Caught Between Blocs: Georgian Foreign Policy and the Politics of Regional Integration

Abstract

This paper examines Georgia's critical positioning between a European future and a return into Russia's orbit, analyzing how this geopolitical dilemma has placed the country on the new international agenda. The central research question asks: How does Geor gia navigate between competing regional integration models—European and Eurasian —while pursuing national interests in an era of renewed great power competition? The study argues that Georgia's transitional position reflects the tension between its constitutional commitment to Euro - Atlantic integration and the persistent structural pressures drawing it back toward Russia's sphere of influence, making it a pivotal case study in contemporary international relations. The findings reveal that Georgia occupies a precarious position where its symbolic importance as a democracy between Europe and Russia confronts the reality of geopolitical pressures and domestic political transformation.