Workshop The Political Dimensions of Illicit Trade

We are officially opening a call for abstracts for a workshop on  The Political Dimensions of Illicit Trade

 This Workshop  is part of a larger dialogue on the economic, political, social  and legal dimensions of international trade and its intersections with pressing geopolitical issues. By fostering interdisciplinary conversations, the event aims to generate actionable insights and policy recommendations for addressing illicit trade globally.

The in-person workshop will take place in Tbilisi,  Georgia on  March 14-15, 2025, hosted by the  Georgian Insttute of Public Affairs

Contact person: Tina Tsomaia t. tsomaia@gipa.ge

About the Topic:
We invite scholars, researchers, and practitioners to submit abstracts for a conference session dedicated to exploring the complex relationship between illicit trade and geopolitical dynamics. This session seeks to understand how political tensions—such as sanctions, economic restrictions, hybrid war and  emerging policies—shape illegal markets, trade routes, and enforcement mechanisms.

Contributors are encouraged to address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

1. Sanctions and Illicit Trade:
   • How sanctions against Russia and other nations fuel the rise of illegal markets.
   • Adaptation of trade routes to bypass restrictions and their broader geopolitical implications.
2. Alternative Economic Channels:
   • The role of illicit trade in sustaining economies under political or economic isolation.
   • Case studies of countries leveraging illegal markets during geopolitical crises.
3. Enforcement Challenges:
   • The impact of political pressures on the effectiveness of trade law enforcement.
   • Collaboration and conflict among international law enforcement agencies.
4. Implications of the Offshore Law:
   • Critical analysis of Georgia’s offshore law and its potential to attract or deter illicit financial activities.
   • Connections between offshore tax havens and global trade dynamics, including illicit trade flows.

5. Media and illicit trade: Analyzing the current state of media in addressing illicit trade ;  Public Perception of Illicit Trade
6. Broader Geopolitical Contexts:
   • The intersection of illicit trade with war economies and post-conflict reconstruction.
   • Regional trade networks and their susceptibility to political volatility.

Please submit your abstract to the leader of WG2, Daniela Irrera  

daniela.irrera@unicasd.it by January 31^st 2025.

Participants will receive official confirmation of the workshop by February  10 th, 2024.

Travel and accommodation expenses related to the workshop will be covered according to the COST Action Travel Reimbursement Rules. Participants are entitled to arrange their travel and accommodation plan only after the official confirmation.

• Abstract Length: 300-500 words.
• Format: Provide a clear title, research question or objective, methodology, key findings or arguments, and relevance to the session’s theme.
• Deadline: by January  31^st 2025.
• Submission Platform: Abstracts should be submitted through e mail:
• Eligibility: Open to academics, policymakers, industry experts, and graduate students. Collaborative and interdisciplinary work is highly encouraged.

Important Dates:

• Abstract Submission Deadline:  January 31, 2025
• Notification of Acceptance:  February 10, 2025
• Conference Date:  March 14-15, 2025

Contact:

For inquiries, please contact  Tina Tsomaia   at t.tsomaia@gipa.ge; tel: +995599502446

GIPA’s Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management (CSJMM)

GIPA’s Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management (CSJMM) is considered a leader and a model program for journalism education in the Caucasus region and beyond. CSJMM’s English-language Mater’s in Multimedia Journalism and Media Management program has educated and trained up to 700 journalists from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and other post-Soviet countries. Majority of CSJMM graduates are employed by independent media organizations as leading reporters and media managers (including BBC. Reuters, Voice of America etc.). GIPA’s effort to educate Azerbaijani and Armenian journalists has been supported by numerous grants from the U.S. government and resulted in creating a strong network of professionals, who trust each-other regardless of the policies of their countries.

Tina (Tiko) Tsomaia, MD, PhD, is a professor of journalism and communication at the GIPA. Her diverse career spans education, journalism, communications, research, and training. Notable roles include being an OSI Global Faculty Grant fellow at NYU University, a visiting fellow at City University London, and a recipient of an EU Cost Action STSM to Zaragoza University.

