Category: History

Ambassador Jack Matlock - Did the West Fumble the Post-Cold War Peace? | Ep 580, Aug 28, 2026 [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: Armenia, US, Russia, Geopolitics, History, Soviet Armenia, USSR | Series: cog, video

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Recollections from Soviet South Caucasus
  • Why the Soviet Union collapsed
  • How the Cold War ended
  • Reagan and Gorbachev’s diplomacy
  • America’s post-Cold War triumphalism
  • NATO expansion and Russian backlash
  • Great-power rivalry in the Caucasus
  • Armenia’s geopolitical choices today

Episode 580 | Recorded: Aug 27, 2026

#JackMatlock #ColdWar #SovietUnion #Reagan #Gorbachev #NATO #Russia #SouthCaucasus #Armenia

Ambassador Jack Matlock - Did the West Fumble the Post-Cold War Peace? | Ep 580, Aug 28, 2026 [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: Armenia, US, Russia, Geopolitics, History, Soviet Armenia, USSR

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Recollections from Soviet South Caucasus
  • Why the Soviet Union collapsed
  • How the Cold War ended
  • Reagan and Gorbachev’s diplomacy
  • America’s post-Cold War triumphalism
  • NATO expansion and Russian backlash
  • Great-power rivalry in the Caucasus
  • Armenia’s geopolitical choices today

Episode 580 | Recorded: Aug 27, 2026

#JackMatlock #ColdWar #SovietUnion #Reagan #Gorbachev #NATO #Russia #SouthCaucasus #Armenia

Matlock Witnessed Stalin's Statue Fall in Yerevan [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: History, Soviet Armenia

Ambassador Matlock recalls witnessing the removal of Stalin’s statue from Victory Park in Yerevan during Khrushchev’s denunciation of Stalin in the early 1960s.

Reagan Never Insulted Soviet Leaders, Unlike Modern Diplomacy [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: Geopolitics, History

Matlock contrasts Reagan’s respectful Cold War diplomacy with contemporary Western leaders’ public insults toward foreign counterparts, arguing the shift undermines conflict resolution.

Secretary Baker's 'Not One Inch' Promise: NATO Expansion and the Two Plus Four Treaty [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: Geopolitics, History

Matlock, present at the negotiations, provides firsthand testimony that James Baker did assure the Soviet Union that NATO would not expand eastward, and explains how this pledge was later circumvented.

The West Used Double Standards: Iraq, Libya, and Russia's Response [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: Geopolitics, History

Matlock argues the U.S. and NATO applied double standards in military intervention, citing the Iraq invasion and Libya campaign while accusing Russia of violating international law.

Why the Soviet Union Collapsed from Within, Not by Western Pressure [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: History, Geopolitics, USSR

Ambassador Matlock argues that internal Soviet weaknesses, not Western military or economic pressure, caused the USSR’s collapse, and that the Cold War had already ended before the Union broke apart.

Transcript: Ambassador Jack Matlock - Did the West Fumble the Post-Cold War Peace? | Ep 580, Aug 28, 2026 [EP580]

Posted on Friday, Aug 28, 2026 | Category: Armenia, US, Russia, Geopolitics, History, Soviet Armenia, USSR, Transcript

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Ambassador Jack Matlock, the last US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, about whether the West missed a historic opportunity to integrate Russia into Western security architecture after the Cold War. We discuss the internal collapse of the Soviet Union, Reagan-Gorbachev diplomacy, NATO expansion and Russian backlash, and how Cold War-era decisions shape Armenia’s geopolitical choices today, including Matlock’s firsthand observations of Soviet Armenia during glasnost and the Nagorno Karabakh movement.

Incomplete Reckoning with Stalinism Opens the Door to Authoritarianism Today [EP573]

Posted on Monday, Aug 3, 2026 | Category: History, Politics

Without a complete public reckoning with Stalinist repression, Armenian society became permissive to authoritarian practices. Incomplete historical memory leaves a nation vulnerable to repeating its past.

