Ambassador Jack Matlock - Did the West Fumble the Post-Cold War Peace? | Ep 580, Aug 28, 2026
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Episode Summary
In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Ambassador Jack Matlock, the last US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, about whether the West missed a historic opportunity to integrate Russia into Western security architecture after the Cold War. We discuss the internal collapse of the Soviet Union, Reagan-Gorbachev diplomacy, NATO expansion and Russian backlash, and how Cold War-era decisions shape Armenia’s geopolitical choices today, including Matlock’s firsthand observations of Soviet Armenia during glasnost and the Nagorno Karabakh movement.
Groong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- Recollections from Soviet South Caucasus
- Why the Soviet Union collapsed
- How the Cold War ended
- Reagan and Gorbachev’s diplomacy
- America’s post-Cold War triumphalism
- NATO expansion and Russian backlash
- Great-power rivalry in the Caucasus
- Armenia’s geopolitical choices today
Episode 580 | Recorded: Aug 27, 2026
#JackMatlock #ColdWar #SovietUnion #Reagan #Gorbachev #NATO #Russia #SouthCaucasus #Armenia
Clips from this episode
Why the Soviet Union Collapsed from Within, Not by Western Pressure
Secretary Baker's 'Not One Inch' Promise: NATO Expansion and the Two Plus Four Treaty
Matlock Witnessed Stalin's Statue Fall in Yerevan
The West Used Double Standards: Iraq, Libya, and Russia's Response
Reagan Never Insulted Soviet Leaders, Unlike Modern Diplomacy
Armenia Must Avoid Zero-Sum Geopolitics and Preserve Regional Relations
