On October 26, the Republic of Georgia held parliamentary elections with immense geopolitical stakes. The former Soviet republic was once staunchly pro-Western and pro-European. But over the last several years, the country has drifted closer to Russia's orbit, largely due to one man: the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. His Georgia Dream party has dominated Georgian politics for nearly a decade, and this rule has brought some democratic backsliding, including a new NGO law, modeled after a similar law in Russia, aimed at undermining civil society.

However, the people of Georgia remain overwhelmingly pro-West and pro-European. So, this election was seen as a reckoning: would the ruling Georgian Dream Party be voted out, halting the country’s drift towards Russia?

Despite some reports of election irregularities, Georgia Dream declared victory, claiming 54% of the vote. The opposition rejects this outcome, leaving the country in an uneasy post-election period.

Joining me from Tbilisi, Georgia, is Andres Ilves, Regional Director for the Near East and Eastern Europe for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. We discuss what happened in these elections, what accounts for Georgia's drift towards Russia, and some of the key geopolitical implications of these results.

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Today’s episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.

We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability” and in today’s episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts about how social assistance can improve mental health in fragile settings.

You will hear from:

Michael Mulford, World Vision International

Adiam Hailemichael, World Bank economist

Melissa Hidrobo, Senior research fellow, IFRPRI

The escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has sparked a rapidly unfolding displacement crisis in Lebanon. Over the past few weeks, as Israel intensified its strikes and launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, around 700,000 people have fled their homes. This is in addition to the 100,000 people who fled the region shortly after the October 7 attacks, which saw some exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah. In the last two to three weeks, what began as a limited conflict has sharply escalated, leading to this new displacement crisis.

Joining me to discuss the contours of this crisis and its potential impact on Lebanese society, politics, and security is Juan Gabriel Wells, the country director for Lebanon at the International Rescue Committee. As he explains, this new wave of displacement is layered on top of several other crises affecting Lebanon today, including a deep and ongoing economic catastrophe.