How do national role conceptions (NRCs) of domestic institutional actors change in response to external and internal shocks? Using role theory in foreign policy analysis, this article explores how bureaucratic agencies and political parties in Georgia respond to shocks, such as the 2008 Russo-Georgian War and changes in political leadership. Content analysis of 18 hand-coded documents, including all security, military, and foreign policy strategies as well as ten party manifestos of three ruling parties of Georgia, shows that NRCs are modified in response to shocks. While bureaucracies are more stable, party responses have varied between radicalisation and compensation strategies.