We are pleased to announce the winners of our March 2016 Blog Comment Competition. Nodar Okroshiashvili (class 2017) and Dace Javashvili (class 2014) received certificates and cash prizes of $200 and $100 respectively.

Nodar Okroshiashvili was recognized for his contribution to the discussion of the flaws of Georgia’s current military conscription law and the discriminatory manner in which it is implemented (On Education and the Sacred Duty of Defending One’s Motherland). He gave the example of his fellow Georgian village boys, who, he argued, “are slaves in the 21st century… There are facts when my friends got some chronic diseases while serving our prisons, they had no food and water, there [was] no place where [to] sleep...“. Nodar argued that Georgia should discontinue this modern form of slavery and, instead, “adopt a compulsory Israeli-style national military service or an American style professional volunteer army”.

Dace’s (a native of Latvia) contributed to the discussion of Georgia’s cultural norms in Why Georgia is not South Korea (or Israel)?, such as the failure to follow established rules and regulations (including those pertaining to traffic), and how these norms interact with innovation and economic development. She found a very interesting way to conclude her comment: “I would like to encourage [my] fellow Georgians to be [even] more rebellious: it is not rebellious to break the rules when everybody does it – it is rebellious to follow the rules!”

The monthly blog competition was initiated by ISET in order to encourage students and alumni to take part in online discussions, share their ideas, and interact with each other and the authors. Comments are evaluated by the ISET Policy Institute’s staff based on their relevance, originality, and language formulation.

The prize ceremony took place on April 11th. Other shortlisted candidates in this month’s competition were Nino Doghonadze, Salome Gvetadze, and Lasha Lanchava.