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Abstract: Trauma and Collective Memories in Georgia's Foreign PolicyGeorgia's foreign policy since the mid-1990s would appear to be a regional anomaly. While Georgia's neighbors have either accommodated to Russia's geopolitical interests or sought to navigate between Russia and the West, Georgian governments have pursued a comparatively stable pro-Western foreign policy orientation. Thus, structural arguments like geographic proximity, or Russia's assertive foreign policy, cannot account for the variation in foreign-policy orientation among post-Soviet states. Moreover, although alternative explanations, like Georgia's European identity and commitment to democracy, or explanations related to qualities of the Mikheil Saakashvili government, are not without merits, they cannot fully account for the continuity in Georgia's pro-Western foreign policy over time. This article argues that the collective memory of the traumatic years 1989–1994 is a key factor for understanding Georgia's foreign policy continuity. The collective memory and trauma related to loss of territory, together with a weak state and Russia's negative involvement, have shaped the strategic thinking of Georgia's foreign policy elites. This trauma explains Georgia's shift to a pro-Western foreign policy in the mid-1990s and the continuity of this policy up until today. This argument is supported by the author's interviews with key Georgian decision-makers responsible for foreign policy decisions.

Georgia's foreign policy since the mid-1990s would appear to be a regional anomaly. While Georgia's neighbors have either accommodated to Russia's geopolitical interests or sought to navigate between Russia and the West, Georgian governments have pursued a comparatively stable pro-Western foreign policy orientation. Thus, structural arguments like geographic proximity, or Russia's assertive foreign policy, cannot account for the variation in foreign-policy orientation among post-Soviet states. Moreover, although alternative explanations, like Georgia's European identity and commitment to democracy, or explanations related to qualities of the Mikheil Saakashvili government, are not without merits, they cannot fully account for the continuity in Georgia's pro-Western foreign policy over time. This article argues that the collective memory of the traumatic years 1989–1994 is a key factor for understanding Georgia's foreign policy continuity. The collective memory and trauma related to loss of territory, together with a weak state and Russia's negative involvement, have shaped the strategic thinking of Georgia's foreign policy elites. This trauma explains Georgia's shift to a pro-Western foreign policy in the mid-1990s and the continuity of this policy up until today. This argument is supported by the author's interviews with key Georgian decision-makers responsible for foreign policy decisions.

Chapter 1. Perspectives on the significance of borders in Europe: Past challenges, future developments -- Chapter 2. EU Border Policy: Enhanced Border Security and Challenges to Free Movement -- Chapter 3. TThe return of borders in the world economy: An EU-perspective -- Chapter 4. The boundaries of the internal market in- and outside the EU -- Chapter 5. EU norm promotion in a conflictual world. An existential necessity with obstacles? -- Chapter 6. The ability of the EU to extend its model of a social market economy beyond its borders -- Chapter 7. The EU's dependence on Russian energy — A force that divides or unites the Union? -- Chapter 8. The EU's fight against money laundering and terrorist financing in a digital and fragmented world.-Chapter 9. The European security order: Is this the end of the road? -- Chapter 10. A European Marshall Plan for a Ukraine on the way to the EU -- Chapter 11. The EU's internal and external borders in a world torn by conflict.

This open access book examines the implications for the EU of a radically changed international context characterized by systemic rivalry, competition over norms and regulations, and growing strategic tension. Globalization that once tied national economies together and internationalized social phenomena, such as education, research and innovation, and tourism, has gone in reverse. An opposite trend is driving the world into distinct spheres of competing models of governance, regulation, technological development, and communication. Facing the most extensive rupture of economic and inter-state relations since the onset of the Cold War, the management of the EU's internal and external borders is taking on a completely new meaning. The open access book brings together scholars from economics, law, and political science to provide up dated assessments and policy advice on the insecurity in the neighborhood and war in Ukraine, the EU's role in the future European security architecture,weaponized energy dependence, and the global competition on norms.

Intro -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1 The Road Ahead for the European Union: Between Federal Union and Flexible Integration -- Introduction -- Integration to Achieve Union: A Process Fraught with Difficulties -- The Constant Tension Between Supranationalism and Intergovernmentalism -- Enlargement: A Driving Force Towards Deepening or Towards Fragmentation? -- Gauging the Future Direction of European Integration -- References -- 2 Democracy in Europe: Enlarged But Eroding-A Union in Existential Crisis -- The EU, Democratic Institutions, and Peaceful Relations -- The Enlargement of the Union and the Expansion of Democracy -- The Enlargement of the Union and the Erosion of Democracy -- Autocratization Within the EU -- The Union at a Crossroads -- Is the Union Moving Towards Flexible Integration? -- Working for Exclusion -- References -- 3 Rule of Law Crisis: EU in Limbo Between Federalism and Flexible Integration -- Introduction -- The Significance of the Rule of Law for the EU -- The Rule of Law as a Crisis -- Political Tools -- Legal Tools -- Financial Tools -- EU in Limbo Between Federalism and Flexible Integration -- The Way Out of Limbo: To Fully Apply Existing Tools -- References -- 4 Parliament as an Arena for Opposition in EU Politics: Wasteland or Conflict Zone? -- Democracy, Political Opposition, and Parliament -- Two Theses Concerning Opposition in EU Politics -- Examining Political Opposition -- How Much Opposition is There in EU Politics? -- How Does the Incidence of Opposition Vary Between Parties of Different Types? -- Is Opposition Concentrated in Certain Policy Areas? -- The Isolated Conflict Zone -- The Way Forward-Institutional Reforms or Democratic Leadership? -- References -- 5 European Stabilisation Policy After the COVID-19 Pandemic: More Flexible Integration or More Federalism?.

Against a backcloth of tumultuous events in Europe, the EU faces once again the fateful question of moving towards federal union or let flexible integration guide the Union. The sixth volume in Interdisciplinary European Studies explores the coexistence of deepening political integration and flexible patterns of integration in the EU. The book brings together scholars from economics, law, and political science to provide insights into issues with a bearing on the future of the EU: the crisis of rule of law and political values, the move towards a European defence union, the power of the new European public prosecutor's office, the prospects of financial stability through the Recovery and Resilience facility, and the state of European parliamentary democracy. The chapters are based on up-to-date research findings and succinct assessments of the current state of affairs and ongoing debates. They conclude with policy recommendations for decision-makers on European and national levels.

1. The EU and the precarious routes to political, economic and social resilience. By Antonina Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Per Ekman, Anna Michalski and Lars Oxelheim -- 2. Improved Framework Conditions for a More Entrepreneurial, Innovative and Resilient EU. By Niklas Elert and Magnus Henrekson -- 3. Towards a climate-neutral union by 2050? The European Green Deal, Climate Law, and Green Recovery. By Karin Bäckstrand -- 4. Legal preconditions for an environmentally sustainable European Union. By David Langlet -- 5. COVID-19 and the EU's ability to manage and prevent health crises. By Louise Bengtsson -- 6. The Demographic Challenge Facing the EU Roads to Sustainability in an Ageing Europe. By Titti Mattsson -- 7. How Can a Banking Union Make the EU More Resilient to Crises?. By Jens Forssbæck -- 8. EU Resilience in the Internal Market after Financial Crisis: Political Resolve and Legal Responsiveness. By Carl Fredrik Bergström -- 9. Immigration and Asylum in the EU: A Resilient Policy for Integration?. By Karin Borevi -- 10. Intra-European labour migration for a resilient EU. By Erik Sjödin and Eskil Wadensjö -- 11.Conclusion. The EU and the search for sustainability and resilience. By Antonina Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Per Ekman, Anna Michalski and Lars Oxelheim.