Guests of Groong Podcast

Gilbert Doctorow

Dr. Gilbert Doctorow is a professional Russia watcher of Russian affairs going back to 1965. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College (1967), a past Fulbright scholar, and holder of a Ph.D. with honors in history from Columbia University (1975).

After completing his studies, Mr. Doctorow pursued a business career focused on the USSR and Eastern Europe. For twenty-five years he worked for US and European multinationals in marketing and general management with regional responsibility.

From 1998-2002, Doctorow served as the Chairman of the Russian Booker Literary Prize in Moscow. Since 2008, Mr. Doctorow has been regularly publishing analytical articles about Russia-U.S.-EU relations on the internet. From this material he produced six books of essays, the most recent of which is the just published War Diaries. He also is the author of a two-volume set of Memoirs of a Russianist: From the Ground Up and Russia in the Roaring 1990s. A Russian edition of the Memoirs has been published in St Petersburg.

Doctorow is a long time resident of Belgium.

Giro Manoyan

Mr. Giro Manoyan, has been a member of the ARF-D Bureau since 2015. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 1976 and attended Concordia University, where he studied Political Science. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, as well as Editor in Chief of the Horizon Armenian Weekly. In 1999 he moved to Yerevan and has served as the Executive Director of the Bureau of the ARF-Dashnaksutyun, in charge of the Armenian Cause, Hai Tahd Central Committee. ՀՅԴ Բիւրոյի Հայ Դատի եւ քաղաքական հարցերու գրասենեակի պատասխանատու.

Glenn Diesen

Dr. Glenn Diesen a professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, and associate editor at Russia in Global Affairs, and editor of Political economy, Russian foreign policy and Eurasian integration.

Glenn Diesen has authored several influential books that explore the geopolitical shifts in the modern world, with a particular focus on Russia’s role in the emerging global order. His works include “The Think Tank Racket: Managing the Information War with Russia”, which critiques Western think tanks and their influence on public perception and policy. “In Europe as the Western Peninsula of Greater Eurasia”, he examines the strategic implications of Eurasian integration and Europe’s changing role in the global power structure. “Russian Conservatism: Managing Change under Permanent Revolution” delves into the ideological foundations of Russian conservatism and its impact on domestic and foreign policy. Diesen’s books collectively provide a nuanced understanding of the interplay between economics, ideology, and geopolitics, offering fresh perspectives on the reconfiguration of global power and the West’s engagement with Russia

Hagop Djernazian

Hagop Djernazian is an activist and co-founder of the Save The ArQ movement. He lives in Jerusalem and studies International relations and middle east studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Hagop Ipdjian

Hagop Idjian is advisor to the State Minister, he runs Artsakh Support Body, an humanitarian organization based in Artsakh. He’s a diasporan who moved to Artsakh following the war in 2020.

Hakob Hakobyan

Hakob Hakobyan is the co-chair of the Artsakh Justice Party.

Հակոբ Հակոբյան, Արցախի Արդարություն Կուսակցություն նախագահ:

Hamid Bahrami

Hamid Bahrami is an Iranian independent international relations analyst specialising in Eurasian and Middle Eastern affairs. He holds an MA (Hons) in International Relations and Politics from the University of Dundee and an MRes in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, where his research examined Russia’s policies in the South Caucasus. Since 2018, he has published analysis and commentary in leading international outlets on topics including South Caucasus geopolitics, regional conflicts, Iran’s nuclear programme, and counter-terrorism.

Harry Istepanian

Harry Istepanian is a PMP-certified, independent Energy Expert with more than 30 years of experience in the energy and water sectors. He worked for major international engineering consultancy firms, including Parsons Brinckerhoff, AECOM, and Power Engineers Inc. in different capacities. He was also appointed by many international organizations, including the World Bank, USAID, and USTDA to work on several development projects in Asia and Africa.

Mr. Istepanian has published over 30 op-eds, articles, peer-reviewed papers, and conference presentations in international energy and think tank journals such as the Brookings Institute, the Atlantic Council, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Power Engineering International, and the Electricity Journal.

Harry is the founder of Iraq Climate Change Center (IC3+), a non-profit think tank based in Washington D.C.

Harut Sassounian

Harut Sassounian, who is the Chairman of the board of trustees of HyelD. He’s also the publisher of The California Courier newspaper, and the president of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization which has delivered over one $1.06 Billion in humanitarian assistance to Armenia and Artsakh since 1989.