Speaker: Lasha Bakradze
Moderator: Zaal Andronikashvili
The start of World War I turned the Caucasus into a crossroads where the interests of various empires intersected. The Caucasian people for their part, including the Georgian population, understood this major challenge and tried to adapt their own ‘national project’ to the current situation. The 1st World War turned the existing world order upside down: some of the empires came to an end, some were transformed, and the issue of the status of conflict areas – including those between Caucasian states and populations – became relevant in this new world. This podium discussion is an attempt to analyse this problem, focussing on the question of where are we now? Is the current situation directly related to the above-mentioned political processes?