Politics
Iran’s Domestic Crisis and Implications for Armenia
Nationwide unrest and escalating repression in Iran are reshaping regional security dynamics, with growing risks of external escalation. For Armenia, the crisis heightens exposure to border instability, trade disruption, and diplomatic strain, testing Yerevan’s ability to balance relations amid a shifting deterrence landscape.
Opinion
Honor Thy Dead
A new national day of remembrance raises difficult questions about memory, truth and accountability, especially after the 2020 Artsakh War. Honoring the dead requires more than ritual, or a date on a calendar, it demands names, transparency and a truthful reckoning with how and why the war was lost.
Raw & Unfiltered
Cold Waters, Long Nights: Tales of Sevan’s Fishermen
A portrait of Noratus fishermen on Lake Sevan reveals nights of cold, risk and fragile livelihoods, following Armen and Vardan as they navigate storms, shrinking catches and limited choices, capturing a community bound to the lake for survival and dignity.
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A Print Shop in Kapan Turns the Page for Former Inmates
A social enterprise in Kapan is giving former inmates a second chance through steady work in a community print shop, challenging stigma, rebuilding skills and social ties, and offering a rare model for reintegration in a system long shaped by punishment rather than rehabilitation.
Read moreEnvironment
The Unloved Others: Invertebrate Conservation in Armenia
Examining how Armenia’s conservation priorities overlook invertebrates, despite their vital ecological roles, Anahit Ghazakhetsyan explores barriers of stigma, weak research and habitat loss, urging narratives that value the “unloved” species sustaining ecosystems.
It Has to Be Said
It Has to Be Said: Hybrid Warfare
Hybrid warfare isn’t fought with tanks, it’s fought with information. Ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, disinformation, cyber operations and AI-generated fakes are already shaping perceptions and eroding trust. In this episode, Maria Titizian explains how foreign information manipulation targets elections, why emotional content spreads fastest, and how citizens can protect themselves from becoming the final battlefield.
Creative Tech
When AI Speaks Armenian։ Podcastle’s New Voice for a Nation
Armenian finally sounds natural in AI. Elen Tovmasyan explores how Podcastle’s new Armenian text-to-speech technology could transform media, education, accessibility and diaspora engagement, while raising important questions about ethics, voice ownership and what it means for a “small” language to enter global AI systems.
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Why 2025 Mattered for Armenia’s Tech Sector
2025 may be remembered as a turning point for Armenia’s tech ecosystem, a year of long-term foundations taking shape. Ani Toroyan writes that while these developments open new opportunities they also raise expectations and if the past year was about setting direction, then 2026 will be about delivery.
Read moreLaw & Society
Armenia’s Long Road to Health Equity
Armenia has launched universal health coverage, replacing out-of-pocket payments with a national insurance system. After years of delay, the reform expands access and reframes healthcare as a social right rather than a privilege. The challenge is effective implementation, writes Hranoush Dermoyan.
Columns
Make it Major
Rejecting quick fixes and perfect starts, Sheila Paylan reframes New Year’s resolutions as bold, life-shaping commitments and encourages readers to stop quitting small promises and start pursuing the "major" goals that truly change a life.
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Armenian Language Opens Doors
Reflecting on learning Armenian and the unexpected doors it opened, from a late-night restaurant in Leipzig to a train station in Ghent, Maria Gunko reveals how this “small” language creates instant belonging within a global network shaped by kinship, hospitality and shared identity.
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The South Caucasus in an America-First World
One year after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the United States has turned sharply inward, opening an uneasy chapter with Europe. For the South Caucasus, this shift doesn’t necessarily signal renewed American engagement but rather a region increasingly shaped by decisions made elsewhere.
Read moreLIFESTYLE
Telling Times
From the passage of time to escape rooms and ski slopes, this month’s issue of SALT brings together stories that move between reflection and play, the intimate and the unexpected. The eclectic blend on offer explores multiple layers of life and living, from the curious to the unapologetically offbeat.
