Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Jean-Daniel Ruch’s Career & Background
- The Role of Diplomacy in Conflict Resolution
- Western Democracy Promotion & Geopolitical Power Plays
- The War in Ukraine & Failed Peace Efforts
- US & European Geopolitical Strategies
- The International Criminal Court & Selective Justice
- The Artsakh Conflict & Armenian Displacement
Episode 419 | Recorded: February 27, 2025
Show Notes
In this episode, we sit down with Ambassador Jean-Daniel Ruch, a former Swiss diplomat and author of Crimes, Hate, and Tremors, to discuss global power shifts, diplomacy, and international justice. Our conversation explores the fallout from his resignation, the impact of US hegemony, Western democracy promotion, and the role of international justice in conflicts like Ukraine and Armenia.
🔹 What led Ruch to write Crimes, Hate, and Tremors? 🔹 What do global shifts mean for smaller nations like Armenia and Switzerland? 🔹 How do international courts serve geopolitics rather than justice? 🔹 What happened behind the scenes of Ruch’s resignation?
This episode provides an unfiltered look at diplomacy, power struggles, and the challenges of seeking justice on the world stage.
Topics Covered
Jean-Daniel Ruch’s Career & Background
- His extensive diplomatic career spanning Turkey, Israel, the Balkans, and Switzerland.
- How his experiences led him to write Crimes, Hate, and Tremors after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- The circumstances of his resignation and what it reveals about surveillance and political pressure in diplomacy.
Diplomacy, Great Power Politics & International Influence
- OSCE and the 1999 Istanbul Summit – The geopolitical significance of Clinton’s confrontation with Yeltsin over Chechnya.
- Western Democracy Promotion vs. Regime Change – The thin line between genuine support and external interference.
- US Hegemony in the World – The shift from multilateral diplomacy to unilateral interventionism.
The War in Ukraine & Western Hegemony
- The Istanbul peace negotiations and the role of Western actors in preventing a settlement.
- Why the EU and UK have been more aggressive in prolonging the war than the US.
International Justice & Its Double Standards
- How international courts serve great power interests, selectively enforcing justice.
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) and its role in prosecuting war crimes while facing US sanctions.
- The Goldstone Report on Israeli war crimes, Samantha Power’s controversial response, and its broader implications.
Armenia, Artsakh & The Future of the OSCE Minsk Group
- The role of the OSCE Minsk Group before 2018 and the Western stance on Nagorno-Karabakh’s political status.
- The ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and the lack of a strong international response.
International Justice for Armenia & Artsakh
- What legal options remain for holding Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes?
- Azerbaijan’s demand that Armenia withdraw its international court cases.
- Who can represent stateless people in international courts when their governments refuse to act?
Key Questions Discussed
- What inspired you to write Crimes, Hate, and Tremors?
- How does democracy promotion differ from foreign interference?
- Why did the Istanbul peace negotiations on Ukraine fail?
- How does Western hegemony influence global conflicts?
- Why are some war criminals prosecuted while others evade justice?
- What legal options remain for Armenia and Artsakh to seek accountability?
- What were the real reasons behind your resignation?
- How should smaller nations position themselves in an era of shifting global power?
Links Referenced During the Show
📖 Crimes, Hate, and Tremors – Amazon Link
🌍 Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (Goldstone Report) – UN Digital Library
📄 Diplomat Magazine Interview with Ruch – Article
📌 Middle East Eye Article on Ruch’s Resignation – Article
📑 US Sanctions Against ICC – White House Document
Other Resources
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How to Listen
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Wrap-up
That’s our show! We hope you found it useful. Please find us on Social Media and follow us everywhere you get your Armenian news.
Thanks to Laura Osborn for the music on our podcasts.
Guests
Jean-Daniel Ruch
Ambassador Jean-Daniel Ruch is a former Swiss diplomat. He served as Switzerland’s ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, then to Israel and finally to Turkey. He also served as a political advisor to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Ruch studied international relations and international security in Geneva. Éditions Zarka published his book Crimes, Hate and Tremors in June 2024.
Hosts
Asbed Bedrossian
Asbed is founder of the Armenian News Network Groong and co-founder of the ANN/Groong podcast.
Hovik Manucharyan
Hovik Manucharyan is an information security engineer who moved from Seattle to Armenia in 2022. He co-founded the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020 and has been a contributor to Groong News since the late 1990s.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by Hovik Manucharyan on the ANN/Groong podcast are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of his employer or any other organization.