Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025 brought a distinct set of priorities to US engagement in the South Caucasus. The Trump administration’s signature regional initiative has been the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a connectivity proposal centered on opening the Zangezur Corridor through Armenia to link Turkey and Azerbaijan — and potentially extending to regional economic integration. The proposal has been controversial in Armenia, where many view it as pressure to make territorial concessions to Azerbaijan under the banner of economic development.

More broadly, the Trump administration’s approach to the South Caucasus reflects its transactional foreign policy: prioritizing deal-making, reducing emphasis on democracy and human rights conditions, and recalibrating relationships with traditional allies and adversaries alike. For Armenia, this has meant navigating a US posture that is simultaneously a potential counterweight to Russia and a source of pressure on the peace process .

Groong has covered Trump’s impact on Armenian affairs extensively, from the TRIPP proposal and its reception in Yerevan to US-Armenia security cooperation, Congressional dynamics, and how Trump-era US foreign policy compares with the Biden approach to the South Caucasus.

Varuzhan Geghamyan - Iran War, Zangezur Corridor, Nakhijevan Constitution | Ep 524, Mar 20, 2026 [EP524]

Posted on Friday, Mar 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, Iran, Armenia, Israel, Azerbaijan, USA, Turkey, Artsakh, Geopolitics, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, Russia, Syria, China, Economy, Georgia, Ukraine | Series: cog, video

Groong Links:

Guest:

Varuzhan Geghamyan

Topics:

Iran at War
The Northern Front: Turkey & Azerbaijan
Changing Nakhichevanâs Constitution

Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026

#IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolitics

Varuzhan Geghamyan - Iran War, Zangezur Corridor, Nakhijevan Constitution | Ep 524, Mar 20, 2026 [EP524]

Groong Links:

Guest:

Varuzhan Geghamyan

Topics:

Iran at War
The Northern Front: Turkey & Azerbaijan
Changing Nakhichevanâs Constitution

Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026

#IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolitics

Scott Horton - Why Are We at War with Iran? | Ep 523, Mar 20, 2026 [EP523]

Posted on Friday, Mar 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, US, Iran, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, China, NATO | Series: cog, video

Groong Links:

Guest:

Scott Horton

Topics:

Why this war began
U.S. fallout and political costs
Paths to wider regional escalation

Episode 523 | Recorded: March 19, 2026

#IranWar #ScottHorton #USIsrael #MiddleEastWar #Geopolitics

Scott Horton - Why Are We at War with Iran? | Ep 523, Mar 20, 2026 [EP523]

Posted on Friday, Mar 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, US, Iran, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, China, NATO

Groong Links:

Guest:

Scott Horton

Topics:

Why this war began
U.S. fallout and political costs
Paths to wider regional escalation

Episode 523 | Recorded: March 19, 2026

#IranWar #ScottHorton #USIsrael #MiddleEastWar #Geopolitics

Transcript: Scott Horton - Why Are We at War with Iran? | Ep 523, Mar 20, 2026 [EP523]

Posted on Friday, Mar 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, US, Iran, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, China, NATO, Transcript

Scott Horton joins us to examine the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, asking how this war began, what strategic goals are driving it, and where it could lead next. We discuss the limits of air power, the risk of a wider or ground war, the longer arc of U.S. and Israeli policy toward Iran and Syria, Turkey’s role in the region, and the domestic political consequences inside the United States as Trump presses ahead without broad public or congressional support.