Harut Sassounian

Last updated: June 5, 2026

👤 Harut Sassounian has appeared on the Groong podcast — see their guest profile and interviews →

Harut Sassounian publishes The California Courier and leads the Armenia Artsakh Fund, which reports delivering more than $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) since 1989. He has been a steady voice in the Armenian Diaspora for decades. His guest page carries his full biography and episode list.

Sassounian served as vice chairman of the Lincy Foundation, the philanthropic vehicle of the Armenian-American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, and managed much of Kerkorian’s giving to Armenia, including the reconstruction and infrastructure projects in the zone devastated by the 1988 earthquake. Groong devoted an episode to Kerkorian’s engagement with Armenia and Sassounian’s firsthand account of how that philanthropy was run.

On Groong, Sassounian concentrates on Armenian Genocide recognition and reparations, the diaspora’s leverage in Washington, and the international response to the September 2023 offensive that ethnically cleansed Artsakh of its more than 150,000 Armenian inhabitants. He follows Armenia-US relations and the gap between diaspora advocacy and the policies Yerevan actually adopts.

Writing each week for a diaspora readership, Sassounian presses the case that successive Armenian governments have underused the diaspora’s political and financial weight. He ranks among the sharper diaspora critics of the Civil Contract government’s record on Artsakh and Genocide policy.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Harut Sassounian.

Harut Sassounian - Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s Benevolent Engagement with Armenia | Ep 409, Feb 2, 2025 [EP409]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Georgia, Genocide, Israel, Economy | Series: cog

Guest:

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

Harut Sassounian - Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s Benevolent Engagement with Armenia | Ep 409, Feb 2, 2025 [EP409]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Georgia, Genocide, Israel, Economy

Guest:

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

Transcript: Harut Sassounian - Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s Benevolent Engagement with Armenia | Ep 409, Feb 2, 2025 [EP409]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Georgia, Genocide, Israel, Economy, Transcript

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

Harut Sassounian - Armenian American and the 2024 US Presidential Elections | Ep 380 - Nov 2, 2024 [EP380]

Posted on Saturday, Nov 2, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, USA, Elections, Nagorno Karabakh, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Israel, Lebanon, Armenian Genocide, Ukraine, Russia, NATO, Economy, Middle East, Turkey | Series: cog

Guest:

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

Harut Sassounian - Armenian American and the 2024 US Presidential Elections | Ep 380 - Nov 2, 2024 [EP380]

Posted on Saturday, Nov 2, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, USA, Elections, Nagorno Karabakh, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Israel, Lebanon, Armenian Genocide, Ukraine, Russia, NATO, Economy, Middle East, Turkey

Guest:

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

Harut Sassounian: The HyeID project, to initiate an elected Diaspora Armenian Parliament [EP176]

Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2022 | Category: Diaspora, Politics, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Genocide, Israel, Middle East | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • What is HyeID , what problems is it trying to address?
  • Organizations and models for Diaspora representation
  • Funding and operations
  • Outreach to the Diaspora and the Armenian government
  • Current State of the project

Episode 176 | Recorded: November 12, 2022

Harut Sassounian: The HyeID project, to initiate an elected Diaspora Armenian Parliament [EP176]

Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2022 | Category: Diaspora, Politics, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Genocide, Israel, Middle East

Guest:

Topics:

  • What is HyeID , what problems is it trying to address?
  • Organizations and models for Diaspora representation
  • Funding and operations
  • Outreach to the Diaspora and the Armenian government
  • Current State of the project

Episode 176 | Recorded: November 12, 2022

Harut Sassounian: The Global Armenian Summit [EP172]

Posted on Sunday, Oct 30, 2022 | Category: Diaspora, Politics, Artsakh, Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Georgia, Syria | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • What is the background of Armenia-Diaspora relations against which this conference is taking place?
  • Why did the government need this event right now, and is this the right time?
  • Who was invited, who was not? Why?

Episode 172 | Recorded: October 29, 2022

Harut Sassounian: The Global Armenian Summit [EP172]

Posted on Sunday, Oct 30, 2022 | Category: Diaspora, Politics, Artsakh, Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Georgia, Syria

Guest:

Topics:

  • What is the background of Armenia-Diaspora relations against which this conference is taking place?
  • Why did the government need this event right now, and is this the right time?
  • Who was invited, who was not? Why?

Episode 172 | Recorded: October 29, 2022