Series: Cog

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Guest:

• Arthur Khachatryan , MP

Topics:

• Artsakh Negotiations
• Armenian Domestic Politics

Episode 455 | Recorded: July 25, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Archil Sikharulidze

Topics:

• EU Strategy in the South Caucasus
• Attacks on the National Church
• 2025 Local Election Politics

Episode 454 | Recorded: July 22, 2025

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Guest:

• Karen Kwiatkowski

Topics:

• The 12-Day War
• Where did Trump’s American 1st Go?

Episode 450 | Recorded: June 26, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Arman Grigoryan

Topics:

• Israel’s war on Iran and U.S. involvement
• Risks of Iranian regime change or partition
• Strategic dangers to Armenia

Episode 448 | Recorded: June 21, 2025

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Guest:

• Fyodor Lukyanov

Topics:

• Israel hits Iran, talks collapse
• Armenia at risk if Iran weakens
• Russia hardens stance on Ukraine

Episode 447 | Recorded: June 15, 2025

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Guest:

• Rananjay Anand , Co-Founder & President of the Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO.

Topics:

• Operation Sindoor
• Indians Boycott Turkey & Azerbaijan
• Armenia as a Robus Partner

Episode 445 | Recorded: June 9, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Abhinav Pandya , Founder, President and CEO of Usanas Foundation Think Tank.

Topics:

• Turkey-Pakistan-Azerbaijan Axis
• Operation Sindoor
• Armenia As a Strategic Partner
• West Asia and Eurasia Context
• Future Outlook

Episode 443 | Recorded: June 3, 2025

INTERVIEW IN ARMENIAN / ՀԱՐՑԱԶՐՈՒՅՑ ՀԱՅԵՐԵՆ

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Guest:

• Edgar Ghazaryan

Topics:

• Criminal charges used to silence Edgar Ghazaryan / Քրեական մեղադրանքներ՝ Էդգար Ղազարյանին լռեցնելու համար
• Media freedom in Armenia under Pashinyan’s rule / Մամուլի ազատությունը Հայաստանում Փաշինյանի կառավարման օրոք
• Public broadcasting under political control / Հանրային հեռարձակումը քաղաքական վերահսկողության տակ
• State-aligned actors spreading misinformation / Ապատեղեկատվություն տարածող պետական կողմի դերակատարները

Episode 440 | Recorded: March 9, 2025

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Guest:

• Levon Zourabian , Vice-President of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) party of Armenia.

Topics:

• US-Iran Nuclear Talks
• Russia and Ukraine
• Armenia Azerbaijan Talks
• Armenian Elections in 2026

Episode 439 | Recorded: May 23, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Ehsan Movahedian

Topics:

• US-Iran Nuclear Talks
• Pezeshkian Visit to Baku
• Iran-Armenia Relations
• US Support for Azerbaijan

Episode 437 | Recorded: May 16, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Pietro Shakarian

Topics:

• May 9, Victory Day and Parade
• Pashinyan, Aliyev Posture at Victory Day
• Artsrun Hovhannisyan’s Historical Revision
• Armenia and Artsakh Contributions to WW2

Episode 436 | Recorded: May 15, 2025

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Guest:

• Scott Horton , Ed. Dir. The Libertarian Institute, AntiWar.com

Topics:

• What happened to Antiwar Voices
• Color Revolutions as US Strategy
• Armenia and Pipeline Geopolitics
• And more!

