Georgia’s Diplomatic Elites and Prospects for Its Relations with Moscow

The article provides a detailed analysis of the biographies of the Georgian diplomatic elite. It considers the educational background, age, gender composition, and career trajectories which are typical for Georgian Deputies Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ambassadors and Representatives in International Organizations. The failure of M. Saakashvili's party in the 2012 elections did not result in changing patterns of recruitment of Georgian diplomatic staff. A significant number of Georgian top diplomats have been educated in Western Universities in the field of law and international relations. This has contributed to their critical attitude towards Russia and shaped a powerful emotional alignment with the West. The article argues that the Georgian diplomatic corps is largely socialized through particular educational standards and shared ideological views that guarantee a quick promotion in public service. Focus on these attributes in selecting high-ranking diplomats became a conscious choice of the Georgian political leadership since 2004, which was made to institutionalize a specific political agenda. The author concludes that education in Western Universities and practical engagement in the activities of Western NGOs as well as think tanks tend to serve as a critical means to form the anti-Russian attitude among Georgian high-ranked diplomats and politicians and at the same time it facilitates drawing the Georgian elite into the Western orbit of influence. The qualitative analysis of the educational background of Georgian diplomats and their career paths illustrates how much they differ from their Russian counterparts. The author supposes that the fact can to some extent explain the current tensions in Russian-Georgian relations and will pre-determine lingering contradictions and friction between Moscow and Tbilisi, which harms both sides.

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