Opinion

The Eagle and the Trident

With Zelenskyy’s potential visit to Armenia in the coming days, Justin Tomczyk writes that Ukraine’s experience over the past two years can provide insights into how smaller democracies must fight against their larger, authoritarian neighbors.
Cyber Operations and International Law

Cyber Operations and International Law

In the ever-evolving landscape of modern warfare, the significance of cyber operations has grown significantly, providing nations with additional means to project power, exert influence and secure strategic advantages. Davit Khachatryan looks at the contemporary nature of conflicts in the digital age and their adherence to the foundational principles established by the UN.

Can Armenia Be Independent?

Can Armenia Be Independent?

In a voluminous collection of texts, historian and former diplomat Jirair Libaridian examines the reasons behind the moral, military and intellectual defeat of the Armenian elite in the context of three issues: the contemporary history of the Republic of Armenia, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and Armenian-Turkish relations.

In Search of Meaning

In Search of Meaning

Armenia has been on a slow descent into turmoil, politically fractured and spiritually tainted by the corruption of men and their egos, writes Tigran Yegavian. Recent tragedies have shaken the Armenian nation forcing the need to reassess the foundations of the Armenian cause and formulate a strategic vision.

To Rise, First You Must Burn

To Rise, First You Must Burn

Three years ago today, on September 27, Azerbaijan launched a catastrophic war against Artsakh, leaving thousands dead and swathes of territory captured. Three years on, the world is witnessing the mass exodus of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh.

Building Fortress Armenia

Building Fortress Armenia

Raffi Kassarjian introduces the concept of a national, collective effort to safeguard the independence, democratic principles and complete territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia where every square cm is protected, with no compromises or territorial concessions of any kind to any external threats or demands.

Armenians as a Spacial and Digital Global Nation

Armenians as a Spacial and Digital Global Nation

A state that provides security for its people and ensures prosperity requires an innovative paradigm for nationhood, a model of an entirely new caliber of a digitally interlinked nation. Armenia must assume a pivotal role as a nucleus, with the diaspora emerging with a significant constellation of centers.

We Are Forever Our Mountains

We Are Forever Our Mountains

If we can turn off the noise for just a moment amid this fresh hellish phase, we might regain the panoramic clarity that we remain, as our mountains, firmly rooted in the crust of the earth from which we eternally rise, writes Sheila Paylan.

Considering the Worst-Case Scenario

Considering the Worst-Case Scenario

The images coming out of Stepanakert depict the terrifying spectacle of a population starving, thirsty, harassed and terrorized, while the world seems to look on with almost complete indifference. What could be the worst-case scenario, and to what extent will those involved respond?

When a Bad Peace Is Worse Than War

When a Bad Peace Is Worse Than War

Diplomacy, or more accurately diplomatic coercion, may ultimately avoid another war, but the endgame that the mediators seem certain to impose on the Artsakh Armenians would be nothing short of a total unilateral capitulation, writes Karena Avedissian.

The Dangerous Emptiness of Hate

The Dangerous Emptiness of Hate

The persistence of the hate-induced discourses and practices in Azerbaijan before and especially after the 2020 Artsakh War is indicative of the structural role of hatred in the political order created by the Aliyev regime.

A Peace to Fail All Peace

A Peace to Fail All Peace

International mediators have to step up their pressure on Baku, which must include the threat of sanctions in response to further military action against Armenia and continued refusal to unblock the Lachin Corridor.

The New Golden Age of Armenophobia

The New Golden Age of Armenophobia

The West has its “causes célebres” where repressive language against minorities would be countered with outrage. Minorities less propitiously situated in the West’s configuration of interests are worthy of an embarrassed silence. Kevork Oskanian explains.

Name the Aggressor

Name the Aggressor

Following Azerbaijan’s latest attack, this time against Armenia proper, international actors are calling on both sides to de-escalate the situation. Bothsidism in this context is ridiculous, tiresome, and shameful. Not naming the aggressor or who is benefiting from violence is not a neutral act. It is not telling the truth.

Can the Village Be Overcome?

Can the Village Be Overcome?

A response to Gaidz Minassian’s article that explored the asphyxiating spirit of the “village” pitted against the “polity” argues that renouncing the village in favor of the polity may be redundant, since the village might be all that we have.

The Supremacy of State Interests

The Supremacy of State Interests

Almost all systemic and structural political and military weaknesses of Armenia share a fundamental root cause: the chronic absence of a culture and tradition of Statehood, both in the mindset of the political leadership and the general public.

Democracy: Threat or Opportunity?

Democracy: Threat or Opportunity?

Armenia's bid to pursue an independent and sovereign policy as a democracy was perceived to have a geopolitical context. The danger was in not seeing that reality, not evaluating it, and not recalculating domestic, foreign and security policy accordingly.

The Multilayered Causes of the War

The Multilayered Causes of the War

A unique combination of causal factors at different levels made the 44-day war possible. Tigran Grigoryan presents a systematic and comprehensive explanation of the structural conditions and circumstances behind Azerbaijan’s large-scale offensive.

Trudeau’s Armenian Scandal

Trudeau’s Armenian Scandal

Canada has a finely-crafted international image as a champion of human rights. While different factors contributed to the outcome of the 2020 Artsakh War, one of them, the Turkish Bayraktar drone used against Artsakh, was heavily reliant on target acquisition optics made by a Canadian company.