Episode 433 | Recorded: May 2, 2025

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Guest:

• Alberto M. Fernandez

Topics:

• Vatican’s alliance with Azerbaijan
• Whitewashing of Artsakh’s ethnic cleansing
• Global silence on Armenian Genocide
• U.S. policy under Trump and risks to Armenia

Episode 431 | Recorded: April 29, 2025

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Guest:

• Avedis Hadjian
• Vartan Matiossian

Topics:

• Vatican Hosts Fake Azeri Conference
• Azerbaijani Propaganda and Cultural Misappropriation
• Weakness and Silent Complicity of the Armenian State

Episode 430 | Recorded: April 26, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Warwick Powell

Topics:

• U.S. Tariff Wars
• Target: Iran
• The Global South
• The Belt and Road Initiative

Episode 427 | Recorded: April 6, 2025

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Guest:

• Arthur Martirosyan

Topics:

• Ceasefire Terms:
• Negotiation Dynamics
• Posturing & International Pressure
• Risks & Challenges

Episode 422 | Recorded: March 12, 2025

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Guest:

• James W. Carden
• Pietro Shakarian

Topics:

• US Foreign Policy Under Trump
• Transactional Foreign Policy
• Trump’s Cabinet & Policy Shifts
• US-Armenia Relations

Episode 420 | Recorded: February 27, 2025

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Guest:

• Jean-Daniel Ruch

Topics:

• Jean-Daniel Ruch’s Career & Background
• The Role of Diplomacy in Conflict Resolution
• Western Democracy Promotion & Geopolitical Power Plays
• The War in Ukraine & Failed Peace Efforts
• US & European Geopolitical Strategies
• The International Criminal Court & Selective Justice
• The Artsakh Conflict & Armenian Displacement

Episode 419 | Recorded: February 27, 2025

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Guest:

• Hrant Mikaelian

Topics:

• TBD

Episode 417 | Recorded: February 12, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Glenn Diesen , Author of The Think Tank Racket: Managing the Information War with Russia

Topics:

• Think Tanks: Defining the Problem
• Media Manipulation, NGOs, and Colored Coups
• Reforming the Think Tank Industry

Episode 415 | Recorded: February 6, 2025

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Guest:

• Fyodor Lukyanov

Topics:

• A New Détente?
• The Trump-Putin Call
• Russia’s Strategic Choices
• Russo-Armenian Relations
• Russo-Azerbaijani Relations
• Georgia’s Pragmatism

Episode 414 | Recorded: Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025

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Guest:

• Archil Sikharulidze

Topics:

• Effects of the Shutdown of USAID
• Georgia and the EU
• Georgia and the South Caucasus

Episode 412 | Recorded: February 9, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Glenn Diesen
• Dr. Arman Grigoryan

Topics:

• The Ongoing conflicts: Gaza, Syria, Ukraine
• Shifting Global Power and Alliances
• Small Countries in a Multipolar World

Episode 411 | Recorded: February 6, 2025

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Guest:

• Harut Sassounian

Topics:

• Who was Kirk Kerkorian?
• How Kerkorian Discovered Armenia
• Investing in Armenia
• End of Investments and Death of Kerkorian

Episode 409 | Recorded: January 21, 2025

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Guest:

• Dr. Pietro Shakarian

Topics:

• Russo-Iranian Partnership Treaty
• Implications of 🇷🇺 - 🇮🇷 pact for Armenia
• Trump Back in Office: War or Peace?

Episode 407 | Recorded: January 25, 2025

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Guest:

• Yeghia Tashjian

Topics:

• President Joseph Aoun
• Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam
• The Changing Face of the Middle East
• Armenian Community’s and Joseph Aoun

Episode 405 | Recorded: Januaqry 19, 2025

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Guest:

• Narek Malyan

Topics:

• Arrest, one year in prison
• Pre-trial detention as punishment
• Selective “justice” against opposition members
• The silence of the West

Episode 402 | Recorded: November 7, 2024

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Guest:

• Capt. Matthew Hoh

Topics:

• U.S. Imperialism
• The Role of the Think Tank Industry

Episode 400 | Recorded: December 20, 2024

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Guest:

• Dr. Arman Grigoryan

Topics:

• Syria’s Fall and Regional Power Shifts
• Turkey’s Expanding Influence in Syria
• Impact on Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations
• Russia and Iran’s Middle East Strategy

Episode 399 | Recorded: December 19, 2024

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Guest:

