NATIONAL SECURITY CONCEPTS OF GEORGIA (20051 AND 20112 ): REGIONAL, SUB-REGIONAL AND GLOBAL SETTINGS

Satenik  Mkrtchyan

Authors

Satenik Mkrtchyan Center for Civilization and Cultural Studies, Yerevan State University

Keywords:

Georgia’s National Security Concept, Regional Security, South Caucasus

Abstract

On December 23, 2011, the Georgian Parliament approved Georgia’s National Security Concept (NSC) for a second time, replacing the one adopted in 2005. The document reflects the changes that have taken place in the security environment of Georgia (predominantly events related to Russia), as well as their influence on the threats and challenges to its national security. It provides a solid opportunity to examine the country’s official perceptions (and orientation) on security, its internal and external security environments, and its contours of foreign relations. The key purpose of this paper is to analyze how and in what regional, sub-regional, or global settings is the country’s foreign policy elaborated, as well as what are the dynamics for the period between the first and the second documents.

Author Biography

Satenik Mkrtchyan, Center for Civilization and Cultural Studies, Yerevan State University

Dr. Satenik Mkrtchyan is a research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, as well as at the Center for Civilizational and Cultural Studies at Yerevan State University. She has more than ten years of experience in program evaluation, social, policy and ethnographic research. Her numerous publications mostly focus on ethnonational identity, textbook research, school anthropology, diaspora studies, Georgian studies, etc. Over the past years of her research experience, Dr. Mkrtchyan has been involved in more than 20 research projects across the Caucasus in cooperation with international organizations and universities, including ASCN, Universität Fribourg, Universität St. Gallen, the World Bank, and the Caucasus Research Resource Center. Dr. Mkrtchyan is a recipient of prestigious research fellowships, such as Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Regional scholarship programme for social scientists, and Norwegian Institute of International affairs (NUPI). Most recently, she successfully designed and implemented two cross-border (Armenian-Georgian) projects for social science students under Heinrich Böll Foundation’s grant scheme. Dr. Mkrtchyan holds a Doctorate Degree in Anthropology from Tbilisi State University, a Master’s degree in Ethnology from Yerevan State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the same University.