Irakli Alasania
A Georgian politician who navigated the turbulent post-Soviet era, serving as UN ambassador and defense minister while building a pro-Western opposition movement.
Born 1973 (age 53)·Georgian politician and diplomat·Birthday: December 21·Generation X
Biography
Irakli Alasania's career is woven into the fabric of modern Georgia's struggle for sovereignty and democracy. The son of a dissident, he served in the Georgian military during the civil conflicts of the early 1990s. His diplomatic acumen led to a key role as Georgia's ambassador to the United Nations, where he advocated fiercely for the country's territorial integrity against Russian pressure. A former ally, he broke with President Mikheil Saakashvili after the 2008 war with Russia, criticizing the government's approach. He founded the Free Democrats party, positioning himself as a measured, pro-Western alternative. As Defense Minister from 2012 to 2014, he focused on modernizing the military and deepening ties with NATO. Though his political fortunes have shifted, Alasania remains a significant figure, embodying a strand of Georgian politics committed to Euro-Atlantic integration and institutional reform.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Irakli was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Irakli Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Irakli's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Georgia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2006 to 2008.
- Appointed Minister of Defense of Georgia in 2012, overseeing military reform and NATO partnership programs.
- Founded the Our Georgia – Free Democrats political party in 2009, becoming a leading opposition figure.
- Previously served as the Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia (in exile).
Did You Know?
His father, Mikhail Alasania, was a prominent Georgian historian and dissident during the Soviet era.
Alasania is a trained lawyer, graduating from Tbilisi State University.
He resigned as Defense Minister in 2014 after several arrests in the ministry on corruption charges, which he called politically motivated.
“Georgia's sovereignty is non-negotiable; our future is with the free world.”
