Rethinking alignment: framing pragmatism in Georgia’s identity debate

In the recently heightened debate on Georgian national identity, ultranationalist discourse has instrumentalised pragmatism to legitimise a pro-Russian stance, previously confined to the political margins in post-2008 Georgia. This article examines how global and regional transformations, particularly the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have shaped local identity negotiations, centring external geopolitical spaces – Russia, Europe and Ukraine – as key reference points in national identity discourse. The findings suggest that within nationalist radical-right discourse, pro-Western alignment is increasingly depicted as naive, being rooted in the belief that Western integration is both unattainable and detrimental to Georgia’s sovereignty. In contrast, a pro-Russian stance is framed as a pragmatic recognition of regional power dynamics, with Russia portrayed as an unavoidable and invincible geopolitical force. This discursive opposition – pragmatism versus naivety – serves as a key legitimising tool in radical-right discourse. The article showcases the incorporation of external geopolitical categories in the national identity discourse, on the one hand, and illustrates the instrumentalisation of pragmatism in the context of normative political proceedings, on the other. In doing so, it provides a deconstruction of shifting identities amid the cross-national crises and security alterations shaping contemporary European politics.