South Caucasus
Last updated: May 29, 2026
The South Caucasus sits at the crossroads of Russia, Turkey, Iran, and the broader Middle East — a small region whose internal conflicts have consistently attracted the attention of great powers. The three states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia each navigate overlapping and often contradictory security relationships with Moscow, Washington, and Brussels, while managing unresolved territorial disputes and competing integration ambitions.
The 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war and Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive — which resulted in the ethnic cleansing of the entire Armenian population of Artsakh from Nagorno Karabakh — reshaped the regional order, accelerating Armenia’s pivot away from Russian security structures, deepening Azerbaijan’s strategic confidence, and leaving Georgia’s own geopolitical direction in flux following disputed elections and mass protests. The region has become a live testing ground for the limits of Russian influence, the reach of Western soft power, and the emerging role of powers like Turkey, Iran, India , and China.
Groong covers the South Caucasus comprehensively — not just Armenia’s domestic politics and security situation, but the regional dynamics that define the constraints and opportunities facing every state in the area. Episodes in this category examine bilateral relationships, multilateral formats, infrastructure corridors, and the geopolitical competition that makes the South Caucasus one of the most consequential small regions in Eurasian politics.
Groong episodes that include this tag
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with South Caucasus.
Arthur Martirosyan - After the Anger, What Next? | Ep 557, Jun 10, 2026 [EP557]
Posted on Thursday, Jun 11, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics | Series: cog, video
Groong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- Contested results and thresholds
- Pashinyan’s post-election crackdown
- Western backing and interference
- Russia’s delayed pressure campaign
- Opposition choices after the vote
Episode 557 | Recorded: June 9, 2026
#ArmenianElections #Armenia #NikolPashinyan #CivilContract #StrongArmenia #ArmenianOpposition
Arthur Martirosyan - After the Anger, What Next? | Ep 557, Jun 10, 2026 [EP557]
Posted on Thursday, Jun 11, 2026 | Category: Armenia, PoliticsGroong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- Contested results and thresholds
- Pashinyan’s post-election crackdown
- Western backing and interference
- Russia’s delayed pressure campaign
- Opposition choices after the vote
Episode 557 | Recorded: June 9, 2026
#ArmenianElections #Armenia #NikolPashinyan #CivilContract #StrongArmenia #ArmenianOpposition
Transcript: Arthur Martirosyan - After the Anger, What Next? | Ep 557, Jun 10, 2026 [EP557]
Posted on Thursday, Jun 11, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, TranscriptIn this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Arthur G. Martirosyan about Armenia’s contested 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election and Pashinyan’s path to a third term. We discuss whether the vote was free and fair, how state pressure and Western backing shaped the outcome, the razor-thin thresholds that determine parliamentary representation, Pashinyan’s post-election crackdown against the Established Opposition, and what a Civil Contract supermajority would mean for Armenia’s governance and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process.
Groong Podcast App, Now in Beta
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 9, 2026 | Category: Announcement | Series: BlogThe Groong Podcast App is now in beta: a dedicated, installable home for Groong listeners that keeps the full catalog in one place, lets you watch or listen, and notifies you directly when a new episode drops. No algorithm deciding what you see.
May 28, Rubio’s Armenia Deals, and the Cost of Strategic Drift | Ep 553, May 31, 2026 [EP553]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 2, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Georgia | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Topics:
- May 28 and Statehood
- Parade as Campaign Theater
- Rubio’s Armenia Agreements
- Minerals Without Guarantees
- TRIPP Risks in Syunik
- Russia and Iran Pushback
- Election Climate and Repression
Episode 553 | Recorded: June 1, 2026
#Armenia #May28 #MarcoRubio #TRIPP #Syunik #CriticalMinerals #ElectionFraud #RussiaArmenia
May 28, Rubio’s Armenia Deals, and the Cost of Strategic Drift | Ep 553, May 31, 2026 [EP553]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 2, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Iran, GeorgiaGroong Links:
Topics:
- May 28 and Statehood
- Parade as Campaign Theater
- Rubio’s Armenia Agreements
- Minerals Without Guarantees
- TRIPP Risks in Syunik
- Russia and Iran Pushback
- Election Climate and Repression
Episode 553 | Recorded: June 1, 2026
#Armenia #May28 #MarcoRubio #TRIPP #Syunik #CriticalMinerals #ElectionFraud #RussiaArmenia
Transcript: May 28, Rubio’s Armenia Deals, and the Cost of Strategic Drift | Ep 553, May 31, 2026 [EP553]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 2, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, TranscriptIn this episode of Groong’s Week in Review, hosts Hovik and Asbed examine Armenia’s May 28 Independence Day parade as campaign theater, Marco Rubio’s push for critical minerals deals, and the strategic risks of TRIPP in Syunik. We discuss how Pashinyan’s military parade coincides with Armenian prisoners of war held hostage in Baku, the questionable financing of weapons through $8 billion in external debt, and the broader geopolitical pressures from Russia and Iran as Armenia heads into the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election.
Sergey Markedonov - Russia-Armenia Relations Before the Vote | Ep 552, June 1, 2026 [EP552]
Posted on Monday, Jun 1, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Russia, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Turkey, Iran, Georgia | Series: cog
Groong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- TRIPP and Regional Balance
- Armenia’s Geopolitical Election
- Pashinyan’s “Real Armenia”
- Russia’s Economic Pressure
Episode 552 | Recorded: May 31, 2026
#RussiaArmenia #SergeyMarkedonov #ArmeniaElections #Pashinyan #TRIPP #SouthCaucasus #RealArmenia #EAEU
Sergey Markedonov - Russia-Armenia Relations Before the Vote | Ep 552, June 1, 2026 [EP552]
Posted on Monday, Jun 1, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Russia, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Turkey, Iran, GeorgiaGroong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- TRIPP and Regional Balance
- Armenia’s Geopolitical Election
- Pashinyan’s “Real Armenia”
- Russia’s Economic Pressure
Episode 552 | Recorded: May 31, 2026
#RussiaArmenia #SergeyMarkedonov #ArmeniaElections #Pashinyan #TRIPP #SouthCaucasus #RealArmenia #EAEU