Author: Erik Davtyan
Executive summary
Georgia, a small state in the South Caucasus, is the most ardent supporter of Euro-Atlantic integration in the entire post-Soviet region. Georgia’s possible membership in NATO looms large not only in terms of politics in the South Caucasus but increasingly in the tense relations between Russia and the West. In July 2018, NATO extended an official invitation to Macedonia, thereby processing its eighth enlargement. Zooming in on Georgia and Macedonia’s performance on membership requirements is a one-of-a-kind litmus test of perspectives of Georgia’s membership in NATO. The comparative analysis unveils that Georgia has outperformed Macedonia in all key areas of reforms and that NATO still pays more attention to geopolitical aspects of membership, rather compatibility with the Alliance’s requirements.
Keywords: Georgia, NATO, Macedonia, small states, South Caucasus, integration
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Erik Davtyan, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of International Relations, Yerevan State University. He teaches Georgia and Azerbaijan’s regional policy. His research interests include small state studies, geopolitics of the South Caucasus with a particular emphasis on Georgia’s foreign and security policy. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. Contact the author at edavtyan@ysu.am