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When he began his nine-month grant in Washington,
DC as a Fulbright Scholar, David Darchiashvili
knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish. What
he did not expect was to accomplish so much more.
The researcher, employed by the Parliament of
Georgia at the Caucasian Institute for Peace,
Democracy and Development in Tbilisi, Georgia,
wanted to understand U.S. security assistance
to newly independent, former Soviet Union countries
like his own. "Thanks to the wonderful people
at my host institution, Johns Hopkins University
School of Advanced International Studies, I was
able to access all the information I was seeking,"
he says.
The international city of Washington, DC was
also the perfect place for Darchiashvili to learn
more about the experiences of other former Soviet
Union countries in security reform and security
cooperation with the United States. "I met
colleagues from Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan and
obtained materials on the security developments
in those countries," he says. "I attended
numerous public fora and conferences where I met
politicians and presidents from the countries
I was concerned about. I was able to participate
in question and answer sessions with these distinguished
guests, which was very enlightening."
Another highlight of Darchiashvili's U.S. stay
was his participation in a news program aired
by an independent Georgian television channel,
Rustavi-2. At the same time, The Voice of America
in Georgia covered his research activities in
Washington, DC.
Darchiashvili's wife and two children accompanied
him to the United States. "We all made friends
with very many wonderful Americans and people
from other countries," he says. "We
participated in the social events organized by
the Fulbright Enrichment Program as well. I think
the most memorable activity for my family was
sailing on the Chesapeake Bay."
As a result of the exchange, Darchiashvili plans
to develop various undergraduate courses in social
and political science in Georgia and hopes to
establish a Georgian-American university there.
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"International education
exchange is the most significant current project
designed to continue the process of humanizing
mankind to the point, we would hope, that
nations can learn to live in peace"
--J. William Fulbright |
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