Regional Security

Hovik and Asbed examine September 2026 developments across Armenia and the South Caucasus, reviewing Artsakh’s remembered independence declaration, Putin’s military base signaling, Armenian Church prosecutions, EU trade negotiations, non-combat military deaths, and political pressures ahead of local elections.

Hovik and Asbed examine Armenia’s precarious position at the SCO Summit amid Russian escalation in Ukraine, unprecedented Western diplomatic visits to Moscow, renewed US-Iran conflict, and Pashinyan’s meetings with regional leaders while former Artsakh presidents languish in detention and selective political prosecutions continue. Suren Sargsyan examines Washington’s unclear endgame in the Iran War, Russia’s military presence in Armenia amid great-power competition, and the competing U.S. and European stakes in TRIPP and Central Asian transit routes.

Matlock advises Armenia to avoid choosing sides in great-power competition and instead prioritize peaceful relations with neighbors and preservation of cultural identity.

Hovik and Asbed examine Armenia’s exposure to an expanding Iran War, Russia’s December ultimatum on EAEU membership, and how TRIPP infrastructure through Syunik deepens security and energy vulnerabilities. Dziunik Aghajanian examines Armenia’s precarious position between Iran, Russia, and emerging Middle East power shifts, analyzing the Mecca joint defense pact, Iran’s objections to TRIPP, Aliyev’s militarization of Nakhijevan, Armenia’s energy dependence, Russian ultimatums, and the Established Opposition’s parliamentary strategy ahead of the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election.

Dr. Archil Sikharulidze discusses Russia’s shifting strategy in the South Caucasus, Georgia’s widening dispute with Europe, Armenia’s move away from Russian alignment, and how regional transit corridors reshape competition among Moscow, Brussels, and Washington. Hovik and Asbed examine escalating regional tensions as Ukraine expands operations into the Caspian Sea, striking Iranian and Russian assets, while analyzing how this merger of northern and southern conflicts affects Armenia, Kazakhstan’s energy security, and Pashinyan’s diplomatic positioning amid new  Read More

Arman Grigoryan discusses US-Iran negotiations and their implications for TRIPP, regional power dynamics, and Armenia’s contested 2026 parliamentary election aftermath. We examine the fallout from Armenia’s 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Elections, including six opposition parties challenging results at the Constitutional Court, escalating political persecutions targeting opposition figures, Russia’s continued economic pressure on Pashinyan’s government, US-Iran ceasefire negotiations and their regional implications, and a new Armenia-Azerbaijan telecommunications agreement that raises cybersecurity and strategic dependency concerns.

Hovik Manucharyan and Asbed Bedrossian examine Armenia’s 2026 parliamentary election results, shifting Armenia-Georgia relations amid EU corridor initiatives, and a landmark US-Iran interim agreement that reshapes regional security architecture. Hrant Mikaelian examines the disputed aftermath of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary election, discussing electoral fraud allegations, government threats against opposition parties, Armenia-Russia tensions, EU support for Armenian exports, and why political polling failed to predict the result.

In this clip from episode #312 , we discuss a recent Russian-Armenian experts dialogue held in Yerevan, discussions delved into the state of relations between the two nations. Our guest Arthur Khachikyan was one of the participants.

The expert dialogue sparked significant reactions in Armenia, with some media channels expressing negativity towards the candid exchanges that took place. The Russian side was nota bly frank, warning of potential consequences for Armenia’s Western reorientation, referencing past events like Karabakh and suggesting future territorial concerns. The dialogue