Tsomaia is a board member of the European Journalism Training Association and the convenor of the IRCT Communication Advisory Board.

Tsomaia leads the innovative project www.femicide.ge, addressing murder crimes, including femicide. Tsomaia is also the founder of an “open movement” advocating for community mental health services and open discussions on mental health issues.

Tsomaia holds a Ph.D. in social sciences from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, along with an MA in Medicine and Journalism and Media Management. She is a sought-after Expert Speaker at international conferences organised by various prestigious institutions. Her research topics are: pre-natal sex selection, femicide, trauma and addiction, ethical decision making, social-emotional learning  and health communication.

Selected articles, reports and publications:

• Tsomaia, T., Makhviladze, N., & Abzianidze, N. (2022). “Migration Coverage by the Georgian Media in 2019-2021” [eBook]. Tbilisi: Prepared by the Georgian Institute for Public Affairs on behalf of International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Vienna – Austria Authorized by the European Union and funded by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) – 2021.
• Tsomaia, T. & Keshelashvili, A. Journalism Programme Accreditation in Georgia. In Nowak, E. (Ed.) Accreditation of Journalism Education in Europe. Nomos, Broschiert, Germany,2020
• Tsomaia, T., 2020. Youth potential in Modern Georgia. In: N. Bolt and E. Lange-Ionatamishvili, ed., Strategic Communications Laboratory, 1st ed. Tbilisi, Georgia: Strategic Communications Laboratory Georgia. Available at: <https://www.stratcomlab.com/> [Accessed 17 January 2021].
• Tsomaia, T. and Keshelashvili, A. How to Respond to Information Operations While Preserving Our Commitment to Free Speech and the Free Flow of Ideas. Georgian Info Environment Research Publication by NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
• Tsomaia, T. and Keshelashvili, A., How to Respond to Information Operations While Preserving Our Commitment to Free Speech and the Free Flow of Ideas. Georgian Info Environment Research Publication by NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
• Tsomaia, T., 2020. Youth potential in Modern Georgia. In: N. Bolt and E. Lange-Ionatamishvili, ed., Strategic Communications Laboratory, 1st ed. Tbilisi, Georgia: Strategic Communications Laboratory Georgia. Available at: <https://www.stratcomlab.com/> [Accessed 17 January 2021].
• Tsomaia, T. & Keshelashvili, A. 2020 Journalism Programme Accreditation in Georgia. In Nowak, E. (Ed.) Accreditation of Journalism Education in Europe. Nomos, Broschiert, Germany.
• A preliminary analysis of gender violence among migrants and displaced people in Europe, Santiago Boira (1), Anita Nudelman (2), Tina (Tiko) Tsomaia (3), Anthropological Researches and Studies, 2018
• “Hearing their voices”: exploring femicide among migrants and culture minorities, Nudelman, Tsomaia, Boira, Ballica, Tabagua, Qualitative Sociology Review (QSR), 2017
• Tsomaia, Tiko. 2015. Foeticide, Femicide and Violence Against Women in Georgia, Femicide, a global issue that demands action, Taking Action Against Gender-Related Killing of Women and Girls, Vienna: ACUNS. Retrieved from website: http://acuns.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/FemicideVol-IV.pdf on July 5, 2016.
• Tsomaia, T. (2016). Professionalism and Myths in Covering Conflict. Journal of Politics and Democratization. Retrieved from https://gipa.ge/JPD/?page=article&id=5
• Author of the manual for journalists and health professionals in Law and Health; Manual for Reporting Children; Manual for reporting HIV/AIDS and Drug Use; Author of the handbook: Recommendations for better health communication for journalists and health professionals; Author of the manual for journalists on sensitive gender reporting; Author of the amendments package for the GPB’s Code of Conduct, Broadcasters’ Code of Conduct and the Journalists Charter to institutionalize gender sensitive reporting;
• Conducted number of research projects on: Media tendencies in covering drugs use in Georgia; Covering health issues in Georgian media; Content analysis of International media of the Georgian- Russian war;