Maximilian Hess founded the political risk consultancy Enmetena Advisory. His first book, Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West (also published by Hurst), was awarded the Fletcher US–Russia Relations Book Prize. His writing has appeared in Al Jazeera, The New Statesman, the Financial Times and others. He lives in London with his beloved Airedale terrier, Koba.

‘Hess captures perfectly the spirit of one of Europe’s most beguiling capitals: a city of colliding empires and mingling cultures, caught between Russia and the West yet possessed of a charm and vitality all of its own’

• Map Recurring Characters Foreword Introduction 1. From Freedom Square, by Way of Kamikaze Loggias 2. Mtatsminda Pantheon: Heroes and Martyrs 3. From the Tbilisi War to the Splintering State 4. Metekhi Palace Hotel: Jockeying for Power 5. Andropov’s Ears: Culture and Counterculture 6. Bridges from the Brink of Ruin to the Brink of Revolution 7. The Liberty Institute: From Frustration to Defiance 8. Mother of Georgia: Building the New Nation 9. Shardeni Street and Saburtalo Street: The Dark Underside of the Rose Revolution 10. Vake Park: The New Nationalism 11. Where is the Modern Art Museum? The Spectacle of Power and Protest 12. Chronicles Of Georgia Monument: The Unfinished State 13. Gabriadze Puppet Theatre: Either Prison or Exile 14. Tbilisi Zoo: Ivanishvili’s Shadow 15. Café Gallery and Bassiani: Between Aspirations and Realities 16. Back to Rustaveli: The Fight for Freedom, Finances and the Future Afterword Notes Index

Maximilian Hess founded the political risk consultancy Enmetena Advisory. His first book, Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West (also published by Hurst), was awarded the Fletcher US–Russia Relations Book Prize. His writing has appeared in Al Jazeera, The New Statesman, the Financial Times and others. He lives in London with his beloved Airedale terrier, Koba.

‘Hess captures perfectly the spirit of one of Europe’s most beguiling capitals: a city of colliding empires and mingling cultures, caught between Russia and the West yet possessed of a charm and vitality all of its own’

• Map Recurring Characters Foreword Introduction 1. From Freedom Square, by Way of Kamikaze Loggias 2. Mtatsminda Pantheon: Heroes and Martyrs 3. From the Tbilisi War to the Splintering State 4. Metekhi Palace Hotel: Jockeying for Power 5. Andropov’s Ears: Culture and Counterculture 6. Bridges from the Brink of Ruin to the Brink of Revolution 7. The Liberty Institute: From Frustration to Defiance 8. Mother of Georgia: Building the New Nation 9. Shardeni Street and Saburtalo Street: The Dark Underside of the Rose Revolution 10. Vake Park: The New Nationalism 11. Where is the Modern Art Museum? The Spectacle of Power and Protest 12. Chronicles Of Georgia Monument: The Unfinished State 13. Gabriadze Puppet Theatre: Either Prison or Exile 14. Tbilisi Zoo: Ivanishvili’s Shadow 15. Café Gallery and Bassiani: Between Aspirations and Realities 16. Back to Rustaveli: The Fight for Freedom, Finances and the Future Afterword Notes Index

Maximilian Hess founded the political risk consultancy Enmetena Advisory. His first book, Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West (also published by Hurst), was awarded the Fletcher US–Russia Relations Book Prize. His writing has appeared in Al Jazeera, The New Statesman, the Financial Times and others. He lives in London with his beloved Airedale terrier, Koba.

‘Hess captures perfectly the spirit of one of Europe’s most beguiling capitals: a city of colliding empires and mingling cultures, caught between Russia and the West yet possessed of a charm and vitality all of its own’

• Map Recurring Characters Foreword Introduction 1. From Freedom Square, by Way of Kamikaze Loggias 2. Mtatsminda Pantheon: Heroes and Martyrs 3. From the Tbilisi War to the Splintering State 4. Metekhi Palace Hotel: Jockeying for Power 5. Andropov’s Ears: Culture and Counterculture 6. Bridges from the Brink of Ruin to the Brink of Revolution 7. The Liberty Institute: From Frustration to Defiance 8. Mother of Georgia: Building the New Nation 9. Shardeni Street and Saburtalo Street: The Dark Underside of the Rose Revolution 10. Vake Park: The New Nationalism 11. Where is the Modern Art Museum? The Spectacle of Power and Protest 12. Chronicles Of Georgia Monument: The Unfinished State 13. Gabriadze Puppet Theatre: Either Prison or Exile 14. Tbilisi Zoo: Ivanishvili’s Shadow 15. Café Gallery and Bassiani: Between Aspirations and Realities 16. Back to Rustaveli: The Fight for Freedom, Finances and the Future Afterword Notes Index