Pietro Shakarian - Memory Under Siege: From Stalin to Pashinyan | Ep 573, Aug 3, 2026 [EP573]

Posted on Monday, Aug 3, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, History | Series: cog, video

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Erasing memory across Yerevan
  • Great Purge in Soviet Armenia
  • Khanjyan’s assassination and Beria
  • Repression of Armenia’s national institutions
  • Remembering Stalinist repression
  • Historical parallels with modern Armenia
  • Attacks on memory and Church
  • Opposition strategy after the election

Episode 573 | Recorded: July 31, 2026

#Armenia #GreatPurge #AghasiKhanjyan #PietroShakarian #Artsakh #ArmenianChurch #PoliticalRepression #MemoryUnderSiege #Authoritarianism #SovietArmenia

 Read More

Pietro Shakarian - Memory Under Siege: From Stalin to Pashinyan | Ep 573, Aug 3, 2026 [EP573]

Posted on Monday, Aug 3, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, History

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Erasing memory across Yerevan
  • Great Purge in Soviet Armenia
  • Khanjyan’s assassination and Beria
  • Repression of Armenia’s national institutions
  • Remembering Stalinist repression
  • Historical parallels with modern Armenia
  • Attacks on memory and Church
  • Opposition strategy after the election

Episode 573 | Recorded: July 31, 2026

#Armenia #GreatPurge #AghasiKhanjyan #PietroShakarian #Artsakh #ArmenianChurch #PoliticalRepression #MemoryUnderSiege #Authoritarianism #SovietArmenia

 Read More

The Artsakh Movement is the Foundation of Armenia's Independence [EP573]

Posted on Monday, Aug 3, 2026 | Category: History, Politics, Artsakh

Historian Pietro Shakarian explains why Pashinyan’s rejection of the Artsakh Movement is an attack on the very foundations of Armenia’s independence and statehood.

The Great Purge in Armenia: Khanjyan's Assassination and the War on National Identity [EP573]

Posted on Monday, Aug 3, 2026 | Category: History, Armenian Church

Pietro Shakarian traces the origins and mechanics of the Great Purge in Soviet Armenia, explaining how Stalin and Beria systematically destroyed the Armenian intellectual and ecclesiastical elite.

Transcript: Pietro Shakarian - Memory Under Siege: From Stalin to Pashinyan | Ep 573, Aug 3, 2026 [EP573]

Posted on Monday, Aug 3, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, History, Transcript

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dr. Pietro Shakarian about memory, repression, and state power in Armenia across Soviet and contemporary periods. We discuss the Great Purge in Soviet Armenia, the assassination of Aghasi Khanjyan, the suppression of Armenian national institutions under Stalin and Beria, and the parallels between Stalinist erasure and current efforts to control public memory, symbols, and mourning in post-Artsakh Armenia under the Civil Contract regime.

Zaroui Pogossian - Vardanank, The Battle of Avarayr in 451 AD | Ep 518, Feb 24, 2026 [EP518]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 24, 2026 | Category: Armenia, History, Medieval Armenia, Armenian Church, Iran | Series: gdh, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Vardanank Wars and Battle of Avarayr
  • Armenian Sources, Yeghishe and Parpetsi
  • Politics, Christianity, Nakharar Power Dynamics

Episode 518 | Recorded: February 22, 2026

#GroongDeepHistory #Vardanank #BattleOfAvarayr #ArmenianHistory #ZarouiPogossian

Zaroui Pogossian - Vardanank, The Battle of Avarayr in 451 AD | Ep 518, Feb 24, 2026 [EP518]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 24, 2026 | Category: Armenia, History, Medieval Armenia, Armenian Church, Iran

Guest:

Topics:

  • Vardanank Wars and Battle of Avarayr
  • Armenian Sources, Yeghishe and Parpetsi
  • Politics, Christianity, Nakharar Power Dynamics

Episode 518 | Recorded: February 22, 2026

#GroongDeepHistory #Vardanank #BattleOfAvarayr #ArmenianHistory #ZarouiPogossian

Pietro Shakarian - Iran, Russia, and the Geopolitics of Post-Soviet Eurasia | Ep 506, Jan 16, 2026 [EP506]

Posted on Friday, Jan 16, 2026 | Category: Armenia, History, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, BRICS, European Union, Syria, China, Ukraine, Genocide, India, NATO, Georgia, Middle East, Human Rights | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • Unrest in Iran
  • Russia-Iran Partnership
  • Solovyov’s Statements
  • Trump’s “TRIPP Wire” in the Caucasus
  • Release of Armenian hostages

Episode 506 | Recorded on January 14, 2026

Pietro Shakarian - Iran, Russia, and the Geopolitics of Post-Soviet Eurasia | Ep 506, Jan 16, 2026 [EP506]

Posted on Friday, Jan 16, 2026 | Category: Armenia, History, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, BRICS, European Union, Syria, China, Ukraine, Genocide, India, NATO, Georgia, Middle East, Human Rights

Guest:

Topics:

  • Unrest in Iran
  • Russia-Iran Partnership
  • Solovyov’s Statements
  • Trump’s “TRIPP Wire” in the Caucasus
  • Release of Armenian hostages

Episode 506 | Recorded on January 14, 2026

Pietro Shakarian - Anastas Mikoyan, An Armenian Reformer in Khrushchev's Kremlin| Ep 480, Oct 22, 2025 [EP480]

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 | Category: Armenia, History, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, History, Armenian Genocide, USSR, Armenian Church, Russia, Genocide, China, Georgia, Turkey, Economy, NATO, Iran, Lebanon, Middle East, Ukraine, India, Soviet Armenia, Modern Armenia | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • Research journey, archives Moscow and Yerevan
  • Mikoyan’s vision of confederation for the USSR
  • Artsakh’s status within Soviet constraints
  • De-Stalinization and Armenia’s cultural thaw
  • Mikoyan’s stance toward the Armenian Church

Episode 480 | Recorded on October 18, 2025

Pietro Shakarian - Anastas Mikoyan, An Armenian Reformer in Khrushchev's Kremlin| Ep 480, Oct 22, 2025 [EP480]

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 | Category: Armenia, History, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, History, Armenian Genocide, USSR, Armenian Church, Russia, Genocide, China, Georgia, Turkey, Economy, NATO, Iran, Lebanon, Middle East, Ukraine, India, Soviet Armenia, Modern Armenia

Guest:

Topics:

  • Research journey, archives Moscow and Yerevan
  • Mikoyan’s vision of confederation for the USSR
  • Artsakh’s status within Soviet constraints
  • De-Stalinization and Armenia’s cultural thaw
  • Mikoyan’s stance toward the Armenian Church

Episode 480 | Recorded on October 18, 2025

Vahram Ter Matevosyan - The Dynamics of Identity and Geopolitics in the South Caucasus | Ep 372 - Oct 5, 2024 [EP372]

Posted on Saturday, Oct 5, 2024 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, History, Geopolitics, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Armenian Genocide, Ukraine, Genocide, China, Economy, European Union, India | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenian Identity and Integration in the South Caucasus
  • On the Nature and Thinking of the Armenian Constitution
  • Relations with Russia Through Time
  • The Geopolitics Around the South Caucasus

Episode 372 | Recorded: October 2, 2024

Vahram Ter Matevosyan - The Dynamics of Identity and Geopolitics in the South Caucasus | Ep 372 - Oct 5, 2024 [EP372]

Posted on Saturday, Oct 5, 2024 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, History, Geopolitics, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Armenian Genocide, Ukraine, Genocide, China, Economy, European Union, India

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenian Identity and Integration in the South Caucasus
  • On the Nature and Thinking of the Armenian Constitution
  • Relations with Russia Through Time
  • The Geopolitics Around the South Caucasus

Episode 372 | Recorded: October 2, 2024

Armenia's Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021 [EP95]

Posted on Friday, Oct 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, History, Maps, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Genocide, NATO, Syria | Series: cog, video

Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021

Guest:

Topics:

  • Following the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s president demands Armenia sign a “Peace Treaty” involving full border recognition.
  • Historical and contemporary mapping of Armenian borders
  • Early cartography and 20th-century developments
  • Enclaves, the Goris-Kapan Highway, and Sev Lake
  • Armenia-Iran border considerations

Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021

Armenia's Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021 [EP95]

Posted on Friday, Oct 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, History, Maps, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Genocide, NATO, Syria

Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021

Guest:

Topics:

  • Following the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s president demands Armenia sign a “Peace Treaty” involving full border recognition.
  • Historical and contemporary mapping of Armenian borders
  • Early cartography and 20th-century developments
  • Enclaves, the Goris-Kapan Highway, and Sev Lake
  • Armenia-Iran border considerations

Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021

Pietro Shakarian - Soviet or Armenian? The Life and Times of Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan | Ep 28, Dec 4, 2020 [EP28]

Posted on Friday, Dec 4, 2020 | Category: Armenia, History, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, History, USSR, Russia, Georgia, China, Economy, Ukraine, Soviet Armenia, Modern Armenia | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Life and Times of Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan

Episode 28 | Recorded on December 3, 2020

Pietro Shakarian - Soviet or Armenian? The Life and Times of Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan | Ep 28, Dec 4, 2020 [EP28]

Posted on Friday, Dec 4, 2020 | Category: Armenia, History, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, History, USSR, Russia, Georgia, China, Economy, Ukraine, Soviet Armenia, Modern Armenia

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Life and Times of Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan

Episode 28 | Recorded on December 3, 2020