This individual is a guest contributor. MEI is not able to assist with contact requests.
Natia Seskuria is a fellow with MEI’s Frontier Europe Initiative, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and serves at the Office of the National Security Council (NSC) of Georgia. She has a broad experience in policy-making, strategic foresight and provides analysis on international security and defense planning, with a focus on Russia and Eurasia. She is also a Lecturer in Russian Government and Politics.
Natia has served at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia and worked for the Foreign Editor of The Sunday Times of London. She researches and publishes on Russia’s defense and security policy and its relations with Georgia. Additionally, Natia worked as an independent researcher and consultant, advising private sector on political, strategic and operational risks.
Natia graduated with an MA in Politics, Security and Integration and a BA (Hons) in Politics and East European Studies from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London (UCL). Her dissertation examined Russian-Georgian conflict. Natia has been names to the Forbes 30 under 30 list. She speaks seven languages including fluent French, Russian, English and Georgian.
NATO membership for Ukraine: The only lasting deterrence against future Russian aggression
As important as it is for Ukraine to work with individual partners and receive their long-term support, the key security guarantor for Ukraine can only be NATO and its Article V umbrella. No arrangement other than full NATO membership will entirely remove the threat of a Russian re-invasion, at least so long as Putin remains in power.
Lukashenka’s visit to Abkhazia: A prelude to recognition?
Almost immediately following a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka quietly traveled to the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia for the first time. Given Belarus’s isolation from the West and deep dependency on Russia, it is highly likely that Lukashenka’s visit to Abkhazia was directed by his Kremlin counterpart.
Trying to save Russia from humiliation is not the right way to end the war in Ukraine
It is time for Western leaders to deal with Russia as it is and not as they want it to be. There is no room for them to back down now, as it will simply increase Putin’s appetite. The cost of providing a face-saving exit to Putin is much higher than that of his ultimate humiliation on the battlefield.
As Russia demands legal guarantees from the West, is Georgia on anyone’s mind?
As Russia amasses more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders, the Kremlin is holding the country at gunpoint while imposing outrageous demands on the West. NATO has never attacked Russia, while Moscow has waged wars against Georgia and Ukraine and still occupies their lands and militarizes the Black Sea.
Black Sea Security: Priorities for the US-Georgia Partnership Under President Biden
Tbilisi and Washington have in recent years built a strong strategic partnership. Yet, a myriad of threats imposed by Russia on Georgia and the Black Sea region – including a continued “borderization” policy, modernization of the Black Sea Fleet, and attempts to transform the Black Sea into an Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) zone – call for a review of U.S. policy toward Georgia and the wider Black Sea region.
Georgia’s historic victory: Implications of the ECHR ruling
Amidst the pandemic and global economic hardships, Georgia has had an eventful beginning to the year, scoring a long-awaited victory against Russia. On 21 Jan., 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) announced its verdict on the interstate case brought by Georgia against Russia, holding Moscow responsible for breaching six articles of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Challenges of a Six-Country Regional Cooperation Platform for Georgia
In the aftermath of the second Nagorno-Karabakh war, bolstered by Turkey’s growing influence in the South Caucasus, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed the controversial idea of establishing a six-country regional cooperation platform. Speaking from the Azerbaijani capital Baku, where he was attending victory celebrations, Erdogan noted that new opportunities for regional cooperation are possible for the Caucasus region. Turkey’s leader envisages a platform that would bring Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia together. In his words, it would provide a win-win opportunity for all sides, including Armenia, which could use the platform as a first positive step toward establishing bilateral relations with Turkey.
Georgia’s new role in the Black Sea security framework
It is critical that Tbilisi reframes and strengthens its role as a proactive contributor to Black Sea security. Georgia has already proved itself as a trustworthy NATO partner and contributor to Euro-Atlantic security through active participation in NATO-led operations and international missions. In a recent address, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia highlighted Georgia’s need for a new strategic role in Black Sea security.
