The U.S.-Georgia Forum: Georgia on the Eve of Parliamentary Elections

September 18, 2012 • 12:45 – 4:00 pm EDT

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Consolidating Achievements, Confronting Challenges

Please join us for a timely discussion of Georgia's progress towards building enduring democratic institutions as well as an assessment of the upcoming parliamentarian elections and the overall state of Georgia’s democratic and economic transition.  In collaboration with the Europe House of Georgia and the Atlantic Council of Georgia, the CSIS U.S.-Georgia Forum is an initiative that seeks to re-energize Georgian-American relations, develop new and innovative forms of cooperation and contribute concrete ideas in support of the U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership.

8.45am-9.00am: Registration and Breakfast

9.00-9.15am: Opening Remarks
Janusz Bugajski, Senior Associate, Europe Program, CSIS
Ambassador Temuri Yakobashvili, Republic of Georgia

9.15-10.45am: Panel One: Democratic Institution Building
Moderator: Janusz Bugajski, CSIS
Paige Alexander, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, USAID
Giorgi Muchaidze, Executive Director, Atlantic Council of Georgia
Joshua Walker, International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

10.45-12.00pm: Panel Two: Election Challenges and Democratic Consolidation
Moderator: Heather Conley, Senior Fellow and Director, Europe Program, CSIS
Stephen Nix, Regional Director for Eurasia, International Republican Institute
Svante Cornell, Research Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Johns Hopkins University
Brenda Shaffer, Senior Lecturer, School of Political Sciences, Haifa University

12.00pm: Concluding Comments
Janusz Bugajski, CSIS