Democratic Regression, "Foreign Agents", and External Pressures – A Public Roundtable at the IPS
28.01.2026Prof. Dr. Giorgi Gvalia (Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia), Maximilian Hartl (Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies Regensburg), Prof. Dr. Sonja Grimm (JMU Würzburg), a student activist from a Georgian student organization and Dr. Elena Dück (JMU Würzburg, chair of discussion) discussed Democratic Regression, "Foreign Agents" and External Pressure in the Southern Caucasus.
Giorgi Gvalia and the student activist brought in a Georgian Perspective to the discussion about local and regional challenges. Maximilian Hartl contributed area expertise while Sonja Grimm focused on the European Union's role in the region, also in light of ongoing global shifts. Those present were able to listen to an informative and well chaired discussion.
Topics discussed included the impact of the invasion of Ukraine on regional geopolitics and the consequences for external actors, the reasons for the varying degrees of EU rapprochement in the region´s countries, and the consequences of the Foreign Agent Law for the civilian population. The discussion was followed by questions from the audience.
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