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.

Const Court Decision | PM Appts | Aliyev Threats | Russian Gens in Yerevan | Ep #79 - July 18, 2021 [EP79]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 20, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh, Syria, Iran, Economy, Georgia, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 18, 2021

Topics:

  • Constitutional Court Decisions on Election Results
  • New Pashinyan Appointments
  • More Threats from Azerbaijan
  • Russian Generals in Yerevan Again

Guests:

  • Suren Sargsyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 79 | Recorded: July 19, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210718.html

Const Court Decision | PM Appts | Aliyev Threats | Russian Gens in Yerevan | Ep #79 - July 18, 2021 [EP79]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 20, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh, Syria, Iran, Economy, Georgia, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 18, 2021

Topics:

  • Constitutional Court Decisions on Election Results
  • New Pashinyan Appointments
  • More Threats from Azerbaijan
  • Russian Generals in Yerevan Again

Guests:

  • Suren Sargsyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 79 | Recorded: July 19, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210718.html

Putin / Pashinyan | Const. Court | Steel out of Velvet | Year-in-Review (Ep #78) - July 11, 2021 [EP78]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Ukraine, Artsakh, Syria, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021

Topics:

  • Putin / Pashinyan meeting
  • Constitutional Court Challenge
  • Forging Steel out of Velvet
  • Groong Podcast’s Year-in-Review

Guests: Asbed Kotchikian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210711.html

Episode 78 | Recorded: July 11, 2021

Putin / Pashinyan | Const. Court | Steel out of Velvet | Year-in-Review (Ep #78) - July 11, 2021 [EP78]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Ukraine, Artsakh, Syria, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021

Topics:

  • Putin / Pashinyan meeting
  • Constitutional Court Challenge
  • Forging Steel out of Velvet
  • Groong Podcast’s Year-in-Review

Guests: Asbed Kotchikian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210711.html

Episode 78 | Recorded: July 11, 2021

ArmVote21 | Am/Az Negotiations | Erdogan in Az | Biden Meets Erdogan & Putin| Ep #74 - June 20, 2021 [EP74]

Posted on Monday, Jun 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, China, Middle East, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 20, 2021 Topics:

  • Armenia’s Elections
  • Behind The Scenes with Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Erdogan in Azerbaijan
  • Biden Meets Erdogan, then Putin

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • @Emil_Sanamyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 74 | Recorded: June 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210620.html

ArmVote21 | Am/Az Negotiations | Erdogan in Az | Biden Meets Erdogan & Putin| Ep #74 - June 20, 2021 [EP74]

Posted on Monday, Jun 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, China, Middle East, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 20, 2021 Topics:

  • Armenia’s Elections
  • Behind The Scenes with Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Erdogan in Azerbaijan
  • Biden Meets Erdogan, then Putin

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • @Emil_Sanamyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 74 | Recorded: June 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210620.html

Meltdown at the MFA | Philip Reeker Visit | 15 POWs Return | Latest Polls | (Ep #70) - June 13, 2021 [EP70]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Ukraine, China, Economy, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:

  • Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Philip Reeker’s Visit to the Region
  • 15 POWs Return Home
  • Latest Election Poll Results

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Tevan Poghosyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.html

Meltdown at the MFA | Philip Reeker Visit | 15 POWs Return | Latest Polls | (Ep #70) - June 13, 2021 [EP70]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Ukraine, China, Economy, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:

  • Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Philip Reeker’s Visit to the Region
  • 15 POWs Return Home
  • Latest Election Poll Results

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Tevan Poghosyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.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, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | 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

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

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