Tag: 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.

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War | (Ep #68) - June 8, 2021 [EP68]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 8, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Economy, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Artsakh, Genocide, Middle East, Syria | Series: COG

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War

A Conversation with:

Guest:

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian, who is a Cleveland-based historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, with a focus on Soviet Armenia and the Caucasus during the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s Thaw.

Topics

  • Democracy-building in the Post Soviet Space
  • NATO and expansion
  • Russia in the Caucasus
  • China and the New Silk Road through Iran and Georgia

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War | (Ep #68) - June 8, 2021 [EP68]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 8, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Economy, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Artsakh, Genocide, Middle East, Syria

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War

A Conversation with:

Guest:

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian, who is a Cleveland-based historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, with a focus on Soviet Armenia and the Caucasus during the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s Thaw.

Topics

  • Democracy-building in the Post Soviet Space
  • NATO and expansion
  • Russia in the Caucasus
  • China and the New Silk Road through Iran and Georgia

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html

Azerbaijan Incursion in Syunik | Lavrov in Yerevan/Baku | Electoral Politics (Ep #61) May 16, 2021 [EP61]

Posted on Monday, May 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, China, Genocide, India, Israel, Middle East | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 16, 2021 Topics:

  • Azerbaijan’s Incursion into Syunik
  • Lavrov’s Visit to Yerevan and Baku
  • Electoral Politics

Guests:

  • Tatul Hakobyan
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Artyom Tonoyan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan @HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 60 | Recorded: May 2, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210516.html

Azerbaijan Incursion in Syunik | Lavrov in Yerevan/Baku | Electoral Politics (Ep #61) May 16, 2021 [EP61]

Posted on Monday, May 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, China, Genocide, India, Israel, Middle East

ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 16, 2021 Topics:

  • Azerbaijan’s Incursion into Syunik
  • Lavrov’s Visit to Yerevan and Baku
  • Electoral Politics

Guests:

  • Tatul Hakobyan
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Artyom Tonoyan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan @HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 60 | Recorded: May 2, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210516.html

PM Roadmap, NA Polls | Syunik | Recognized. What next? | Stepanakert | Space! - Ep #59: 2021-04-25 [EP59]

Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Israel, Artsakh, China, Syria, Armenian Church | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021

Topics:

  • Nikol Pashinyan’s Roadmap & Snap Parliamentary Polls
  • The Visit to Syunik
  • Biden Recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Now What?
  • Update from Stepanakert
  • Are we Going to Mars?

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 2021

PM Roadmap, NA Polls | Syunik | Recognized. What next? | Stepanakert | Space! - Ep #59: 2021-04-25 [EP59]

Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Israel, Artsakh, China, Syria, Armenian Church

ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021

Topics:

  • Nikol Pashinyan’s Roadmap & Snap Parliamentary Polls
  • The Visit to Syunik
  • Biden Recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Now What?
  • Update from Stepanakert
  • Are we Going to Mars?

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 2021

Constitutional Amendment | Opp Rising | Zarif Tour | Virus Update | Armenia Fund & the Dram (Ep #47) [EP47]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Israel, Russia, Artsakh, Geopolitics, Turkey | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 31, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Another Constitutional Amendment?
  • Opposition Rising: New Bottle, Old Wine?
  • Iran’s FM Zarif on a Tour de Six
  • State of the Virus in Armenia
  • Armenia Fund Used to Shore up the Dram?

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Your Hosts:

  • Alen Zamanyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210131.html Episode 47 | Recorded on January 31, 2021

Constitutional Amendment | Opp Rising | Zarif Tour | Virus Update | Armenia Fund & the Dram (Ep #47) [EP47]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Israel, Russia, Artsakh, Geopolitics, Turkey

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 31, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Another Constitutional Amendment?
  • Opposition Rising: New Bottle, Old Wine?
  • Iran’s FM Zarif on a Tour de Six
  • State of the Virus in Armenia
  • Armenia Fund Used to Shore up the Dram?

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Your Hosts:

  • Alen Zamanyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

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 (Ep #46) - 01/31/2021 [EP46]

Posted on Sunday, Jan 31, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Iran, Turkey | Series: COG

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.

  • Can you describe your experience?
  • How were you drafted? And where did you serve?
  • What specialty did you have in the army?
  • What can you tell us about what you saw?
  • Why did we lose the war?

Cyber Incidents During Artsakh

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