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.
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with South Caucasus.
Anar Valiyev and Benyamin Poghosyan discuss stumbling blocks in post-war negotiations
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Anar Valiyev and Benyamin Poghosyan discuss stumbling blocks in post-war negotiations
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ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 12, 2021
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Episode 106 | Recorded: Sunday, December 12, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 12, 2021
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Episode 106 | Recorded: Sunday, December 12, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 5, 2021
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Episode 105 | Recorded: Sunday, December 5, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211205.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 5, 2021
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Episode 105 | Recorded: Sunday, December 5, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211205.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021
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Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021
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Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021
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Episode 101 | Recorded: Monday, November 16, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211114.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021
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Episode 101 | Recorded: Monday, November 16, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211114.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021
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Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211107.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021
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Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211107.html
Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021
Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021
Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021
Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021
Armeniaâs Diplomacy and Corridor Politics
Episode 93 | Recorded: October 18, 2021
Armeniaâs Diplomacy and Corridor Politics
Episode 93 | Recorded: October 18, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 3, 2021
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Episode 91 | Recorded: October 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211003.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 3, 2021
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Episode 91 | Recorded: October 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211003.html
Episode 90 | Recorded: September 27, 2021
Episode 90 | Recorded: September 27, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 19, 2021
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Episode #89 | Recorded: September 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210919.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 19, 2021
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Episode #89 | Recorded: September 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210919.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 5, 2021
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Episode #88 | Recorded: September 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210905.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 5, 2021
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Episode #88 | Recorded: September 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210905.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 29, 2021
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Episode 87 | Recorded: August 29, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210829.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 29, 2021
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Episode 87 | Recorded: August 29, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210829.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 22, 2021
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Episode 86 | Recorded: August 22, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210822.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 22, 2021
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Episode 86 | Recorded: August 22, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210822.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 1, 2021
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Episode 84 | Recorded: August 2, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210801.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 1, 2021
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Episode 84 | Recorded: August 2, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210801.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 25, 2021
Episode 81 | Recorded: July 26, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 25, 2021
Episode 81 | Recorded: July 26, 2021
Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace A Conversation with Dr. Pietro Shakarian and Yeghia Tashjian
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Episode 80 | Recorded: July 21, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210722.html
Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace A Conversation with Dr. Pietro Shakarian and Yeghia Tashjian
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Episode 80 | Recorded: July 21, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210722.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 18, 2021
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Episode 79 | Recorded: July 19, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210718.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 18, 2021
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Episode 79 | Recorded: July 19, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210718.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021
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Guests: Asbed Kotchikian
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Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210711.html
Episode 78 | Recorded: July 11, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021
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Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210711.html
Episode 78 | Recorded: July 11, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 20, 2021 Topics:
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Episode 74 | Recorded: June 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210620.html
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Episode 74 | Recorded: June 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210620.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:
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Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.html
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Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.html
Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War
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Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html
Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War
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Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 16, 2021 Topics:
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Episode 60 | Recorded: May 2, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210516.html
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Episode 60 | Recorded: May 2, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210516.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021
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Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021
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Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 31, 2021
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Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210131.html Episode 47 | Recorded on January 31, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 31, 2021
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Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210131.html Episode 47 | Recorded on January 31, 2021
Armenian IT Security and Readiness During Wartime - with Ruben Muradyan - Jan. 31, 2021
Experience being called up and participating in the war
Ethics of a security professional. What to do when a government member asks you to conduct greyhat (potentially unlawful or unethical) security?
On the 2nd day of the war Ruben was called up to the army as part of an infantry company.
Armenian IT Security and Readiness During Wartime - with Ruben Muradyan - Jan. 31, 2021
Experience being called up and participating in the war
Ethics of a security professional. What to do when a government member asks you to conduct greyhat (potentially unlawful or unethical) security?
On the 2nd day of the war Ruben was called up to the army as part of an infantry company.
On November 9, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed The Statement ending the war in Artsakh, known more commonly as Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia emerged as a major winner, by ending the violence, introducing peacekeepers, and upholding its historical role as the regional referee in the Caucasus. What are Russiaâs interests in the region, and in this agreement?
Pietro Shakarian helps us explore. He is a historian and a Ph.D. candidate in Russian History at the Ohio State University. His analyses on Russia, Armenia, and the post-Soviet space have appeared in several publications, including The
Read MoreOn November 9, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed The Statement ending the war in Artsakh, known more commonly as Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia emerged as a major winner, by ending the violence, introducing peacekeepers, and upholding its historical role as the regional referee in the Caucasus. What are Russiaâs interests in the region, and in this agreement?
Pietro Shakarian helps us explore. He is a historian and a Ph.D. candidate in Russian History at the Ohio State University. His analyses on Russia, Armenia, and the post-Soviet space have appeared in several publications, including The
Read MoreEpisode 28 | Recorded on December 3, 2020
Episode 28 | Recorded on December 3, 2020
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 27 - Nov 15, 2020
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Recorded: Nov 15, 2020
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 27 - Nov 15, 2020
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Recorded: Nov 15, 2020
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 26 - Nov 8, 2020
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Recorded: Nov 7, 2020
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 26 - Nov 8, 2020
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Recorded: Nov 7, 2020