Georgia in the Western and Russian Military Prism: "If" or "When"?
Welcome notes
Konstantine Topuria- Rector of the
University of Georgia
H.E Ambassador of the United States of America to Georgia Kelly C. Degnan
Greeting to the Student Simulation Team
NATO-Georgia: Membership, Military
Relevance and Article 5
Panel participants are invited to review in detail the military aspects of NATO-Georgia cooperation, ways the alliance can strengthen Georgia's self defense capabilities and deter Russia's aggressive actions on the ground. Conversely, the discussion will also cover the progress made by Georgian defense institutions while transforming, pitfalls and challenges revealed, implementation of nteroperability and resilience standards across military, government and society, as well as the force development strategies to meet best the Russian threat.
Moderator and Speaker James Black
Defence, Security and Infrastucture program, AND Europe
LTG (Ret) Ben Hodges
Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies, CEPA
Zygimantas Pavilionis
MP, Lietuvos Seimas
Dr. Emmanuel Dreyfus
Fellow Researcher, IRSEM
Dr. Ian Anthony
European Security Program, SIPRI
Discussion
Russia and the South Caucasus: Military Posture, scalation Risks and De-escalation Options
The main objective of the panel is to shed light on the military developments in the South Caucasus region, with the primary focus on the Russian military posture, dynamics and the analysis of its military capabilities on the ground. Participants will have to distill clear conclusions about the political/military (operational) objectives of Russia in the region, other non-military (so called hybrid) tools available in the arsenal and the potential consequences once fully implemented. Not least, the situation in the occupied regions of Georgia, Karabakh conflict, existing security arrangements and the possible scenarios of violent escalations, as well as options of the best de-escalation concepts and mechanisms (incl. EU and NATO contributions) constitute the core of the panel discussion.
Moderator Dr. Shalva Dzebisashvili
The University of Georgia
Dr. Sinikukka Saari
EU Institute for Security Studies
Jakob Hedenskog
Deputy Research Director, FOI
Dr. Mark Galeotti
RUST, UCLSSEES
Dr. Gustav Gressel
Wider Europe Programme, ECFR
Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan
Executive Director, Political Sciences Association of Armenia
Discussion
The Military and Political Aspects of the Black Sea Security
Whether Georgia's military reforms to meet NATO requirements or the Russian military footprint in the South Caucasus region, none of the particular military and military-political aspects can be reviewed in isolation, without the intensive application of the wider Black Sea security context. The effective installation of the Russian A2/AD in Crimea and the eastern shores of the Black Sea, the adherence of the freedom of navigation and the desire to bring more stability and security via more Europe and NATO in South Caucasus, inevitably opens door for a more complex, interdependent and multi-factorial analysis that brings multiple regions into play and links even more players across the Black Sea basin. Participants will be given the excellent opportunity to exchange their ideas and sharpen their analytical lens.
Moderator Rosaria Puglisi
Head of Mission, NATO Liaison Office (NLO) in Georgia
Dr. Michael Carpenter
Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy
Dr. Stephen J. Flanagan
RAND U.S. and Georgetown University
Dr. Dimitrios Triantaphyllou
CIES, Kadir Has University
Dr. Mustafa Aydin
President, International Relations Council of Turkey, Kadir Has University
Bruno Lete
Security and Defense Program, GMF
Discussion