Georgia (Republic)

How does religion affect the transition to, and survival of democracy? Both scholars and policymakers have argued that the spread of democracy may be limited by cultural constraints imposed by certain religious traditions. In this study, I challenge the conventional wisdom and p…

The South Caucasus states of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have shared, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a common strategic environment. To survive as independent states in a turbulent region bordered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, each state has chosen to align themsel…

This paper provides a systematic study of the hominin dental remains recovered from Dmanisi between 1991 and 2002. The sample includes teeth from three mandibles, two crania, and a number of isolated but associated finds, which together represent three individuals. The goals of …

This dissertation explains why some political actors willingly surrender sovereignty to great powers and others choose to resist, often violently. It argues that political competition and conflict at a domestic level drive actors to surrender sovereignty. Where domestic politica…

This work is an anatomy of the nationalist challenge to incumbent power in the Soviet Union Republics and of its continuing reverberations in the successor states during the tumultuous years from 1988–1994. It is a study of commonality and variation. Similarities are readily app…

The United States seized upon the opportunity presented with the end of the Cold War to engage in a high-yield, low-cost strategy to limit potential future threats from Russia. To accomplish this, the U.S. expanded its sphere of influence into areas hitherto controlled by Russia…

The mechanics of political leadership and the ways in which it manifests and reproduces itself---from the establishment of constituency allegiance to the production of entire landscapes of authority---have become prominent foci of study among social scientists in recent decades.…

Le constat d'une corrélation entre d'une part les guerres sécessionnistes ayant eu cours au Caucase du Sud durant les années 1990 et, d'autre part, le statut politique que les groupes ethniques impliqués dans ces conflits détenaient à l'époque soviétique constitue le point de dé…

How did political order emerge in Tajikistan and Georgia after the violent chaos of the Soviet collapse? Despite enormous structural weaknesses--the absence of a national army, impassable mountains, ethnic cleavages, poverty, and foreign-backed insurgencies--stable regimes conso…