Practical information
Conference-debate with Grigol Vashadze, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Chairman: Thomas Gomart
Over a year since the Russian military intervention Georgia and Moscow's recognition of the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia's territorial integrity remains in question and her relations with Russia hostile. The publication of the EU sponsored "Tagliavini Report" on the causes of the August 2008 war have highlighted failings by both Russia and Georgia as well as the failure of preventative diplomacy by extra-regional actors like the US and EU. Grigol Vashadze, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia since December 2008, will address Georgian the options for Georgia's foreign policy in the face of such challenges.
Other events
Nuclear Sharing in Europe: A Contested Policy That Endures
Since the end of the Cold War, the number of US nuclear weapons stationed in Europe has fallen more than seventy-fold, yet their presence in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey remains a quiet pillar of NATO's deterrence posture. This "nuclear sharing" arrangement, central to the Alliance since its founding, has long been contested by public opinion, political parties, and civil society across Europe, without ever being abandoned by host governments. This paradox lies at the heart of the seminar: why does such an unpopular policy persist?