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.
OSCE MG | Aparan Murders | Vanetsyan Resigns | Jhangiryan Doesn’t | Ep #144 - Jun 26, 2022 [EP144]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 28, 2022 | Category: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Artsakh, Turkey, China, Nagorno Karabakh
Guest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 26, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:08 Who killed the OSCE Minsk Group?
- 21:36 Murders in Aparan
- 27:01 Arthur Vanetsyan Resigns from Parliament
- 38:51 Gagik Jhangiryan in the Line of Fire
- 44:39 Rants
Guests:
- Hrant Mikaelian / TW/@Hrant_M
Host:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 144 | Recorded: Monday, June 27, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220626.html
Armenian News: Opp Politics | Lavrov | War Dividends | Caucasus Barometer | Ep #142 - Jun 12, 2022 [EP142]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Economy, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, Artsakh, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, Human Rights | Series: wir
Guest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 12, 2022
Topics:
- The Opposition Activates Politics
- Russia Revises Lavrov’s Parukh Response
- War Dividends
- Caucasus Barometer Survey Takeaways
Guest:
- Hrant Mikaelian - TW/@Hrant_M
Host:
- Asbed Bedrossian - TW/@qubriq
Episode 142 | Recorded: Monday, June 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220612.html
#lavrov #armeniannews
Armenian News: Opp Politics | Lavrov | War Dividends | Caucasus Barometer | Ep #142 - Jun 12, 2022 [EP142]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Economy, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, Artsakh, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, Human RightsGuest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 12, 2022
Topics:
- The Opposition Activates Politics
- Russia Revises Lavrov’s Parukh Response
- War Dividends
- Caucasus Barometer Survey Takeaways
Guest:
- Hrant Mikaelian - TW/@Hrant_M
Host:
- Asbed Bedrossian - TW/@qubriq
Episode 142 | Recorded: Monday, June 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220612.html
#lavrov #armeniannews
Armenian News: Yerevan Protests Grow | Artsakh Negotiations | New MPG Poll | Ep #141 - Jun 5, 2022 [EP141]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union | Series: wir
Guest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 5, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:52 Yerevan Protests Continue
- 24:30 State of Negotiations on Artsakh
- 42:27 MPG Gallup Poll Results
- 44:14 Rants
Guests:
Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Host:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq Episode 141 | Recorded: Monday, June 6, 2022
Armenian News: Yerevan Protests Grow | Artsakh Negotiations | New MPG Poll | Ep #141 - Jun 5, 2022 [EP141]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European UnionGuest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 5, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:52 Yerevan Protests Continue
- 24:30 State of Negotiations on Artsakh
- 42:27 MPG Gallup Poll Results
- 44:14 Rants
Guests:
Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Host:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq Episode 141 | Recorded: Monday, June 6, 2022
Armenian News: Russia Geopolitics | Armenia Russia Rels | Israel & Armenia | Ep #140 - May 29, 2022 [EP140]
Posted on Wednesday, Jun 1, 2022 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Syria, Middle East, Economy, Geopolitics, Georgia, Artsakh, China, Genocide, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir
Guest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 29, 2022
Topics:
00:00 Introduction
02:27 Russiaâs Geopolitics: Weâll get an update on the war as well as trying to understand what Russiaâs endgame is in Ukraine and how it may affect our region.
23:10 Armenia-Russia Relations: Next, we try to understand the dynamics of Armenia-Russian relations as well as the outlook for the future.
42:38 Israeli Interests and Armenia: Lastly, taking advantage of our guestâs area of expertise, we look at Israeli-Armenian relations, the history of failures in this
Armenian News: Russia Geopolitics | Armenia Russia Rels | Israel & Armenia | Ep #140 - May 29, 2022 [EP140]
Posted on Wednesday, Jun 1, 2022 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Syria, Middle East, Economy, Geopolitics, Georgia, Artsakh, China, Genocide, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATOGuest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 29, 2022
Topics:
00:00 Introduction
02:27 Russiaâs Geopolitics: Weâll get an update on the war as well as trying to understand what Russiaâs endgame is in Ukraine and how it may affect our region.
23:10 Armenia-Russia Relations: Next, we try to understand the dynamics of Armenia-Russian relations as well as the outlook for the future.
42:38 Israeli Interests and Armenia: Lastly, taking advantage of our guestâs area of expertise, we look at Israeli-Armenian relations, the history of failures in this
Armenian News: Negotiations | Opp Protests | Iran-Armenia Rels | CSTO Meet | Ep #139 - May 22, 2022 [EP139]
Posted on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Georgia, Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Israel, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Economy, European Union, NATO, Human Rights | Series: wir
Guest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 01:05 âAgenda of Peaceâ Negotiations Continue
- 34:49 Iran-Armenia Relations
- 44:00 CSTO Leaders Meeting in Moscow
- 49:44 State of the Opposition Protests
- 59:51 Hovik’s Rant
Guests:
- Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Host:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao
Armenian News: Negotiations | Opp Protests | Iran-Armenia Rels | CSTO Meet | Ep #139 - May 22, 2022 [EP139]
Posted on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Georgia, Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Israel, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Economy, European Union, NATO, Human RightsGuest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 01:05 âAgenda of Peaceâ Negotiations Continue
- 34:49 Iran-Armenia Relations
- 44:00 CSTO Leaders Meeting in Moscow
- 49:44 State of the Opposition Protests
- 59:51 Hovik’s Rant
Guests:
- Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Host:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao