Georgia at the Crossroads of Eurasia
In a collaboration with the World Bank, SAIS students conduct field research on economic integration in Central Asia and the South Caucasus
At a time when many international alliances are under stress, the eight countries of Central Eurasia—in Central Asia and the South Caucasus—are moving towards deeper economic integration, recognizing that cooperation is essential for growth, competitiveness, and resilience. In parallel, competition is intensifying among global powers over trade routes, energy resources, and critical minerals in this strategic region of the world.
In March 2026, 11 Johns Hopkins SAIS students in the Central Eurasia practicum got a first-hand look at regional dynamics as they conducted field research in Georgia, an ancient nation and a vital transit link between China and Europe along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (also known as the Middle Corridor).
Led by Marsha McGraw Olive, a SAIS faculty member and scholar of Eurasian affairs, the trip was a new initiative for SAIS, partnering with the World Bank for experiential learning, and combined the study of countries in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan) and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia). Working in project teams, the students explored Georgia’s economic and energy connectivity, analyses that will be presented to the World Bank at the end of the spring 2026 semester.
In Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, students interviewed representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Georgian National Energy Regulatory Commission, scholars, investors, energy experts, staff members in non-governmental organizations, and officials of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The group then traveled by road to the Black Sea to examine multi-modal operations at Georgia’s largest maritime hubs. They received briefings and toured the Port of Poti and the Maritime Transport Agency in Batumi, as well as the largest U.S. investment in Georgia (Trammo’s Batumi Terminal), a transshipment facility for bulk fertilizer from Central Asia to destinations in Asia and the Americas.
“On paper, the framework for development in Central Eurasia is compelling,” said Robert Marlay, a SAIS faculty advisor on energy issues. “But a week of interviews and site visits in the field revealed a sobering array of challenges. It proved to be an important complement to the capstone course.”
“Central Asia has multiple post-Soviet states that have undergone complicated entries into the global system,” noted Asher Johnson, a second-year student in the Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) program and course participant. “They remain burdened by systemic and non-tariff barriers to growth which limit accessibility and global integration. Increasingly, however, they are gaining attention in the EU and the U.S. due to their largely untapped markets. They should be understood more appropriately by Western policy makers who hope to revitalize an Asia policy that can compete with China.”
“I learned to view official narratives with greater skepticism,” Friedrich Conradi, another second-year MAIR student participant stated. “I discovered how much remains invisible from a distance: the informal arrangements, the competing local interpretations, and the gaps between policy and practice. Being on the ground reveals what studies and documents leave out. It sharpens your awareness that governments, think tanks, and international organizations each write with their own agenda.”
Since the conclusion of their trip, students in the Central Eurasia practicum have been incorporating their findings into their final reports, which they will share with officials at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Enjoyed reading, Georgia’s role in the Middle Corridor? Learn more about what Washington DC campus has to offer.