Tinatin Khidasheli

Tinatin Khidasheli heads a Georgian think-thank Civic -- IDEA, fighting Soviet legacy in Georgia, confronting Russian propaganda, and advocating for sound defense and security policy for Georgia. Tinatin is the author of the first Georgian language book on Hybrid Warfare and is teaching at the Caucasus University bachelor’s and Master’s programs: Hybrid Warfare and Defense Policy, as well as an anti-corruption class at the Georgian Institute of Public Administration and Ilia University for Masters Programs students. Mrs. Khidasheli at different times served as the first female Minister of Defense of Georgia. She chaired Parliamentary Committee for European Integration as well as Inquiry Commission into Violations of Freedom of Speech and Telecommunication laws at the Parliament of Georgia. Before that she was an elected member of the Tbilisi City Council and founder and chair of the largest Human Rights advocacy group in the entire post-soviet space, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association. Tinatin was a member of the National Anti-Corruption Council for four years under the president of Georgia. Mrs. Khidasheli is a lawyer by education. She holds LLM in International Law from Tbilisi State University and MA in Political Science from Central European University in Hungary. She was awarded a Human Rights Lawyers’ scholarship and spent a year at the Washington College of Law. She was selected as a Yale World Fellow in 2004. Mrs. Khidasheli was presented Freedom Fighter Award by President G W Bush and CEU Impact Award for Outstanding Career Achievement. She was a fellow at the Prague Civil Society Center and CEVRO in the Czech Republic. Mrs. Khidasheli is married with two sons.