Geography is Inescapable

Following Moscow’s facilitation of the ceasefire agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War, some are asking whether Armenia should pursue “more Russia or less Russia.” The reality of the matter is that geography is inescapable.

Armenia’s Trump

Armenia’s Trump

Although Nikol Pashinyan and Donald Trump are different in demeanor and policy, both lean heavily on the populist playbook. Each is more comfortable fighting against resistant forces rather than governing through institutions.

A Road Map to Where?

A Road Map to Where?

Instead of presenting a detailed plan to help guide the country toward a number of clearly-defined national goals, PM Nikol Pashinyan’s road map resembled a laundry list of necessary post-war actions to take to mitigate the fallout.

It Has To Be Said: She

In this week’s “It Has To Be Said” editorial, Maria Titizian reflects on the latest domestic violence case in Armenia that left a woman dead and her 13-year-old daughter fighting for her life.

Is the Diaspora Patriotic Enough?

Is the Diaspora Patriotic Enough?

If we are to develop and build a functional relationship between the Homeland and the Armenian Diaspora, we need to understand the discrepancy between the Diaspora’s devotion to Armenianness and the Republic of Armenia’s vision for the Armenian world.

A Crime Against Humanity, History and Memory

A Crime Against Humanity, History and Memory

After a decades-long struggle by the Armenian-American community, the U.S. House of Representatives officially recognized the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Maria Titizian writes about the significance of this resolution for her and all Armenians, despite the motivations behind the vote.

An Unfinished Revolution

An Unfinished Revolution

During an hour-long speech in Stepanakert, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan set out his government’s strategic goals for 2050. However, 24 hours earlier, he disclosed that a secret document from the previous regime had confirmed the country was in a state of institutional collapse.

Black or White? No, Thank You

The divisive “black or white” tone of the political campaign is not lending itself to the very ideals that the Velvet Revolution promised - pluralism, choices, diversity and freedom. On Election Day, people should vote according to their conscience and preferences, not out of pressure to be with the “right” crowd.

No Parliament for Rich, Old Men

Dr. Nerses Kopalyan provides an in-depth analysis of the parties and coalition of parties that are running for the Dec. 9 snap parliamentary elections. Of the 11 political forces preparing for the campaign, Kopalyan writes, only six are competitive and have the capacity to influence and effect the policy discourse during the campaign.

Waiting For the Opposition

Waiting For the Opposition

Following the Velvet Revolution and the ensuing political instability, it seems residents in Armenia will be heading to the polls in snap parliamentary elections in December. The issue of the formation of a constructive political opposition has been part of the public discourse over the past several months.

Backroom Machinations and the Shadow of a Mandate

Backroom Machinations and the Shadow of a Mandate

The dramatic events of October 2, highlights the fundamental political paradox in Armenia – a Prime Minister with no parliamentary majority governs the executive branch in a parliamentary republic – and we experienced both sides “flexing their muscles” to demonstrate their respective powers, Raffi Kassarjian writes.

Armen Grigoryan

Artsakh: War or Stalemate?

Political analyst Armen Grigoryan writes that negotiations for a peaceful settlement of the Artsakh conflict have hit a wall and resulted in escalations on the frontline bolstering Azerbaijan's inclination towards a military solution to the conflict.

Time to Leave Emotions Aside

Time to Leave Emotions Aside

Following a series of extraordinary events in Armenia that has come to be coined as the “Velvet Revolution,” it is now time to put emotions aside and begin the process of evaluating those events objectively and by applying several academic disciplines, writes Vahram Ter-Matevosyan.

The Slow March to Media Suppression?

What Happens When the Resistance Wins?

In Armenia, there are individuals with diverging views (i.e. liberals, nationalists, leftists, feminists), self-defined as being part of one group by the default of being opposed to the regime. But what happens when differences in the views and desires of people became visible and a plurality of visions regarding Armenia’s future emerges?

Dignity, Human Rights and the Politician

Dignity, Human Rights and the Politician

How we treat the most vulnerable in our society is a reflection of ourselves. December 10 is Human Rights Day – the day the UN General Assembly, in 1948, adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this essay, Maria Titizian writes about dignity and how certain politicians view the condition of Armenia's poverty-stricken.

The Value of a Woman’s Life

The Value of a Woman’s Life

Armenia’s parliament is set to discuss a bill on domestic violence that was significantly watered down after pressure from conservative groups and the ruling Republican Party. In this opinion piece, Maria Titizian ponders how a nation that reveres mothers and the traditional Armenian family can be divided on the necessity for such a law.

Memories of the Future

Memories of the Future

An experimental film and an introspective by Seda Grigoryan where her experiences of covering the Daredevils of Sassoun saga merge with impressions and sentiments from a visit to Western Armenia.

Misplaced Fear

Misplaced Fear

At the height of the Erebuni siege last year by the Daredevils of Sassoun, a group of journalists were allowed into the compound. "Misplaced Fear" is a journalistic and a photographic essay by Roubina Margossian, who was working for CivilNet at the time and provides an inside view of the events that day and also reflects on developments of the past year.

How to Work with Russia?

How to Work with Russia?

Why did Armenia not take more proactive measures when it knew that Moscow was actively developing its military-political dialogue with Baku? In this analysis, Areg Galstyan looks at the complex relationships in the South Caucasus and policies that Russia implements with both Armenia and Azerbaijan.