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- US Geopolitics
- #Gaza, #Iran, #Russia, #Ukraine
- #DonaldTrump, #Pashinyan, #Aliyev meet in the #WhiteHouse
Episode 460 | Recorded: August 11, 2025
Show Notes
Summary
In this episode, Christine Arakelian and Col. Douglas MacGregor join the hosts to analyze U.S. foreign policy moves from Gaza to the South Caucasus. They discuss Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza, the recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, and the likely resumption of hostilities. The conversation examines the Trump–Pashinyan–Aliyev White House summit, the strategic “Trump Corridor” across Armenia, and its impact on Russia, Iran, and India. The guests explore India–Armenia relations, U.S. economic vulnerabilities, and the challenges of sustaining a long-term American role in the region. They also assess the risks and potential outcomes of the upcoming Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, and the Armenian government’s handling of sovereignty, diaspora relations, and political prisoners.
Main Topics Addressed
- U.S. involvement in Gaza and Israeli policy objectives.
- The Iran conflict, ceasefire dynamics, and likely resumption.
- Russia–Iran strategic ties, BRICS, and the INSTC.
- The Trump–Pashinyan–Aliyev summit and “Trump Corridor” deal.
- Strategic implications for Russia, Iran, and India.
- India–Armenia relations in the regional context.
- Risks and opportunities from the Trump–Putin Alaska summit.
- U.S. debt, industrial decline, and limited capacity for Eurasian commitments.
- Armenia’s sovereignty issues, diaspora engagement, and political prisoner cases.
Key Questions Discussed
- Why is the U.S. involved in Gaza, and what is the endgame?
- Is the Iran conflict truly over?
- Will Russia stay on the sidelines if Iran is attacked again?
- Who benefits from the “Trump Corridor” and why is the U.S. pursuing it?
- How could control of an Armenian corridor affect Russia, Iran, and India’s transport networks?
- How important is India to Armenia and vice versa?
- Can the U.S. sustain its current global commitments given debt and industry constraints?
- What are the risks and possible outcomes of the Trump–Putin summit?
- How is the Armenian government affecting its own sovereignty and foreign relations?
Wrap-up
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Guests
Christine A. Arakelian
Christine Arakelian is an attorney in private practice and currently advises Reina Trust Building as its Outside General Counsel. Her corporate and legal experience encompasses corporate financings, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, civil litigation and constitutional law litigation. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Saudi Arabia, an iGorts Fellowship to the Republic of Armenia, a Global Health Law Fellowship by Georgetown Law and an Adjunct Fellowship to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. During law school, Ms. Arakelian worked for the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of General Counsel and had a TS/SCI clearance. Ms. Arakelian has extensive international experience and expertise and consults globally on matters pertaining to national security, technology, cybersecurity, healthcare, law and finance. She has a B.A. with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Douglas A. MacGregor
Col. Douglas MacGregor is a retired colonel in the United States Army, former government official, author, consultant, political commentator, defense and foreign policy analyst, and former advisor to the US secretary of defense.
Hosts
Asbed Bedrossian
Asbed Bedrossian is an IT professional with extensive experience in enterprise IT infrastructure, IT security, enterprise applications, data center operations, high performance computing, ITSM, ITPM, and more.
Asbed is founder of the Armenian News Network Groong (ca. 1989/1990) and co-founder of the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020.
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.