Sergei Melkonian - Syria, Iran Unrest, TRIPP, Armenian Parliamentary Elections | Ep 508, Jan 18, 2026

Chapters

1. 00:00 Intro to show with Dr. Sergei Melkonian
2. 01:38 Why did the US abandon its Kurdish allies?
3. 05:09 What lessons for Armenians, in the Syrian story?
4. 07:12 Where does Israel stand on the Syrian Kurdish issue?
5. 09:40 Iran Crisis - what accounts for the present apparent lull in the drumbeat of war?
6. 16:05 Was the delay requested by Benyamin Netanyahu?
7. 18:31 Is Iran ready to face a second war?
8. 20:38 How committed are Russia and China to prevent a war on their ally, Iran?
9. 23:00 What offramps are aavilable to the sides to de-escalate, avoid or postpone war?
10. 25:23 Iranian demonstrations in Yerevan, TIPP signings in DC. Takeaways?
11. 32:26 Is Armenia taking into account Iran & Russia's interests?
12. 37:42 Can Turey's effective endorsement of Pashinyan be considered as meddlig in Armenia's June elections?
13. 42:27 Is Pashinyan still a consensus candidate in 2026 for the competing regional powers in the South Caucasus?
14. 43:45 What would change if Pashinyan loses? Would the opposition have a radically different FP?
15. 47:48 What cards does Turkey hold to sway the Armenian elections in its favor?
16. 50:54 What are Russia's interests in Armenia, will they act to reduce foreign meddling?
17. 1:00:34 Personal thoughts from the participants
18. 1:00:40 Sergei: Return of the four prisoners - great, but part of an agenda.
19. 1:01:45 Hovik: Normalcy bias.
20. 1:03:53 About Dr. Sergei Melkonian
21. 1:04:23 Thinking out loud whether our interviewing style is effective and how we can do better