Armenian News Network - Groong: Week In Review Podcast

Conversations on Groong - May  6, 2026 This Conversations on Groong episode with Mikael Darbinian examines Armenia’s security crisis through the lens of the Strong Armenia doctrine. The discussion focuses on deterrence, diplomacy from a position of strength, Azerbaijani positions inside Armenia’s sovereign territory, the risks around TRIPP and the Zangezur Corridor, the rights of Artsakh Armenians...

Groong Week in Review - May 3, 2026 This Groong Week in Review examines a volatile week across Armenia and the region. Asbed and Hovik discuss Trump’s declared ceasefire with Iran, the failed US-Iran talks in Islamabad, the continuing naval blockade, and the wider political pressure shaping Washington’s war posture. The episode also covers “Operation Kochari,” the secret visit of Azerbaijani deput...

Conversations on Groong - May 3, 2026 In this Conversations on Groong episode, Hrair Balian joins us to discuss his book Anatomy of Peacemaking: Nagorno Karabakh Conflict & Missed Opportunities, the failure of diplomacy around Artsakh, and what Armenia should learn from the long collapse of the peace process. The conversation also looks at the Iran war, US and Israeli goals in the region, the...

Conversations on Groong - Apr 30, 2026 In this Conversations on Groong episode, we speak with Arega Hovsepyan of the Strong Armenia party about Armenia’s June 2026 parliamentary elections, opposition politics, and the shifting geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus. The discussion covers recent arrests of Strong Armenia members, political pressure on the opposition, and concerns about democr...

Groong Week in Review - April 26, 2026 This Week in Review on Groong examines how the Iran war fallout and the extension of the ceasefire are reshaping Armenia’s geopolitical position. We break down the push for the TRIPP or Zangezur Corridor and the claims of Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, and assess how they tie to regional power dynamics involving Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the United States....

Conversations on Groong - April 26, 2026 Dr. Philippe Raffi Kalfayan joined Groong to discuss the International Observatory for Democracy in Armenia (IODA), its work ahead of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections, and the risks it sees in the pre-election environment. The conversation covered IODA’s mission, its first fact-finding trip to Armenia, concerns about judicial control and admin...

Conversations on Groong - April 25, 2026 In this episode of the Groong podcast, we speak with Dr. Dmitry Suslov about the shifting geopolitical landscape across the Iran war, the Ukraine conflict, and the South Caucasus. We examine the fragile state of the Iran war and its impact on global trade and regional escalation, Russia’s strategic positioning, and the potential for a broader conflict invol...

Conversations on Groong - April 23, 2026 In this Conversations on Groong episode, Warwick Powell joins us to examine the Iran war through the lens of thermoeconomics, energy flows, de-dollarization, and shifting global power. We discuss how oil, gas, AI, data centers, and financial infrastructure shape modern conflict, why the dollar-based order is under pressure, and how BRICS and the Global Sout...

Groong Week in Review - April 19, 2026 In this Week in Review episode, Ambassador Dziunik Aghajanian discusses the stalled Iran negotiations after the Islamabad talks, the renewed pressure around Hormuz and the naval blockade, Turkey’s posture toward Israel and the region; Armenia’s lower-profile participation in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum; Russia’s shifting rhetoric on TRIPP and the South Cauca...

Groong Week in Review - April 5, 2026 Topics : Iran War Update 2016 April War Aftermath of Pashinyan in Moscow Domestic Politics & Election Hosts : Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian Episode 530 | Recorded: April 7, 2026 SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/530 VIDEO: https://youtu.be/QAkX9PiR484 #Groong #Armenia #IranWar #Pashinyan #ArmenianNews Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are:...

Groong Week in Review - April 12, 2026 In this episode, we examine a fast-moving regional and political landscape, from the collapse of the US-Iran talks in Islamabad and the threat of a new naval blockade, to Viktor Orban’s election loss in Hungary and what it may signal for Armenia and the wider region. We also dig into new polling from Armenia, including public views on security, the Iran war,...

Conversations on Groong - April 4, 2026 In this episode of Conversations on Groong, Pietro Shakarian joins Hovik and Asbed to examine the Iran war, its impact on Russia, Ukraine, and the wider Eurasian balance, and what it means for Armenia’s security and foreign policy. The discussion also looks at Pashinyan’s strained Moscow visit, the uncertain future of TRIPP, Armenia-Russia tensions, and the...

Groong Week in Review - March 29, 2026 Our guest Anna Karapetyan focused on the widening Iran war and its possible fallout for Armenia, then turned to the narratives shaping Armenia’s election season. The discussion examined Pashinyan’s claim to have delivered peace, the taboo around speaking about Artsakh and Artsakhtsis’ rights, the uncertainty around the TRIPP corridor project, the political us...

Groong Week in Review - March 22, 2026 This Week in Review featured Asbed and Hovik without a guest. We discussed the death of Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II and the Armenian government’s blocking of Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II from attending the funeral; the latest turn in the Iran war and what it could mean for Armenia and the wider region; Israel’s renewed ground operation in...

Conversations on Groong - March 22, 2026 South Korean travel blogger YoungMin visited Artsakh after Azerbaijan's 2023 ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, becoming one of the few independent foreign visitors to document conditions on the ground after more than 100,000 Armenians were forced from their ancestral homeland. In this episode, YoungMin discusses what motivated his trip, what he saw...

Conversations on Groong - March 22, 2026 Topics : Iran at War The Northern Front: Turkey & Azerbaijan Changing Nakhijevan's Constitution Guest : Eldar Mamedov Hosts : Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian Episode 525 | Recorded: March 20, 2026 SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/525 VIDEO: https://youtu.be/pWd_-iNIM8E #GroongPodcast #EldarMamedov #IranWar #Azerbaijan #SouthCaucasus Subsc...

Conversations on Groong - March 20, 2026 Topics : Iran at War The Northern Front: Turkey & Azerbaijan Changing Nakhijevan’s Constitution Guest : Varuzhan Geghamyan Hosts : Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026 SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/524 VIDEO: https://youtu.be/SQHD3lZxAwc #IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolit...

Conversations on Groong - March 20, 2026 Topics   - Why this war began   - U.S. fallout and political costs   - Paths to wider regional escalation Guest: Scott Horton Hosts:    - Hovik Manucharyan   - Asbed Bedrossian Episode 523 | Recorded: March 20, 2026 SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/523 #IranWar #ScottHorton #USIsrael #MiddleEastWar #Geopolitics Subscribe and follow us everywhere you...

Groong Week in Review - March 15, 2026 Arthur Martirosyan examines the ongoing U.S.–Israel war on Iran and its uncertain trajectory, focusing on escalation risks, strategic objectives, and potential diplomatic offramps. The discussion then turns to regional spillover effects, particularly the risks for Armenia amid Iran–Azerbaijan tensions and broader geopolitical shifts. We conclude with an analy...

We discuss with Hrant Mikaelian the expanding war on Iran and what it could mean for the region. We took a close look at the latest IRI poll and its disputed methodology and findings, and the emerging shape of Armenia’s parliamentary race. Hrant Mikaelian argued that Iran’s leadership transition signals greater resolve rather than collapse, that Azerbaijan is still constrained from direct action a...

Groong Week in Review - March 1, 2026 Topics US and Israel launch war against Iran Decapitation strikes, mass civilian casualties Iran retaliates region-wide, war expands Armenia leadership silent Sumgait remembered Guest Hrant Mikaelian Hosts Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian Episode 520 | Recorded: March 2, 2026 #IranWar #EpicFury #MiddleEastWar #ArmeniaForeignPolicy #Sumgait1988 #IranIsraelCon...

Groong Week in Review - February 22, 2026 Topics : Iran War Fears June Parliamentary Elections Attacks on the Armenian Church Guest : Dziunik Aghajanian Hosts : Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian Episode 519 | Recorded: February 25, 2026 SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/519 VIDEO: https://youtu.be/1FFkLOeY2lI #Armenia #Iran #ArmeniaElections #ArmenianChurch #SouthCaucasus Subscribe and foll...

Groong Deep History - February 24, 2026 In the inaugural Groong Deep History episode, historian Prof. Zaroui Pogossian joins the show to unpack the Vardanank wars and the Battle of Avarayr (451 AD). The conversation sets the longer political and religious context behind the conflict, explains what we can and cannot know from the main Armenian sources, and revisits the standard “moral victory” stor...

Conversations on Groong - Feb 15, 2026 Topics Vance visit, protocol and optics Tsitsernakaberd tweet, “autocorrect diplomacy” TRIPP corridor stake and sovereignty risks Nuclear SMR deal, costs and dependency Firebird AI project, power and value Drones, church silence, Baku charter and prisoners Hosts Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian Episode 517 | Recorded: February 13, 2026 SHOW NOTES: https://p...

Groong Week in Review - February 8, 2026 Topics A European View of America JD Vance in Armenia Pashinyan vs. The Armenian Church Europe and Armenia Guest Philippe Raffi Kalfayan Hosts Hovik Manucharyan Asbed Bedrossian Episode 516 | Recorded: February 9, 2026 https://podcasts.groong.org/516 Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong