Series: COG

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War

A Conversation with:

Guest:

• Dr. Pietro Shakarian, who is a Cleveland-based historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, with a focus on Soviet Armenia and the Caucasus during the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s Thaw.

Topics

• Democracy-building in the Post Soviet Space
• NATO and expansion
• Russia in the Caucasus
• China and the New Silk Road through Iran and Georgia

Hosts:

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html

Iran: Foreign Relations and Upcoming Elections A Conversation with Robert Markarian

The South Caucasus comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The three regional powers surrounding them are Russia to the north, Turkey to the west, and Iran in the south.

Iran has been largely quiet about events on its northern border with Armenia and Azerbaijan, due largely to its marginalization on the world stage because of the Western economic sanctions but also because Iran is home to millions of ethnic Azeris and any perceived support for Armenia could result in additional political instability at

Iran: Foreign Relations and Upcoming Elections (in Armenian) A Conversation with Robert Markarian

Իրան: Արտաքին Հարաբերուտյուններ, գալիք ընտրություններ Զրույց Ռոբերտ Մարգարյանի հետ

Guest:

Ռոբերտ Մարգարյանը ծնվել է Թեհրանում և ունի բարձրագույն կրթությունն ֆիզիկայի և իրավաբանության ոլորտներում: 25 տարի աշխատել է Իրանի պետական ռադիո-հեռուստատեսության հայերեն ռադիոժամում, որպես լուրերի հաղորդավար, խմբագիր և մեկնաբան: Հայաստանի և Արցախի թեմաներով հայերեն, պարսկերեն ու անգլերեն հոդվածներով համագործակցել է իրանական ու հայկական կայքերի և հետազոտական հաստատությունների հետ:

Hosts:

• Hovik Manucharyan

A Conversation with Narek Margaryan - 05/25/2021

Guest:

Narek Margaryan is an Armenian comedian, screenwriter and TV host. Along with his co-host Sergey Sargsyan, Narek stars in ArmComedy, a satiric news show series broadcast on Armenian television and on Youtube.

Hosts

Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 63 | Recorded: April 25, 2021

Armenians at Crossroads - 04/17/2021

Topics:

• The Last Few Years in Armenian Politics
• Thoughts on the Second War in Artsakh
• What is the Role of the Diaspora?
• How do we get back on our Feet?
• Thoughts on the Current Rift in the ARF

Guest

• Dr. Viken Hovsepian holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA, and an MA and PhD in International Relations from USC. He has served on the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau, the highest executive body of the Organization, and has been a member, and chairman of the ARF Western US Central Committee. In 2019, he helped establish the Pan Armenian Council in the Western

𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 - 𝟎𝟐/𝟐𝟏/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

Topics:

• Was it an Earthquake?
• Have Construction Codes Improved since 1988?
• Do Contractors Comply with Regulations?
• Is Armenia Ready for The Big One?
• Is there Earthquake Preparedness in Armenia?
• What Conversations are not Happening?

Guest:

• 𝐃𝐫. 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐢𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧 is a structural and civil engineering professor at UC Berkeley with research focus on earthquake engineering. He is a co-founder and was president of the American University of Armenia from 2014 until 2019.

Host:

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210221.html Episode 50 | Recorded: February 19, 2021

Armenian IT Security and Readiness During Wartime - with Ruben Muradyan - Jan. 31, 2021

Experience being called up and participating in the war

Ethics of a security professional. What to do when a government member asks you to conduct greyhat (potentially unlawful or unethical) security?

On the 2nd day of the war Ruben was called up to the army as part of an infantry company.

• Can you describe your experience?
• How were you drafted? And where did you serve?
• What specialty did you have in the army?
• What can you tell us about what you saw?
• Why did we lose the war?

Cyber Incidents During Artsakh

𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 - 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐇𝐊/𝐑𝐏𝐀’𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐚𝐧 - 𝟎𝟏/𝟏𝟗/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

Following the trilateral Karabakh ceasefire of Nov 9, all major political forces in Armenia (be that parliamentary or extra-parliamentary, except for the ruling party) condemned Nikol Pashinyan’s agreement to the deal.

The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) has been in control of successive governments (sometimes through coalitions) for over two and a half decades. The party lost its prominence in the December 2018 elections but remained a vocal extra-parliamentary opposition.

Today we’re joined by:

𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐚𝐧, who is the vice

Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan - 01/18/2021

We’ll be discussing various legal and human-rights topics within the context of recent developments in Armenia.

Guest:

• 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐚𝐧 was formerly Artsakh’s Human Rights Ombudsman and prior to that rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the “Path of Law” NGO.

Topics:

• Why are there Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan so long after the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement?
• On Constitutional Court judges being forced to resign
• On Parliament’s endorsement of Gagik Jahangiryan’s appointment to the