GEORGIA AND THE GEOPOLITICS OF ORTHODOXY

Abstract

The period after the Cold War is marked by an upswing in geopolitical research. In this respect, researchers are particularly singling out the post-Soviet space, especially Russia, where geopolitics is enjoying immense popularity not only among scientists, but also among politicians.  New approaches and vectors have appeared in geopolitical research, which, although they do not fit into the framework of traditional geopolitics, significantly enhance the opportunity to engage in the global and spatial research of politics. One such vector is the geopolitics of religion which, in turn, is closely related to civilizational geopolitics, since religion is one of the most important components of civilization. 

 The main idea of the geopolitics of religion is taking into account and using the religious fac-tor during the formation of political unions and blocs, and ultimately gaining or retaining control over a particular space. If we keep in mind the specifics of the Caucasian region, where several world religions come in direct contact with each other, the importance of the geopolitics of religion will become entirely obvious.

 In the general geopolitics of religion, the geopolitics of Orthodoxy is particularly important for Georgia, since it helps the country to define its place in the Orthodox world and its correlation with the rest of the world. There are several reasons why the geopolitics of Orthodoxy is relevant:
— in most Orthodox states (Rumania, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, and Ukraine), two aspects
 coincide: elimination of the communist-atheist regime, under which the freedom of confession was repressed, and liberation of these countries from the dictates of Moscow, which made
 it possible for them to conduct an independent policy on the international arena. Consequently, identifying the role Orthodoxy could play in forming the policy of these states became
 relevant.
— several conceptions have already formed within the framework of the geopolitics of Ortho- doxy (I am talking in particular about the Russian geopolitics of Orthodoxy). In these conceptions, plans related to Georgia occupy far from the last place. If we also keep in mind that geopolitics is not only a scientific discipline, but also carries a strong ideological charge, it becomes clear that we need good knowledge of the geopolitical conceptions being formed in the countries next door to us;