess a basic degree of governance capacity which needs to be further strengthened by the EU to better cope with global and diffuse risks

The Resilience-Security Nexus in the South Caucasus: Can the EU Promote Resilience without Engaging in Geopolitics?

This article seeks to explore whether and to what extent the 'resilience turn' in the European Union's (EU) foreign policy-making affected the EU's (lack of) actorness in the South Caucasus region in security-related areas such as conflict and crisis management and geopolitical rivalries. While Brussels has intensified its policies in most policy sectors, the EU and its member states continue turning a blind eye to geopolitical dynamics in the region. Yet, recent empirical evidence from Armenia and Georgia shows that decoupling of sectoral cooperation from security-related issues is not sustainable in the long term since, if left unchecked, geopolitical risks can easily thwart the progress achieved in sectoral policy areas and lead to a lower degree of state and societal resilience. Therefore, the key question remains whether the EU and its member states can sustainably promote state and societal resilience if they continue ignoring geopolitical risks and other security-related issues

Hegel's Transcendental Ontology

This dissertation presents an account of the basic schema of Hegel’s ontological theory based on a close reading of the key part of his Logic: the Doctrine of the Concept. The careful examination of the internal architectonic of the Hegelian Concept, which includes its three moments: the activity of generation of empirical concepts that is guided by the determinations of reflection, the systematically related constellation of empirical concepts, and the objects that are individuated through them as well as the specific type of relation between these moments, demonstrates that the key characteristics of the basic ontological structure stem from Kant. Hence, I conclude that Hegel is presenting a new type of ontology that becomes possible after Kant’s Copernican revolution, which rendered the formal structure of the empirical objects of experience grounded on the faculty of understanding. The dissertation suggests that Hegel’s Logic can be read as an extended commentary on (or spelling out of the ontological implications from) the famous Kantian claim from the transcendental deduction: the object is in the concept of which manifold is united

Unusual echinoid resting trace records change in the position of the redox boundary (Palaeogene of the Lesser Caucasus in Georgia)

The first recognition of a tracemaker responding to a temporary shift in the redox boundary is recognized. This is recorded by a new trace fossil, Sursumichnus orbicularis igen. et isp. nov., which is established for mound-like structures on the upper surfaces of sandstone beds from the Borjomi Flysch (upper Paleocene–lower Eocene) in the Lesser Caucasus (Georgia). It is connected with the spatangoid echinoid burrow Scolicia de Quatrefages, 1849 and interpreted as a resting trace of the same tracemaker produced after moving up from a deeper position within the sediment. The resting is caused by an episode of unfavourable conditions related to shallowing of the redox boundary. The trace fossil is a component of the Nereites ichnofacies

Spoiler or Facilitator? Radicalization of the Georgian Orthodox Church and Its Impact on Societal Resilience in Georgia

This article explores the process of creeping radicalization within the Georgian Orthodox Church and its implications for building societal resilience in the country. In doing so, it aims to fill the gap in the literature on the role of dominant religious organizations in resilience building in Georgia and in the broader post-Soviet region. Our analysis ascribes a mostly negative impact to the Georgian Orthodox Church on the country’s societal resilience. We identify two possible mechanisms with which the Georgian Orthodox Church undermines societal resilience in Georgia: (1) by decreasing general trust in society and (2) by inspiring anti-Western narratives, which undermine the basis of Georgia’s national identity

The Library

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library