Tea Tutberidze

Tea Tutberidze is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Social Sciences & Public Policy, Department of War Studies, at King’s College London.

MA International Relations, School of Politics & International Relations, Queen Mary University of London. 

Combined Undergraduate & MA Law, Faculty Juridical (Law), Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. 

Research Interests: 

• International Politics
• US, EU, NATO, and Eastern European countries

She is particularly interested in European defence, NATO, and its future, as well as democracy, liberalism, globalisation, global stability and security, effective crisis management and conflict prevention.

Thesis: 

Analysing pro-democracy and rule of law reforms in Georgia and Ukraine in the context of external threats and interference from Russia (Comparative study with Baltic states)

After the collapse of the Soviet Union Ukraine and Georgia (among others) gained independence again in 1991 and since then the Ukrainian and Georgian people have been fighting for their countries’ independence, democratic development and their place within the European family which has been occurring for decades. In her thesis she will provide the comparative study of five Eastern European countries (Ukrainian, Georgian, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia).

The thesis will answer the following research questions: Why could not Ukraine and Georgia manage to develop working democracy (so far) after the collapse of the Soviet Union (like Baltic states did)? What have been the stumbling blocks for them to develop working democracies? What factors have caused lack of progress? 

Taking into consideration the continuous security threats imposed by the Russian Federation, to what extent could Ukraine and Georgia develop working democracies since they gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union? What role does NATO membership have played for Baltic states democratic development? Can the theories of democratisation and liberal theories give a clear explanation of the ways in which states that desire to build the rule of law and achieve democratic consolidation deal with non-democratic states’ destabilising activities against them?   

Supervisors:

• First supervisor: Dr Ruth Deyermond
• Second supervisor: Dr Natasha Kuhrt