Georgia and Moldova: Divergent Paths in the Face of Russian Pressure

The election outcomes in Moldova and Georgia highlight the starkly differing ways their respective governments and civil society pushed back to resist Russian meddling and other nefarious elements at crucial junctures for both countries. The votes -- a presidential election and an EU constitutional referendum in Moldova and parliamentary elections in Georgia -- packed the potential to dramatically realign both former Soviet republics' geopolitical orientation or harden their current courses, with mounting challenges to both countries' strong public…