Tag: South Caucasus

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.

Pashinyan Live | From Sochi to Brussels | Normalization | Co-opetition | Ep #104 - Nov 28, 2021 [EP104]

Posted on Monday, Nov 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, Economy, Georgia, China, India, Lebanon, Artsakh, Ukraine, Genocide, Middle East

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Live on Facebook
  • Trilateral in Sochi, Bilateral in Brussels
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • Russian-Turkish “Co-opetition” in Eurasia

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
  • Yeghia Tashjian TW/@yeghig

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html

War in Artsakh, 1 Year On | Erika Olson visits Region | Internal developments | Ep #99 - Nov 7, 2021 [EP99]

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, China, Artsakh, India, Georgia, Turkey, Israel | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

  • The War in Artsakh, One Year Later
  • Erika Olson visits the South Caucasus
  • Internal political developments

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211107.html

War in Artsakh, 1 Year On | Erika Olson visits Region | Internal developments | Ep #99 - Nov 7, 2021 [EP99]

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, China, Artsakh, India, Georgia, Turkey, Israel

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

  • The War in Artsakh, One Year Later
  • Erika Olson visits the South Caucasus
  • Internal political developments

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

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 [EP95]

Posted on Friday, Oct 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, History, Maps | Series: COG, video

Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021

Guest:

Topics:

  • Following the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s president demands Armenia sign a “Peace Treaty” involving full border recognition.
  • Historical and contemporary mapping of Armenian borders
  • Early cartography and 20th-century developments
  • Enclaves, the Goris-Kapan Highway, and Sev Lake
  • Armenia-Iran border considerations

Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021

Armenia's Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021 [EP95]

Posted on Friday, Oct 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, History, Maps

Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021

Guest:

Topics:

  • Following the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s president demands Armenia sign a “Peace Treaty” involving full border recognition.
  • Historical and contemporary mapping of Armenian borders
  • Early cartography and 20th-century developments
  • Enclaves, the Goris-Kapan Highway, and Sev Lake
  • Armenia-Iran border considerations

Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021

Armenia’s Diplomacy and Corridors Politics | Ep. 93 - Oct 19, 2021 [EP93]

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 19, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Turkey, Economy, India | Series: COG

Armenia’s Diplomacy and Corridor Politics

Topics:

  • In the past month a flurry of diplomatic activity has risen around Armenia. The top diplomats from neighboring countries, regional and global powers have met with Armenia’s top leadership to discuss the shifting geopolitics reshaping the South Caucasus politically and economically for the coming decades. How is Armenia’s diplomacy navigating the “Corridor Politics” and what are the prospects for a peaceful neighborhood?

Guest:

Episode 93 | Recorded: October 18, 2021

Armenia’s Diplomacy and Corridors Politics | Ep. 93 - Oct 19, 2021 [EP93]

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 19, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Turkey, Economy, India

Armenia’s Diplomacy and Corridor Politics

Topics:

  • In the past month a flurry of diplomatic activity has risen around Armenia. The top diplomats from neighboring countries, regional and global powers have met with Armenia’s top leadership to discuss the shifting geopolitics reshaping the South Caucasus politically and economically for the coming decades. How is Armenia’s diplomacy navigating the “Corridor Politics” and what are the prospects for a peaceful neighborhood?

Guest:

Episode 93 | Recorded: October 18, 2021

Saakashvili in Georgia | Putin Erdogan in Sochi | OSCE MG in NK | Tonoyan in Jail | Ep 91 Oct 3 2021 [EP91]

Posted on Monday, Oct 4, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Georgia, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, China | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 3, 2021

Topics:

  • Saakashvili Back in Georgia
  • Putin, Erdogan, in Sochi
  • OSCE Minsk Group in Artsakh?
  • Tonoyan, Galstyan in Jail
  • Hovik in Stepanakert

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos
  • Pietro Shakarian

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan

Episode 91 | Recorded: October 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211003.html

Saakashvili in Georgia | Putin Erdogan in Sochi | OSCE MG in NK | Tonoyan in Jail | Ep 91 Oct 3 2021 [EP91]

Posted on Monday, Oct 4, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Georgia, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, China

ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 3, 2021

Topics:

  • Saakashvili Back in Georgia
  • Putin, Erdogan, in Sochi
  • OSCE Minsk Group in Artsakh?
  • Tonoyan, Galstyan in Jail
  • Hovik in Stepanakert

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos
  • Pietro Shakarian

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan

Episode 91 | Recorded: October 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211003.html