Defending democracy at Europe’s frontlines.
The fight of keeping Europe free happens at its edges.
Political Analyst
Author
GMF Fellow
George Melashvili
George Melashvili is a political analyst, author, and lecturer dedicated to democratic resilience and international cooperation. As the Founder and President of the Europe-Georgia Institute, he leads one of Georgia’s most influential independent civil society organisations, advancing the country’s European and transatlantic integration, countering disinformation, and fostering civic engagement. His expertise spans international relations, security studies, and information warfare, with a particular focus on the geopolitical dynamics of Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and East Asia. He is a recognised speaker at international policy forums and a ReThink.CEE Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, contributing policy research on democratic resilience and regional security across Europe’s frontline states.
Teaching
George teaches Theories of International Relations and Political History of East Asia at the Free University of Tbilisi – Georgia’s leading academic institution – where he has served as Invited Lecturer since 2020. His courses draw directly from his research and policy work, offering students a rigorous analytical framework for understanding contemporary geopolitics. He has also been invited to speak at Georgetown University — at the invitation of Jill Dougherty — and at Northwestern University — at the invitation of Ambassador Ian Kelly — where he addressed audiences on Georgia’s democratic trajectory, information warfare, and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Engagements
George is a recognised speaker at international policy forums and conferences, addressing audiences across Georgia, the United States, and Europe on questions of democratic resilience, hybrid threats, and Euro-Atlantic integration. His engagements have included the German Marshall Fund’s Brussels Forum, as well as conferences and public forums spanning Tbilisi, Berlin, London, Stockholm, Washington, and beyond. He has moderated high-level panels — including an ambassadors’ roundtable on the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Eastern Partnership region — and contributed as an expert speaker to initiatives on civil society resilience, disinformation, and foreign malign influence.
On Air
George is a regular commentator on Georgian and international television, offering analysis on democratic resilience, regional security, and Euro-Atlantic integration. He has appeared on major international outlets including TVP World, ZDF, DW, Radio Liberty, Channel 4, and others, contributing expert commentary to global audiences on Georgia’s political trajectory and broader geopolitical developments. In Georgia, he is a familiar presence across all leading television channels, regularly invited to weigh in on the most pressing issues in Georgian and international politics.
Research & Publications
George’s research sits at the intersection of authoritarian influence, democratic resilience, and Euro-Atlantic integration, with comparative case studies across Georgia, Moldova, and Taiwan. He has contributed a policy paper to the German Marshall Fund of the United States on Georgia’s democratic resilience under pressure, and served as research editor on The Diffusion of Authoritarian Regimes and the Russian Handbook, examining how foreign agents legislation in Georgia, Slovakia, Kyrgyzstan, and Republika Srpska mirrors Russian models. His most significant books include Korea: Success Story / Lessons for Georgia — the first academic book on Korea in the Georgian language, widely praised by the academic community — and Taiwan: Island of Freedom, currently in preparation. He has also coordinated a joint publication on disinformation and illiberal values across Georgia, Poland, and the Western Balkans, and contributed to a range of other academic and policy publications.
Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI)
In 2015, George founded the Europe-Georgia Institute — one of Georgia’s most influential independent civil society organisations dedicated to democratic resilience, national security awareness, and Euro-Atlantic integration. As its President, he directs EGI’s strategic vision, research agenda, and international partnerships, representing the institute in high-level engagements with European institutions, diplomatic missions, and global policy networks. Under his leadership, EGI became a member of the European Liberal Forum and launched flagship initiatives including the Black Sea Security Forum, a nationwide Get Out the Vote youth campaign, and major programmes on information integrity and countering foreign malign influence. EGI today remains one of Georgia’s vocal pro-European voices — attempting to defend democratic space under a government that has made the survival of independent civil society increasingly difficult.
Recent
- Opinion | Saying farewell to Georgia’s steadfast supporter, German Ambassador Peter FischerGermany’s friendship with Germany began long before Fischer, and will outlive the Georgian Dream government now bent on rejecting it.
- TVP World Interview: Yerevan, Then BakuI spoke with TVP World today about Meloni’s Yerevan-Baku shuttle. Two airports, one strategy — and a clearer Europe coming into view.On 4 May, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the 8th European Political Community summit in Yerevan, then flew directly to Baku to meet President Ilham Aliyev. Same roses… Read more: TVP World Interview: Yerevan, Then Baku
- VT Sakartvelo News launches Georgian-language broadcastingPoland’s public broadcaster steps into Georgia’s contested information space as the UK sanctions Imedi TV for Russian propaganda 27 April 2026 — VT Sakartvelo News, a new Georgian-language project from the international newsroom of Poland’s public broadcaster TVP begins broadcasting today. The service will offer daily reporting from Georgia and… Read more: VT Sakartvelo News launches Georgian-language broadcasting
- New Eastern Europe: Georgia’s Democracy Is Being Quietly StrangledI was honoured to contribute a feature essay to New Eastern Europe, the flagship Central and Eastern European affairs magazine, for its April-May 2026 issue devoted to the question of whether human rights still matter. In “Georgia’s Democracy Is Being Quietly Strangled,” I argue that Georgian Dream’s authoritarian consolidation has… Read more: New Eastern Europe: Georgia’s Democracy Is Being Quietly Strangled
- PalitraNews, “რეზიუმე”Discussed the lessons Georgia’s opposition can draw from Hungary’s political shift following Péter Magyar’s victory over Viktor Orbán. Key points: Magyar succeeded by uniting the opposition around himself rather than through his Fidesz affiliation — his political capital came from rebellion, not party association. While direct comparisons between Hungary and… Read more: PalitraNews, “რეზიუმე”
- Cited in the Global Taiwan BriefMy analysis of Georgian Dream’s stance on Taiwan was cited in the Global Taiwan Brief, published by the Global Taiwan Institute (Washington, D.C.). The April 2026 piece by journalist James Baron examines why Georgia became the only country in the world to bar Taiwanese nationals from entry — and the… Read more: Cited in the Global Taiwan Brief