The Democratic Security Institute (DSI) is an independent, non-partisan thinktank based in Estonia. We are a team of policy and civil society professionals who are passionate about the power of democracy to bring security, social justice and prosperity to people living in the countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
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  • Politics of Silence: Artsakh, Memory and Armenian Democracy
    Politics of Silence: Artsakh, Memory and Armenian Democracy

    Author: Sheila Paylan With Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections now less than a month away, the race is fully underway. The official campaign period kicked off on May 8 with 19 political forces in the running. Among them, ruling party Civil Contract is now on the trail, with its leader Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on campaign leave… Read More

  • Connectivity as Geopolitics in the South Caucasus

    Recent shifts in United States foreign policy under the second Trump Administration have contributed to a broader set of geopolitical changes reshaping regional stability. These shifts have varied in impact and success, depending on the Administration’s perceived interest and level of planning. In the South Caucasus, long-standing dynamics are undergoing accelerated transformation. Armenia and Azerbaijan… Read More

  • Georgia’s Dilemma: Bridge or Bystander to Regional Peace and Security?

    By Medea Turashvili Georgia is facing an acute strategic dilemma as international and regional systems reshape, and domestic political pressures intensify. With growing divergence in the trans-Atlantic partnership and Great Power politics resurging, conventional assumptions of post-Cold War security are being undermined and Georgia finds itself in an increasingly precarious position. Russia – waging the… Read More

  • The South Caucasus Strategic Agenda: Turning Geopolitical Shifts into Regional Gains

    This report summarizes the online discussion on “The South Caucasus Amid Geopolitical Shift: Mitigating Crisis, Leveraging Opportunities,” convened by the Democratic Security Institute, with expert contributions from Medea Turashvili (Georgia), Tigran Grigoryan (Armenia), and Rauf Mammadov (Azerbaijan). Read More

  • Live Stream: Online Panel Discussion
    Live Stream: Online Panel Discussion

    Democratic Security Institute organizes EDSN Thematic Exchange Series Online Public Discussion Atrocities of Russian Mercenaries in Africa Read More

  • In Search of the Essence of Peace: A New Vision for Georgia
    In Search of the Essence of Peace: A New Vision for Georgia

    While the discourse on peace and conflict in Georgia typically centers around the Russo-Georgian war and relations with the occupied territories, the concept of peace is far more nuanced than the mere absence of armed conflict. For Georgia, peace is a multifaceted phenomenon comprising three equally vital, interdependent, and concurrent dimensions: ensuring societal security, cultivating the… Read More

  • Live Stream: Online Panel Discussion
    Live Stream: Online Panel Discussion

    Democratic Security Institute organizes an online panel discussion on The South Caucasus Amid Geopolitical Shift: Mitigating Crisis, Leveraging Opportunities Date: 28 January 2028, at 18:00 GMT+4 / 16:00 CET / 15:00 UK / 10:00 AM ET / 09:00 AM Washington DC Read More

  • The Doctrine of Erasure: Russia’s War on Ukraine and the ‘Intent to Destroy’
    The Doctrine of Erasure: Russia’s War on Ukraine and the ‘Intent to Destroy’

    The war in Ukraine, now past its third year of full-scale invasion, delivers a daily torrent of violence — missiles on civilian centers, front-line grinding, and the relentless toll of death. Yet, behind this “day-to-day litany of horrors,” an analytical consensus is hardening among legal scholars, human rights experts, and political leaders: this is not… Read More

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