This article examines the function of conflicting threat perceptions as obstacles to thedevelopment of a civic national identity in Georgia. The analysis focuses on threats perceived on theinternal and external political arenas, as defined by Georgian government officials and members ofthe Armenian minority settled in the Javakheti region. It is discerned that the government’s policiesfor national integration are seen as threats in the form of discrimination and assimilation by minorityrepresentatives, while incompatible understandings of Russia’s role in Georgian politics provide forindirect questioning of the minority’s loyalty to the state. It is concluded that conflicting threatperceptions provide a serious impediment to Georgia’s ability to build a civic nation.