Guests of Groong Podcast
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Paul Cormarie
Paul Cormarie is a policy analyst in RAND’s Washington D.C. office. His research focuses on NATO and European defense policy, force planning, and security cooperation. He is also a CSIS Nuclear Scholar where he is currently conducting research on European deterrence. Previously, Cormarie was a Researcher at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, where he wrote reports on the Alliance and in other topics related to European security. Prior to these roles, he has also been affiliated with CSIS, Atlantic Council, the EU Delegation to the United States, and the United Nations. Cormarie holds a M.Sc. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Pietro Shakarian
Dr. Pietro Shakarian is a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union and a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Historical Research at the National Research University–Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is currently completing his book on the major role of Anastas Mikoyan in Soviet nationality policy reform and de-Stalinization during the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s Thaw. Dr. Shakarian’s analyses on Russian and post-Soviet affairs have appeared in The Nation, The Plain Dealer, and various other publications. He was previously a lecturer in history at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan.
Rafael Ishkhanyan
Rafael Ishkhanyan is a lawyer specializing in human rights, particularly freedom of assembly and expression. He coordinates the monitoring of peaceful assemblies at the Helsinki Committee of Armenia and is a member of the ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly and Association. In 2023, together with colleagues, he co founded the Armenian Center for Political Rights, a watchdog organization focusing on detecting, responding to, and preventing political persecution and safeguarding political rights.
Robert Amsterdam
Robert Amsterdam is an international lawyer with over 40 years of experience in high-profile disputes across emerging markets. He is founding partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, based in London and Washington, D.C., known for innovative work in complex litigation, arbitration, and white-collar defense involving political and policy dimensions.
He has advised governments, corporations, and political leaders worldwide, including former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, former Zambian President Rupiah Banda, Ugandan MP Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, Cameroonian politician Maurice Kamto, and others. He has also represented major corporations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, specializing in “bet the company” cases and political risk.
Amsterdam & Partners has been recognized for its pro bono human rights work, winning the Global Pro Bono Dispute Award from the American Lawyer for its work in Zimbabwe, and representing opposition figures from Singapore to Venezuela. Amsterdam has also defended high-profile political prisoners, including Mikhail Khodorkovsky of Russia’s Yukos Oil and Venezuelan businessman Eligio Cedeño, both of whom were freed.
His commentary has appeared in the New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Forbes, and he has been featured on CNN, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox News. Amsterdam is a member of the Canadian and International Bar Associations and a solicitor in the United Kingdom. He studied at Carleton University (BA) and Queen’s University in Ontario (LLB).
He currently represents Samvel Karapetyan, a prominent Armenian entrepreneur involved with the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Rouben Galichian
Rouben Galichian is an author and specialist of Armenia’s maps and borders through 2600 years of history. His works can be found on roubengalichian.com.
Ruben Melikyan
Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakh’s Human Rights Ombudsman, and prior to that he was rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the “Path of Law” NGO. Իրավական ուղի in Armenian.
Ruben Muradyan
Ruben Muradyan is a Yerevan-based cybersecurity analyst. He’s an independent researcher, and a frequent speaker on cybersecurity topics on ArmSec, BarCamp.
Scott Horton
Scott Horton is an American radio host, author, and prominent voice in the libertarian antiwar movement. He is the editorial director of the Libertarian Institute and Antiwar.com, as well as the host of The Scott Horton Show, where he has conducted thousands of interviews with experts on foreign policy, war, and civil liberties. He also hosts Antiwar Radio on 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles.
Horton has authored several highly regarded books critiquing U.S. military interventionism, including Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan, Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism, and most recently, Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine. Through his writing and broadcasting, Horton has become a leading critic of American foreign policy, advocating for non-interventionism and diplomatic solutions over perpetual warfare.