Impressions from the building works on Rustaveli -- including archaeological excavation!!!
Hans Gutbrod
@hansgutbrod.bsky.social
Interest in policy, think tanks, Caucasus, dogs, ethics. Teach at Ilia State University.
Georgian word of the day -- ცოდნა ძალაა / tsodna dzalaa, knowledge is power, giving you two key words in a memorable phrase. Gemini illustration doing a good job. (And here an all-time classic on how "Francis Bacon" led to years of misunderstandings: thehabit.co/knowledge-is... )
Tbilisi city center is *extra* worth seeing these days, in a particular way. Those sights your rarely see. Watch this aerial waltz, sound on, sent by a friend, for a memorable glide over city landmarks you'll recognize.
This was entirely new to me, and fun reading and watching.
OC Media@ocmedia.bsky.social · last wk.Gandagana and the globalisation of Georgian regional musical heritage: The global visibility of a national tradition depends not only on exposure but also how it is made legible beyond its country of origin. https://oc-media.org/gandagana-and-the-globalisation-of-georgian-regional-musical-heritage/
meters not as in Kilometers, but as in "electricity". The headline had me stumped and also draws you into reading this great tale by Giorgi Lomsadze of what goes wrong when scarce goods are free. tamadatales.substack.com/p/meters-to-...
Meters to kill Mountain Crypto?
The curtain is about to fall on the world’s strangest cryptocurrency hub
tamadatales.substack.com
I'm not in the everything needs to be preserved be brigade but was shocked to see they're tearing down the iconic building on Rustaveli opposite the Blue Gallery// Marriott.
“a proper university only needs three things: curious people; a library; and a cafeteria. Everything else is imposed by society.” There is more to this idea by Michael Oakeshott than at first may meet the eye. My piece for @globalpolicy.bsky.social www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/25/08/2...
Living for Science, Not From It: Adapting Scholarship to Tumultuous Times
As Georgia's Ilia State University faces dismantlement by the ruling authorities, philosopher Michael Oakeshott's minimalist vision of the university — curious people, a library, a cafeteria — offers ...
globalpolicyjournal.com
Random post to remember @smdov.bsky.social, in jail. There are many opposition people across the world in exile or jail. Among the bravest on the planet are those in Azerbaijan - with little immediate chance to win; standing against ruler who just won a war; w little international attention.
a lot has been written on #Cofnas & academic freedom. Some of debate gets heated, most recently with @patricksturg.bsky.social and @jdportes.bsky.social es.bsky.social. In my mind, some of this debate can be ordered and perhaps -- ambitious -- be resolved. Bear with me 🧵 bsky.app/profile/jdpo...
Jonathan Portes@jdportes.bsky.social · 2w agoWorth reading the thread that led up to this.
Looking forward to the evening with Prof @hansgutbrod.bsky.social from Tblisi University at Sept 16th 19. 00 hrs @debalie.bsky.social #Georgia 🇬🇪 #Oligarchy debalie.nl/programma/ge...
Looking forward to my conversation with Prof. Hans @hansgutbrod.bsky.social from Tblisi University Georgia on a country that is on the verge of renewed submission to the old Russian colonialist power. Wednesday Sept. 16th 1900 hrs at @debalie.bsky.social debalie.nl/programma/ge...
Georgia: On the Brink of Oligarchy
Georgia is a country that stands at a crossroads. Will it choose closer integration with the European Union, as a large share of the population desires? Or will it deepen its relationship with Putin’s...
debalie.nl
GD promised that higher education would be free. Instead, it turns out that students will be subject to potentially arbitrary decisions. #Georgia ganatleba.substack.com/p/free-but-c...
Free, but Conditional: The Catch Behind the GD’s Tuition Promise
The government promised free tuition at public universities. Under the new model, full funding is guaranteed for only one year, leaving students dependent on semester-by-semester decisions.
ganatleba.substack.com
petition circulating in #Georgia calling for cancellation of Eagle Hills development in Krtsanisi Forest — site of 1795 battle. Organizers gathering at forest on September 12 to mark battle's 231st anniversary. politics.https://unaccountedfor.substack.com/p/cancel-the-agreement-with-eagle-hills
will watch this film on Thomas Mann's return to Germany post-1945 shortly. Very curious. Great fan of Hanns Zischler. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatherl...
Fatherland (2026 film) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Always incredibly rewarding, flying together in the evening sun. #paragliding #allgaeu
I don't know much context but this is doing the rounds -- urging the authorities in Georgia not to deport an Iranian citizen back to Iran. www.change.org/p/stop-iman-...
Sign the Petition
Stop Iman Asghari’s Deportation from Georgia and Immediately Transfer Him to a Safe Countr
change.org
Already contributing! I hope more will.
