Small Nation in a Big World: Geopolitical Visions in President Mikheil Saakashvili’s Rhetoric

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the interplay of Georgian national identity and foreign policy in the rhetoric of Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia in 2004–13, and offers a theoretical framework that captures the complex nature of these interactions. Drawing on the scholarly tradition of critical geopolitics, the article examines perceptions and images of the role of Georgia and its position vis-à-vis the external world in the annual addresses delivered to the Parliament of Georgia. More specifically, the article explores four constitutive areas for Georgia’s geopolitical identity – the world, Europe, the United States and Russia – as well as the meanings attached to these spaces. By uncovering how these external spaces have been framed and communicated by President Saakashvili, the article adds to our understanding of the reasoning and ideational determinants of the foreign policy orientation of modern-day Georgia, as well as of the major tenets of its geopolitical identity.