The Dangers of the “Ruleless” World (By Benyamin Poghosyan)

The United States President Donald J. Trump’s decision to recognize Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights brought upon criticism and admiration from both anti- and pro-Israeli groups worldwide. However, most parts of the discussion were focused on the damage or gains of that step for

Internal Discord in CSTO May Be Pushing Armenia to Leave Russia-Led Alliance (By Eduard Abrahamyan)

The issue of naming a new secretary general of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has become another bone of contention between supposed allies Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The alliance’s heretofore formal head, General Yuri Khachaturov, a former chief of the General

Understanding Armenia’s Syrian Gamble (By Eduard Abrahamyan)

Following bilateral closed-door talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, on September 8, Armenia’s interim Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told journalists that Russia and Armenia would soon launch a “joint humanitarian mission” in Syria (Azatutyun.am, September 8). The operation, apparently requested by

Opinion: Is this the end for the post-cold war world order? (By Benyamin Poghosyan)

Last week world attention was focused on two key international summits – the G7 in Canada and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in China. The first was a gathering of advanced economies, with established democratic institutions and traditions, the second a summit

Velvet Revolution in Armenia: Russia Stays on the Sidelines (By Loosineh Markarian)

Armenia’s “velvet revolution”, dubbed as the “revolution of love and tolerance”, occurred against the backdrop of rising authoritarian tendencies globally and in a region characterized by authoritarian politics. Opposition leader turned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan led a widespread campaign of civil disobedience against

Turkey and Russia aspire to replace a century of western domination of the Middle East (By Benyamin Poghosyan)

A “eurasianist” ideology is helping to consolidate a Russia – Turkey strategic alliance, as a viable tool to achieve long-term strategic interests in the Middle East and beyond, says Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed. The security architecture of the Middle East is in

Whither Turkey? The Old, the New and the Not-So-New in 2018 (By Joe Hammoura)

Like a typical adolescent, bent on asserting his phallic worth through projecting raw force right and left – thereby creating a constant scene – Turkey would remain interesting as a site of constant political and economic drama or tragedy, depending on who you

Armenia, the Turkish threat, and the Russian antidote (By Benyamin Poghosyan)

The Afrin events are being used to assert the notion that without Russian military guarantees, and a Russian military base deployed in Armenia, Yerevan will be under a constant threat from a potential Turkish offensive, says Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed. Turkey’s military

Armenia Pushes to Reinvigorate Its Relationship With NATO (By Eduard Abrahamyan)

Armenia—Russia’s closest ally in the South Caucasus—appears intent on revitalizing its partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This agenda turned explicit on February 27–28, when Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan paid a visit to Brussels. Besides holding several important meetings with high-level

Armenia-Belarus Friction Gaining Momentum (By Eduard Abrahamyan)

  Amidst intensifying tensions with Russia (see EDM, February 6, 14), Belarus’s relations with another erstwhile ally, Armenia, are also deteriorating. Even though, Armenia and Belarus are both members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance, their bilateral relationship is