Why Russia Is Trying to Influence Armenia’s Elections
Moscow feels threatened by Armenia’s foreign policy pivot toward Europe and the United States.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Turkey’s Missile Ambitions Should Alarm Europe and the United States
For years, European officials viewed Turkey’s growing defense industry as an important asset. Turkish drones proved effective in conflicts from Libya to Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine. Ankara...
Op-eds
An Anniversary That Should Serve as Warning for Russia’s Allies
May 14 occupies a symbolic place in Russia’s military imagination. It marks the anniversary of the creation of the Warsaw Pact in 1955 and, nearly half a century later, the founding of the Collective...
Op-eds
SADAT: Turkey’s Wagner Group
The SADAT International Defense Consultancy has grown into a key instrument of Turkish influence in Africa and the Middle East.
Op-eds
Turkey-Israel tensions deepen amid Erdogan’s confrontational policy
Ankara’s anti-Israel campaign under Erdogan signals a deeper strategic confrontation and rising Middle East tensions.
Op-eds
Russia the Arsonist Wants to Play Firefighter
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to use Moscow’s close ties with Iran to restore calm in the Middle East after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which he condemned as “unprovoked aggression.”...
Op-eds
Russia Escalates Early Election Interference in Armenia as Yerevan Deepens Its Pivot Toward the West
Russia has launched an unusually early disinformation campaign targeting Armenia’s June 2026 parliamentary elections, according to a report published last week by the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard. Since April, Kremlin-linked networks have pushed false narratives across multiple platforms, aiming to erode trust in Armenia’s democratic institutions, discredit Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s pro-Western government, and create instability that could help pro-Russia actors regain influence. The campaign comes as Armenia has sought to distance itself from Russia while aligning more closely with Europe and the United States, diminishing Moscow’s influence in a region it has long dominated.
Policy Briefs
UN Adds 68 Companies to Blacklist of Firms With Business Ties to Israeli Communities in West Bank
Controversial UN Blacklist Updated: The United Nations added 68 companies on September 26 to the blacklist of firms it claims are violating Palestinian human rights by conducting...
Flash Briefs
Armenia–Azerbaijan deal worries Iran
Washington brokered an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on August 8 aimed at opening a transit corridor through the South Caucasus. The new agreement replaces the original Zangezur...
Op-eds
In the Caucasus, Donald Trump Has an Opportunity
With Azerbaijan defying Russia, the region has the opportunity to clinch a historic peace deal.
Op-eds
Iranian and Armenian militaries drill as Azerbaijan hosts Israel-Turkey talks
Iran and Armenia held their first joint military exercises, “Peace,” near their shared border region of Nodruz on April 9 and 10, according to the Armenian Defense Ministry and the Islamic...
Op-eds
Erdogan Accuses Israel of Intending to Invade Turkey
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin’s Netanyahu government harbored ambitions that include the capture of Anatolia as part of “Greater Israel,” warning of...
Policy Briefs
Erdogan’s private military company looks to raise an Islamist army
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks a role for Turkey in Gaza’s post-war reconstruction if not governance, and the Biden administration appears ready to accede to this request. Others also see...
Op-eds
Enough is enough: NATO must suspend cooperation with Turkey
Under the brutally authoritarian rule of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, its diehard Islamist president, it has stood out as the alliance’s greatest liability.
Op-eds
Turkey Threatens to Invade Israel
Speaking to members of his governing party on July 28, 2024, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey threatened to invade Israel. Erdogan’s inflammatory rhetoric suggests Ankara may pursue a more escalatory...
Policy Briefs
Turkey’s President Threatens Military Action Against Israel
Latest Developments Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened military action against Israel on July 28, a day after 12 children in the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams were killed by a rocket...
Flash Briefs
Iran reestablishes its presence in the Caucuses with Armenian arms deal
Iran and Armenia recently signed a $500 million arms deal, Iran International reported on July 24. The deal includes various military equipment Tehran will supply to Yerevan, including Shahed...
Op-eds
Armenia Unilaterally Recognizes Palestinian State
Armenia became the latest United Nations (UN) member state to unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood on June 21. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “has...
Flash Briefs
Iranian Proxies Wreak Havoc Beyond the Middle East
Azerbaijan and Pakistan are two lesser known victims of Iranian proxy attacks.
Op-eds
The CSTO: With Friends Like the Kremlin, Who Needs Enemies?
Armenia’s snubbing of the latest Moscow-led summit may be the first indication that Russia’s allies are beginning to realize that the glue that binds is past its sell-by date.