• Gev Iskajyan

Topics:

• Memories of the Artsakh Blockade
• Ethnic Cleansing
• Trump Returns to the White House

Episode 397 | Recorded: December 18, 2024

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Guest:

• Prof. Varuzhan Geghamyan

Topics:

• Syria and the Middle East
• The South Caucasus
• Turkey, Iran, Russia

Episode 396 | Recorded: December 13, 2024

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Guest:

• Larry C Johnson

Topics:

• Syria and the Middle East
• The South Caucasus
• Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
• 44-Day War and the ISR Factor
• Fueling Other Wars

Episode 395 | Recorded: December 12, 2024

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Guest:

• Prof. Ivan Katchanovski , University of Ottawa

SUPPORT PROF. KATCHANOVSI’S WORK HERE: https://gofund.me/52b68e07

Topics:

• The War in Ukraine
• Trump’s “Eastern Approaches”
• The Maidan Massacre and Its Legacy
• Maidanization of Georgia?
• Armenia in the Shadow of Ukraine

Episode 393 | Recorded: December 7, 2024

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Guest:

• Karen Kwiatkowski

Topics:

• Turkey’s Role in the 44-Day War
• NATO and Intelligence Sharing
• Global Power Rivalries
• Lessons from U.S. Intelligence Practices

Episode 392 | Recorded: December 2, 2024

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Guest:

• Jeffrey Sachs

Topics:

• Escalation in Syria
• COP29 Summit
• Can NATO save Armenia?

Episode 391 | Recorded: December 4, 2024

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Guest:

• Yeghia Tashjian

Topics:

• Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire in Lebanon
• Escalation in Syria
• Effect on Armenian Communities

Episode 389 | Recorded: December 1, 2024

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Guest:

• Archil Sikharulidze

Topics:

• Constitutional Crisis In Georgia?
• Western Reactions and Escalation
• Russian Reactions and Georgia’s Strategic Direction
• Unrest In Abkhazia

Episode 388 | Recorded: November 30, 2024

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Guest:

• Suren Sargsyan

Topic:

• Armenia, Armenian Americans, Artsakh
• Ukraine War, NATO, China
• Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran

Episode 384 | Recorded: April 3, 2023

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Narek Malyan

Topics:

• Կալանավորում, մեկ տարի բանտում (Arrest, one year in prison)
• Նախնական կալանք որպես պատիժ (Pretrial detention as punishment)
• Ընտրովի «արդարադատություն» ընդդիմադիրների նկատմամբ (Selective “justice” towards oppositionists)
• Արեւմուտքի լռությունը (The silence of the West)

Episode 382 | Recorded: October 29, 2024

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Guest:

• Benyamin Poghosyan

Topics:

• China, and the New World Order
• BRICS Summit and Multipolarity
  • Armenia at BRICS
• Georgian Elections in 2024

Episode 382 | Recorded: October 29, 2024

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Guest:

• Johnny G. Melikian

Topics:

• Georgian Elections Outcome
• Political Landscape
• Effect on Armenia and Beyond

Episode 381 | Recorded: November 3, 2024

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Guest:

• Harut Sassounian

Topics:

On the Major US Presidential Candidates Do Minor Candidates Matter for us? Are We Organized Enough to Influence US Elections? How would Harris or Trump Affect Armenia & Region?

Episode 380 | Recorded: November 1, 2024

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Aram Suren Hamparian, Exec. Dir. ANCA, DC

Topics:

• ANCA Endorsements Methodology
• On the Major Presidential Candidates
• Arab-Americans Still Uncommitted
• Where is the Armenian Vote?

