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.

One-year anniversary of Artsakh War | Can the Opposition Reorg | TARC 2.0 | Ep 90 - Sep 26, 2021 [EP90]

Posted on Sunday, Sep 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia | Series: wir

Guest:

  • Tevan Poghosyan, is president of the International Center for Human Development in Yerevan. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP in the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. From 1997 to 1999 he served as the Nagorno-Karabakh Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.

Topic:

  • The One-year anniversary of The War in Artsakh
  • Can the Opposition Reorganize?
  • Turkish-Armenian Possible Rapprochement

Episode 90 | Recorded: September 27, 2021

One-year anniversary of Artsakh War | Can the Opposition Reorg | TARC 2.0 | Ep 90 - Sep 26, 2021 [EP90]

Posted on Sunday, Sep 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia

Guest:

  • Tevan Poghosyan, is president of the International Center for Human Development in Yerevan. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP in the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. From 1997 to 1999 he served as the Nagorno-Karabakh Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.

Topic:

  • The One-year anniversary of The War in Artsakh
  • Can the Opposition Reorganize?
  • Turkish-Armenian Possible Rapprochement

Episode 90 | Recorded: September 27, 2021

Pashinyan Shuns NK | TARC 2.0 | Taliban 2.0 | World Affairs & Pol Analysis | Ep #88 - Sep 5, 2021 [EP88]

Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, Ukraine, Genocide, Syria, Israel | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 5, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan & Co. Shun Artsakh Independence
  • Turkey-Armenia Reconciliation Reconstituted?
  • Afghanistan: Taliban 2.0?
  • State of World Affairs
  • State of Political Analysis

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian TW/@AsbedK

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode #88 | Recorded: September 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210905.html

Pashinyan Shuns NK | TARC 2.0 | Taliban 2.0 | World Affairs & Pol Analysis | Ep #88 - Sep 5, 2021 [EP88]

Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, Ukraine, Genocide, Syria, Israel

ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 5, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan & Co. Shun Artsakh Independence
  • Turkey-Armenia Reconciliation Reconstituted?
  • Afghanistan: Taliban 2.0?
  • State of World Affairs
  • State of Political Analysis

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian TW/@AsbedK

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode #88 | Recorded: September 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210905.html

Syunik Blocked and Unblocked | 5-Year Plan Approved | Parliamentary Dynamics | Ep #87 - Aug 29, 2021 [EP87]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Economy, Georgia, Israel, Middle East | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 29, 2021

Topics:

  • Road to Syunik Blocked and Unblocked
  • 5-Year Plan Approved
  • Parliamentary Dynamics

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan / TW @Benyamin_Poghos

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian / TW @qubriq

Episode 87 | Recorded: August 29, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210829.html

Syunik Blocked and Unblocked | 5-Year Plan Approved | Parliamentary Dynamics | Ep #87 - Aug 29, 2021 [EP87]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Economy, Georgia, Israel, Middle East

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 29, 2021

Topics:

  • Road to Syunik Blocked and Unblocked
  • 5-Year Plan Approved
  • Parliamentary Dynamics

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan / TW @Benyamin_Poghos

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian / TW @qubriq

Episode 87 | Recorded: August 29, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210829.html

5-year plan | Russia Arming Armenia | Press Freedoms Cut | PaneliTopics | Ep #86 - August 22, 2021 [EP86]

Posted on Monday, Aug 23, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Syria, Israel, Turkey | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 22, 2021

Topics:

  • The Government’s 5-Year Plan
  • Is Russia Rearming Armenia? Artsakh?
  • Press Freedoms Curtailed in Parliament
  • Topics from the Panelists

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 86 | Recorded: August 22, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210822.html

5-year plan | Russia Arming Armenia | Press Freedoms Cut | PaneliTopics | Ep #86 - August 22, 2021 [EP86]

Posted on Monday, Aug 23, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Syria, Israel, Turkey

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 22, 2021

Topics:

  • The Government’s 5-Year Plan
  • Is Russia Rearming Armenia? Artsakh?
  • Press Freedoms Curtailed in Parliament
  • Topics from the Panelists

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 86 | Recorded: August 22, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210822.html

Instability on Am-Az Borders | Commission on War | 1st Sess of New Parliament | Ep #84 - Aug 1, 2021 [EP84]

Posted on Monday, Aug 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Artsakh, Human Rights, India, Syria | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 1, 2021

Topics:

  • Continued Instability along Armenia-Azerbaijan Borders
  • National Assembly Commission on the 44-Day War
  • First Session of the 8th Session of the Armenian Parliament

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Benyamin Poghosyan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 84 | Recorded: August 2, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210801.html