Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Communication
Major Professor
Travis R. Bell, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Mildred Perreault, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Joshua M. Scacco, Ph.D.
Keywords
Transnational Conspiracy, Georgia, Democratic Backsliding, Legitimation
Abstract
This thesis investigates how the concept of the “deep state” is used in contemporary Georgian political communication. The term traditionally refers to hidden networks of power that function within state institutions. However, in Georgia, it has become a political narrative that interprets international criticism, delegitimizes domestic opposition, and derails political accountability. The study analyzes how this concept is constructed and mobilized in the political discourse.
The research employs a qualitative inductive-deductive thematic analysis. It examines 125 statements made by Georgian public officials between August 2024 and February 2025 referring to the “deep state.” The analysis integrates framing theory, populist communication studies, scholarship on conspiracy narratives, and legitimation theory. It explores the dominant frames associated with the “deep state,” its relationship with populist and conspiratorial narratives, and the strategies used to legitimize these claims.
The findings indicate that, in the Georgian context, the “deep state” narrative is a flexible interpretive framework that attributes political conflict to hidden external actors that undermine Georgia’s sovereignty. This narrative also characterizes domestic critics as proxies of international institutions. In this narrative, internal and external critics act against the interests of the Georgian people, and the state and government are portrayed as saviors. By combining populist and conspiratorial themes, these narratives oversimplify complex political events and adapt over time as political contexts shift.
This study enhances existing research by offering a country-specific analysis of the “deep state.” It addresses a gap in understanding the phenomenon from a political communication perspective.
Scholar Commons Citation
Tsetskhladze, Salome, "Framing Power: The “Deep State” in Georgian Populist and Conspiratorial Rhetoric Introduction" (2026). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11424
