The Media Polarization Index remained high in February, influenced by restrictive laws that suppress demonstrations, controversial regulations affecting the media, and a Foreign Agents Registration Act-like (FARA) law. In addition, significant events such as a major tragedy in Batumi, heavy snowfall in Guria, and developments in Trump's foreign policy contributed to the polarized environment.

The Index shows an increase in media polarization since 2020, particularly acute since early 2022. While the Index captures significant polarization around specific events like elections, its response varies across different events and developments.

The OECD, in partnership with the ITF, is set to conduct an analytical study focusing on Türkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan—the key countries of the Middle Corridor. The study aims to pinpoint bottlenecks and reform requirements related to infrastructure, trade facilitation, and political support.

As I am writing these lines, Russian tanks are moving deeper into the territory of my country, Ukraine, and emotions are threatening to overwhelm me. But emotions cannot shake what we, as economics scholars, value the most: devotion to truth and careful, impartial use of facts and logic to arrive at conclusions.

The 2020 parliamentary election in Georgia was a highly contested political event not only during the pre-election campaign but also after the elections took place. Most opposition parties boycotted Parliament for a few months, and a return to parliamentary politics was only possible with mediation efforts of the European Union.