🇬🇪Georgia is quietly undergoing a dramatic geopolitical shift. Under Georgian Dream and its informal leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country is accelerating its alignment with Iran (and China and Russia)—abandoning its Western orientation. 🧵A thread on why this matters. 1/16 - ThreadSky

terjehelland.bsky.social • 14 days ago

🇬🇪Georgia is quietly undergoing a dramatic geopolitical shift. Under Georgian Dream and its informal leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country is accelerating its alignment with Iran (and China and Russia)—abandoning its Western orientation.
🧵A thread on why this matters.
1/16

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blurrybird.bsky.social•14 days ago

Thus committing societal suicide.

freefran.bsky.social•14 days ago

🇬🇪✊🇬🇪

terjehelland.bsky.social•14 days ago

In 2023 and 2024, high-level diplomatic contacts between Tbilisi and Tehran reached unprecedented levels.
Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze made two visits to Iran in 2024 alone—an extraordinary development that signals a warming political partnership.
2/16

terjehelland.bsky.social•14 days ago

In January 2024, Georgia’s Foreign Minister met his Iranian counterpart at Davos, laying the groundwork for deeper ties. By July, Kobakhidze attended Iran’s presidential inauguration, solidifying Tbilisi’s readiness to embrace Tehran as a strategic partner.
3/16

terjehelland.bsky.social•14 days ago

This is not an isolated policy choice. Georgia is increasingly cooperating with Iran alongside Russia and China, forming what many analysts describe as the emerging “Axis of Evasion”—a network of states working together to circumvent Western sanctions and norms.
4/16

terjehelland.bsky.social•14 days ago

Interestingly, Iran is losing ground with its traditional allies. Syria and Iraq are asserting more independence. Hezbollah in Lebanon is under strain. And Hamas faces existential threats in Gaza.
Yet Tehran is gaining an unlikely foothold—in Georgia.
5/16

terjehelland.bsky.social•14 days ago

Why does this matter? Georgia was once a symbol of democratic transition, aspiring to EU and NATO membership. Now, it’s turning to Tehran, whose regime is sanctioned for terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and human rights abuses.
6/16

terjehelland.bsky.social•14 days ago

Iran views Georgia as a crucial transit hub to Europe, bypassing sanctions and opening trade corridors to the Black Sea. The Persian Gulf–Black Sea transport route is one such project that Tehran and Tbilisi have quietly advanced over the last two years.
7/16

pterrien.bsky.social•14 days ago

Many thanks Terje for this very interesting thread.

fedupcanuck.bsky.social•12 days ago

Even this Canadian understands it entirely. That was so well written, easy to understand

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