Ivane Javakhishvili and the foreign policy of the Democratic Republic of Georgia

Abstract

Ivane Javakhishvili's point of view on the foreign policy of the Democratic Republic of Georgia can be judged based on a number of his works of 1918-1919. These works' content analysis allows outlining of several main aspects related to Ivane Javakhishvili's visions. For the newly created Democratic Republic of Georgia, border protection and international recognition were of primary importance, which was not easy after 117 years of statelessness. Ivane Javakhishvili formulated the concept of historical-strategic borders of Georgia: a/ Georgia has historically formed, clearly separated borders within which the country existed and developed for centuries; b/ The historical borders of Georgia coincide with the natural boundaries and are strategically important for the country because it is within its limits that the state of Georgia can develop and defend itself; c/ The Government of Georgia should always be guided by state interests regarding the issue of borders, and the current ethnic composition of the population of any side does not matter if it historically belonged to Georgia and is strategically important from the point of view of defense and socio-economic development of the country; d/ In order to regulate the relations with the neighbors, it is possible to make certain concessions in the issue of borders and to amend the borderline, but without prejudice to state interests. The government of Georgia involved Ivane Javakhishvili as an advisor in the delegation sent to the Paris Peace Conference in early 1919 regarding the borders of Georgia. During this period, he wrote a particular work, "Borders of Georgia." 2. Based on the concept of historical-strategic borders, Ivane Javakhishvili had to discuss the southern border of Georgia during the war with Armenia (December 1918) and the Dvaleti section of the northern border of Georgia (August 1919). 3. In 1918, even before the Declaration of Independence of Georgia (April-May), Ivane Javakhishvili formulated the starting principles of the North Caucasus policy of the state of Georgia. According to Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgia should help the peoples of the North Caucasus to preserve their identity, which is the moral duty of our country, and at the same time, ensure the security of Georgia from the north. It is noteworthy that Ivane Javakhishvili presented the role of the newly opened Georgian University in solving this task ("Report on the future action plan of the Faculty of Philosophy" "Vedas"). 4. Ivane Javakhishvili analyzed Georgia's geopolitical situation in the report on the "modern moment" read at the Tbilisi State University on April 27-28, 1919. At that time, it seemed that Great Britain provided the "security umbrella" of the South Caucasus countries. However, the situation soon changed, and the South Caucasus remained out of the attention of large European countries. As a result, South Caucasus countries became victims of aggressive neighbors - Soviet Russia and Turkey. 5. Ivane Javakhishvili was seriously thinking and studying the dangers arising due to the "naivety" of the foreign policy of Georgia. This meant a situation when the leaders of Georgian politics needed help to assess the current international situation correctly. Ivane Javakhishvili pointed out the leading causes: in the 18th century, the reason for the "naivety" of Georgian politics was "common religion," during the Democratic Republic of Georgia, it was party ideology. The naivety of Georgian policy was revealed in the fact that "Georgia was the last to break away from Russia." Iv. Javakhishvili considered Georgian politicians' trust in statements and promises of representatives of other countries to be a continuation of naive politics. If we look at it from today's perspective, the fall of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1921 was primarily caused by the "naive" foreign policy toward Soviet Russia. 6. Ivane Javakhishvili considered it essential for the Georgian government to overcome "naivety" and pursue an independent foreign policy. "It is only necessary for the political thinking of Georgia to get used to the idea that Georgia must always rely on itself" (Iv. Javakhishvili).   (The research was carried out within the framework of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia Grant Project "The Socio-Political and Scientific Activities of Ivane Javakhishvili During the Period of Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921)". Grant Code: FR-21-9053)