Episode 378 | Recorded: October 25, 2024

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Guest:

• Sopo Japaridze

Topics:

• Georgian Elections in 2024
• Election Landscape
• Themes of the Campaigns
• Comparison with Moldova 2024
• Outcomes and Expectations

Episode 377 | Recorded: October 23, 2024

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Guest:

• Nino Skvortsova

Topics:

• Political Science in Georgia
• Elections and Potential Political Pivot
• Influences on Georgian Identity
• Georgia-Armenia Relations

Episode 375 | Recorded: October 15, 2024

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Guest:

• Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

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

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Guest:

• Dr. Nikoloz Bitsadze

Topics:

• Election, Politics, and The Geopolitical Context
• Who are the Major External Influencers in Georgia’s Politics?
• Is Talk of Civilizational Catastrophe, or Rapprochement with Abkhazia/South Ossetia Election-time Populism?
• Neutrality and Georgian-Armenian Relations

Episode 370 | Recorded: September 21, 2024

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Yeghia Tashjian

Topics:

• Israel’s end goal
• Likelihood of land invasion
• Will Iran and US intervene
• Popular support for Hezbollah
• Armenian community

Episode 369 | Recorded: September 24, 2024

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Dr. Pascal Lottaz

Topics:

• What is Neutrality Studies?
• Rise of the Multi-Polar World

Episode 367 | Recorded: September 18, 2024

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Guest:

• Mr. Arthur Khachatryan

Topics:

• The Government’s Track Record
• The State of the Economy
• “Pivot to the West”
• Elections in Georgia

Episode 366 | Recorded: September 18, 2024

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Mr. Giro Manoyan

Topics:

• Role of the Opposition
• Relations with the Tavush Movement
• Relations with the Diaspora

Episode 364 | Recorded: September 13, 2024

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Dr. David Darchiashvili

Topics:

• Election and Politics, and The Geopolitical Context
• Who are the Major External Influencers in Georgia’s Politics?
• Why is the EU hell bent against the Law on “Foreign Agents”?
• Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Russia Relations

Episode 363 | Recorded: September 11, 2024

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Guest:

• Mr. Vardan Aramyan - Fmr. Minister of Finance, Republic of Armenia

Topics:

• Inflation
• Monetary Policy
• Economic Performance
• Remittances
• National Debt
• Economic Outlook
• References

Episode 362 | Recorded: Septemberr 11, 2024

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Guest:

• Aram Suren Hamparian, Exec. Dir. ANCA, DC

Topics:

• Armenia, Artsakh and the 2024 US Elections
• On the Major Presidential Candidates
• On the Vice President Candidates
• On the National Security Apparatus
• Arab-American “Uncommitted” Movement
• And the Armenian Vote goes to…

Episode 360 | Recorded: September 4, 2024

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Guest:

• Glenn Diesen

Topics:

• Norwegian & NATO Support for Ukraine
• “The Ukraine War & the Eurasian World Order”
• Small States and Multipolarity
• Armenia’s Position in a Multipolar World

Episode 359 | Recorded: August 30, 2024

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Guest:

• Dr. Pietro Shakarian

Topics:

• Russian-Iranian Relations
• Russian-Armenian Relations
• Ukraine’s Kursk Gambit
• Pavel Durov Arrested in France
• Observations from Armenia and Russia

Episode 357 | Recorded: August 28, 2024

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Guest:

• Dr. Archil Sikharulidze

Topics:

• Georgian Politics, Amidst Global Currents
• Attacks Against the Georgian Church
• Thoughts on Russian and Georgian Relations

Episode 356 | Recorded: Aug 21, 2024

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Guest:

• Kevork Almassian

Topics:

Episode 354 | Recorded: August 17, 2024

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Guest:

• Vahagn Melikian

Topics:

• Background on Amb. Melikian
• From Revolution to War
• Goris-Kapan Handover
• Armenia’s “Pivot” To The West
• Srbazan Movement
• Pan-Armenian Diplomatic Council

Episode 352a | Recorded: August 12, 2024

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Guest:

• Hrant Mikaelian

Topics:

• Economy in the First Half of 2024
• State Revenues & Spending
• Finance Sector
• Looking Ahead

Episode 350 | Recorded: August 1, 2024