OC Media@ocmedia.bsky.social · 3w agoWe’re out to prove that independent journalism in the Caucasus can thrive if readers stand behind it. Your support allows us to keep reporting fearlessly. This summer we’re looking for 50 new members to join our community. ➡️Become a member - oc-media.org/membership/
Studio Monitori in Georgia reported on scam call centers in #Tbilisi -- then their *entire* Youtube channel was taken down. They found the perpetrator, who charged $3-5k & had a "high-level sponsor" for this. Remarkable work. @occrp.org youtube.com/shorts/1GNUR... @marikamikiashvili.bsky.social
Studio Monitori: Inside the Paid Scheme That Deleted Our YouTube Channel
YouTube video by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
youtube.com
Bad things happen everywhere, but even more likely if you disable accountability, attack the opposition and try to shut down investigative journalism.
Civil.ge @civil.ge · last mo.Georgia’s State Security Service said it arrested two people after they allegedly supplied horse meat instead of beef to kindergartens in Kareli and Marneuli municipalities and obtained money from the state budget.
very evocative piece, on why the academic and teacher Rusiko Kobakhidze (no direct relation to PM...) refuses to give up in the face of the nihilistic totalitarianism of the Georgian Dream. One key motivation: the larger arc of history. ganatleba.substack.com/p/we-were-so...
"We Were Soviet Products": Rusiko Kobakhidze on Memory, Protest, and Why She Still Stands on Rustaveli
Teacher, researcher, and mother of nine, Rusiko Kobakhidze reflects on the Soviet past, today's resistance, and the convictions that keep her on Rustaveli Avenue.
ganatleba.substack.com
Georgia's new Ambassador to Germany is not a diplomat, first & foremost, but figure that oversaw the darkest chapters of effective collapse of education in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A suggested "10 questions to Kartozia" raises these issues. ganatleba.substack.com/p/ten-questi...
Took seven years to figure out a new role for that building but at least it's being used.
Civil.ge @civil.ge · last mo.Georgian officials inaugurated a technology hub in the former parliament building in Kutaisi, repurposing the contemporary glass-and-steel structure that had remained largely unused after the legislature moved back to Tbilisi in 2019.
interesting -- might there soon be clashes between ultrapatriotic movements and the Georgian police? They certainly seem to be committed to taking a stand on Krtsanisi Forest. A fierce post, from a group with little prominence, garnered 9.000 Likes. unaccountedfor.substack.com/p/consecrate...
“Consecrated to Sacrifice” -- Radical Commitments from Ultra-Patriotic Movement
Will we soon see clashes between police and Georgian ultra-patriots?
unaccountedfor.substack.com
has not hit international media yet, but strong resistance across political spectrum against Eagle Hills project. 12.000 Likes is really remarkable for Georgia. #realestate unaccountedfor.substack.com/p/shalva-nat...
Shalva Natelashvili: "Every illegally granted permit will be canceled & everyone involved in this deal will be held fully accountable under the law"
The veteran leader of Georgia's Labour Party gets extensive engagement when announcing resistance against the Eagle Hills Project.
unaccountedfor.substack.com
Alright, all other aspects & symbolism aside, this is fabulous for cyclists to crisscross the earthworks. Rehab of Chavchavadze was great also, with mountainbike, while they were working.
Civil.ge @civil.ge · 2mo agoRustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s central thoroughfare and the main site of protests in Georgia, will undergo full rehabilitation beginning on July 23, with traffic closed for the duration of the works, which are expected to be completed by the end of November.
With the upcoming 89th anniversary of Paolo Iashvili setting an end to his life, on July 22, here my article on why this act matters. (Some will visit his grave, there also will be a reading of his poetry on that evening in Sololaki.) @rrgould.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/hansgutb...
Paolo Iashvili and the Writer’s House of Georgia
Reupping an article on one of Georgia's most important poets that has only become more relevant since it first came out. Mark July 22 on your calendars.
open.substack.com
I tell myself that once every three months I should post this, in solidarity with #FreeBahruz who is in jail in #Azerbaijan on trumped up charges. Sometimes I forget. Today remembered & one can write to him in jail, too... @cavid.info @molenasreddin.bsky.social oc-media.org/opinion-soli...
Opinion | Solidarity without borders: For Bahruz, for Georgia, for all of us
The South Caucasus is standing at a crossroads — yet our struggles are connected and none of us can afford to stand alone.
oc-media.org
A sweet act of patriotism in #Georgia -- buying #blueberry to support local production, total steal at 12 GEL at local fruit sellers. (In some EU countries it's more than three times as much!!)
