Armenia in a Region of Change

by John Hughes The current United States Ambassador to Armenia, Marie Yovanovitch, assumed her post last August on the brink of war in the region (Georgia), and at the first sign of thaw in Armenia-Turkish relations in early September. She arrived, too, as her own nation was reeling in financial crisis and speculation of whether foreign aid—for which Armenia has been a prime recipient—could survive domestic need.

by John Hughes Time has done little toward healing a ruptured Armenia torn apart a year ago by violence that left 10 dead, a nation shattered, and a Diaspora in woeful wonder over when the homeland would ever attain mature democracy. The previous spring brought "Bloody Saturday," as on March 1, 2008 festering hatred convulsed into the teenage republic's worst demonstration of its vulnerability to internal unease, often stirred by men whose ambitions for power have had less to do with nation-building than with building personal empires.

by Haroutiun Khachatrian Isolated in many ways from world trends, land- and border-locked Armenia has not been spared the international financial crisis. As late as last October—nearly half a year after the Western world had panicked, authorities in Armenia were assuring their keep that Armenia was in good shape and well-insulated. Within a matter of weeks, though, those same officials had their hands out to institutional lenders and, specifically, to Russia, pleading for a "stabilizing" loan.

by Richard Giragosian

by Tony Halpin Armenia continues to bind itself ever more tightly to Russia, even as Caucasus neighbor Georgia's relationship with the superpower has been shattered by war and politics. Supporters of Armenia's foreign policy regarding Russia feel a sense of security within the bear's embrace while opponents worry that the hug is tightening over time into a life-threatening squeeze.

by Richard Giragosian According to a popular saying in the more nationalist circles in Turkey, the close relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan is defined as a natural alliance based on the principle of "one nation, two states." While such pan-Turkic solidarity is nothing new in the South Caucasus, it is a concept not unique to the Turks and Azeris. In fact, Armenia's relationship with Nagorno Karabakh is a much deeper and more illustrative model of the same principle.

by Aris Ghazinyan Armenia-Iran relations date back more than 2,500 years to a time when two kindred nations are believed to have developed from a common linguistic family. Notably, the term "Armenian" was first recorded in the 4th century B.C. by Persian king Darius. Up until the early 1800s, Yerevan was the center of a khanate that was a part of the Persian Empire.

by Aris Ghazinyan While Armenia's ties to Russia are being pulled tighter, relations with Caucasus neighbor Georgia are slipping on social and political levels, changing the character of a recently solid friendship that has seen historical ups and downs. When, in January, two Georgian Armenians were arrested on charges of espionage and of assembling an armed group in the predominantly Armenian region of Javakhk, simmering discontent among the Armenians was enflamed, renewing fears of "anti-Armenian" policies by Georgian authorities.

by Richard Giragosian