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	<title>English &#8211; ModusA</title>
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	<description>Et rettsstatlig og vitenskapelig perspektiv på sosial- og kriminalpolitikk</description>
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		<title>Beyond the Post‑Soviet Horizon: How Armenia’s Choice Echoes Across a Region Still Fighting for Democracy</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/beyond-the-post%e2%80%91soviet-horizon-how-armenias-choice-echoes-across-a-region-still-fighting-for-democracy/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/beyond-the-post%e2%80%91soviet-horizon-how-armenias-choice-echoes-across-a-region-still-fighting-for-democracy/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:45:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Det åpne samfunn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kommentar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6538</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze. Reading time: 5 min.  As a Georgian woman who has lived through the rise and decline of my own country’s democratic experiments, I cannot look at Armenia’s recent election without seeing the deeper structural forces that shape political life in the South Caucasus. Armenia’s renewed mandate for president Nikol Pashinyan is being [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/beyond-the-post%e2%80%91soviet-horizon-how-armenias-choice-echoes-across-a-region-still-fighting-for-democracy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>A New Patriarch Was Elected in Georgia. The Power Struggle Continues</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/a-new-patriarch-was-elected-in-georgia-the-power-struggle-continues/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/a-new-patriarch-was-elected-in-georgia-the-power-struggle-continues/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 08:10:10 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6491</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, 4 minutes reading time The election of a new Patriarch by the “Holy Synod” harbors huge consequences for Georgian history. It has been framed as a dignified moment of spiritual continuity, yet anyone who has lived through the country’s recent history knows that this transition carries far more weight than the Church’s [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/a-new-patriarch-was-elected-in-georgia-the-power-struggle-continues/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Zelensky’s South Caucasus Visit Marks a New Phase in Regional Relations</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/zelenskys-south-caucasus-visit-marks-a-new-phase-in-regional-relations/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/zelenskys-south-caucasus-visit-marks-a-new-phase-in-regional-relations/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 07:12:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6451</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, ModusA Front: Picture from happier relations between Ukraine and Georgia, the inauguration of President Zelensky accompanied former georgian president in 2019 (Wikimedia Commons). Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Armenia, the first by a Ukrainian president in more than twenty years, felt like a moment when the political map of the South Caucasus shifted [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/zelenskys-south-caucasus-visit-marks-a-new-phase-in-regional-relations/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Hungary Has Changed — What Does Orbán’s Fall Mean for Georgia?</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/hungary-has-changed-what-does-orbans-fall-mean-for-georgia/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/hungary-has-changed-what-does-orbans-fall-mean-for-georgia/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:20:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6193</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, 4 minutes reading time Hungary’s 2026 election felt like a political earthquake across Europe, but for me, watching it as a Georgian, it carried an even deeper resonance. When Viktor Orbán’s sixteen‑year rule came to an end, it was not just a Hungarian story, it was a reminder that even the most [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/hungary-has-changed-what-does-orbans-fall-mean-for-georgia/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Russia Did It: 9 April 1989 and the Long Punishment of a Free Nation</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/russia-did-it-9-april-1989-and-the-long-punishment-of-a-free-nation/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/russia-did-it-9-april-1989-and-the-long-punishment-of-a-free-nation/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:16:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6164</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, 3 minutes reading time On 9 April 1989, the Soviet empire showed its true face in Tbilisi. Peaceful demonstrators, students, young women, ordinary citizens stood on Rustaveli Avenue demanding nothing more radical than freedom. Moscow responded with troops armed with sharpened spades, gas, and orders to crush. The spades were used to [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/russia-did-it-9-april-1989-and-the-long-punishment-of-a-free-nation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Women’s Month in Georgia</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/womens-month-in-georgia/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/womens-month-in-georgia/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 20:38:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6134</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, ModusA Reading time, 4 minutes Across Georgia, the arbitrary arrest and prosecution of women activists, journalists, and opposition leaders has become a defining marker of the country’s accelerating authoritarian drift. These cases are not isolated; they form a deliberate pattern of gendered repression aimed at silencing women who challenge power. As Women’s [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/womens-month-in-georgia/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>A time for heroes</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/a-time-for-heroes/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/a-time-for-heroes/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:02:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6114</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, ModusA and Nicolay. B. Johansen, LovUrett Reading time: 5 minutes In a series of recent rulings, Georgian courts have acquitted several political protesters accused of possessing large quantities of narcotics. This news raises the question of whether this is a sign of cracks in the power structure of the emerging autocratic regime. [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/a-time-for-heroes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Abolishing Georgian universities? The strangling of Georgian civil society continues</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/abolishing-georgian-universities-the-strangling-of-georgian-civil-society-continues/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/abolishing-georgian-universities-the-strangling-of-georgian-civil-society-continues/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 09:06:44 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6043</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze Reading: 6 minutes Recently, news broke that Georgian authorities were abolishing several courses at the country&#8217;s universities. Many people reacted with disbelief and protest. However, the situation is more tense, complex, and much more specific than the idea of “abolishing universities”. What is actually happening is a far-reaching restructuring of how universities [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/abolishing-georgian-universities-the-strangling-of-georgian-civil-society-continues/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Drug allegations as a means of political suppression</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/drug-allegations-as-a-means-of-political-suppression/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/drug-allegations-as-a-means-of-political-suppression/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:03:39 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Det åpne samfunn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=6009</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Nicolay B. Johansen, LovUrettMoreta Bobokhidze, ModusA, 3 minutes reading time Georgia: Anton Chechin, a 26-year-old political activist, was detained in December 2024 and sentenced to 8 years in prison earlier this month. This is by all standards a purely political decision, although it was made in the courtroom. This is typical for autocratic societies. People [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/drug-allegations-as-a-means-of-political-suppression/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Now what? Recent georgian Prime Minister convicted</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/now-what-recent-georgian-prime-minister-sentenced/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/now-what-recent-georgian-prime-minister-sentenced/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:35:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Det åpne samfunn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=5963</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, reading time: 5 minutes. Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to large‑scale money laundering, marking one of the most significant prosecutions of a senior political figure in the country’s recent history. The announcement was made by Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, which confirmed [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/now-what-recent-georgian-prime-minister-sentenced/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>ECHR Decision on Human Rights Violations in Georgia</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/echr-decision-on-human-rights-violations-in-georgia/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/echr-decision-on-human-rights-violations-in-georgia/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:28:17 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=5902</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze, ModusA, 3 minutes reading.  On 11 December 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered a landmark judgment in Tsaava and Others v. Georgia, finding that the Georgian authorities violated three fundamental rights under the European Convention on Human Rights during the dispersal of the June 2019 protests in Tbilisi. The case [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/echr-decision-on-human-rights-violations-in-georgia/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Did Georgian police use a chemical weapon against protesters?</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/did-georgian-police-use-a-chemical-weapon-against-protesters/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/did-georgian-police-use-a-chemical-weapon-against-protesters/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:44:04 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Det åpne samfunn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=5877</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze. Reading time: 2 min.  In 2024, the Georgian capital of Tbilisi became the stage for some of the longest running anti government protests in Europe. Night after night, demonstrators filled the city’s main street, demanding progress on Georgia’s accession talks with the European Union. When the government announced that negotiations would be [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/did-georgian-police-use-a-chemical-weapon-against-protesters/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Georgian Dream’s Proposal to Restrict Voting Rights for Emigrants is Another Step Towards Autocracy</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/georgian-dreams-proposal-to-restrict-voting-rights-for-emigrants-is-another-step-towards-autocracy/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/georgian-dreams-proposal-to-restrict-voting-rights-for-emigrants-is-another-step-towards-autocracy/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 10:49:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Det åpne samfunn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=5867</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobkhidze, 4 minutes read The protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party are now in their second year. Protesters are being met with increasing violence. The dismantling of democracy is taking place in many small steps. This is also important for Norway and Europe. The ruling Georgian Dream party has unveiled plans to [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/georgian-dreams-proposal-to-restrict-voting-rights-for-emigrants-is-another-step-towards-autocracy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Georgia – a mirror for the West</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/georgia-a-mirror-for-the-west/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/georgia-a-mirror-for-the-west/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:47:54 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Det åpne samfunn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=5835</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Moreta Bobokhidze and Nicolay B. Johansen In the effort to spread knowledge and understanding of the democratic rule of law, ModusA has initiated a collaboration with Georgian activists. In this text, we compare the rule of law in Georgia and Norway. The concept of the rule of law is discussed in more detail here. [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/georgia-a-mirror-for-the-west/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>What is it possible to learn from democracies that “die”?</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/what-is-it-possible-to-learn-from-democracies-that-die/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/what-is-it-possible-to-learn-from-democracies-that-die/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 21:50:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=5776</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen, Lov/Urett Long read. 5 parts.  Is democracy in danger? The award-winning authors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt pose the question in their book, «How democracies die&#171;. The book ultimately became a bestseller and is now considered a classic on the topic of democracy&#8217;s vulnerability. Together with Timothy Snyder and David Runciman, among [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.modusa.no/what-is-it-possible-to-learn-from-democracies-that-die/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>What now, when the United States is no longer a democracy?</title>
		<link>https://www.modusa.no/what-now-when-the-united-states-is-no-longer-a-democracy/</link>
					<comments>https://www.modusa.no/what-now-when-the-united-states-is-no-longer-a-democracy/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolay B. Johansen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:02:42 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[English]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Open Society]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.modusa.no/?p=5765</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[8 months into Trump&#8217;s second term as president, we must establish that he is serious about abolishing democracy. So, what to do? The words he blurted out during the election campaigns should be understood literally. He asked people to vote for him, because then they would not have to vote several times. And on another [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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