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.
Learn More


  • When corruption trumps geopolitics: lessons from the Moldovan election
    When corruption trumps geopolitics: lessons from the Moldovan election

    By Mihai Popsoi In international circles, Moldova is frequently described as a country torn between Russia and the Euro-Atlantic West, where the push-pull of geopolitical competition is the defining feature of national policy and politics. Yet, while geopolitics may fill the headlines and fuel sombre discussions in Western capitals, the flawed recent elections in Moldova Read More

  • Tbilisi’s protests and the Georgian Dream Political paradox
    Tbilisi’s protests and the Georgian Dream Political paradox

    By Lincoln Mitchell The protests and political drama that have engulfed Tbilisi over last week or so has highlighted all of the flaws of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party (GD). While the image of a pro-Kremlin Russian parliamentarian holding court in Georgia’s legislature was to many Georgians a troubling symbol, that event, and the political Read More

  • Keeping Pace: Ukraine’s Foreign Service Reforms
    Keeping Pace: Ukraine’s Foreign Service Reforms

    By Maryna Vorotnyuk Amidst the war in its eastern regions with Russia-backed militants, Ukraine is struggling to maintain the functionality of the state. The ongoing reform of its diplomatic service is intended to make its foreign policy more efficient and fit for the purpose of keeping Ukraine on the international agenda and securing the cohesion Read More

  • COMMENT: Imitation Game – the theatre and risks of the Karabakh peace process
    COMMENT: Imitation Game – the theatre and risks of the Karabakh peace process

    By Tigran Grigoryan After the democratic revolution in Armenia and the peaceful transition of power to the current government of Nikol Pashinian, regional experts and international observers have expressed cautious optimism about the prospects for progress in Karabakh peace talks. While many of the signs are encouraging, and represent a welcome change from the region’s Read More

  • POLICY BRIEFING: How Turkey’s Initial Response to the Syria Conflict Weakened Security Governance
    POLICY BRIEFING: How Turkey’s Initial Response to the Syria Conflict Weakened Security Governance

    By Cüneyt Gürer Turkey’s foreign and regional security policies have been deeply affected by the Syrian crisis for at least the past seven years. Different dimensions of the crisis and the spillover effects in Turkey (refugees, terrorist attacks, foreign terrorist fighters, etc.) have raised questions and concerns about the country’s approach to regional security. For Read More

  • What can Moldova Learn from Georgia?
    What can Moldova Learn from Georgia?

    By Mihai Popsoi After having visited Georgia several times since my first visit in 2016, I am in awe with the sheer splendor of the country’s booming new architectural landmarks. The controversial former president Mihail Saakashvili undeniably left a mark by embarking on a rapid modernization process that entailed drastic anti-corruption reforms as well as Read More

  • Mobilizing Emojis: The HAHA Campaign to Counter the Recognition of Abkhazia
    Mobilizing Emojis: The HAHA Campaign to Counter the Recognition of Abkhazia

    By Ann Tsurtsumia-Zurabashvili Being primarily an issue of foreign policy, the local dimension of the counter-recognition policy has remained rather overlooked. How ordinary Georgian citizens react to new external contacts of Abkhazia might be meaningless for the big picture, but it sheds light to the sentiments of societies living on both sides of the division Read More

  • Armenia: Revolution in the EEU
    Armenia: Revolution in the EEU

    By Dr. Karena Avedissian For Armenia, a country that is a member state of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and was widely perceived as slowly slipping into autocracy, the Velvet Revolution was a remarkable achievement. Despite Protest leader and current Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan’s framing of the protests as an internal issue – not Read More

Subscribe to our newsletter!