Pietro A. Shakarian is a lecturer in history at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan, and a historian of Armenia, Russia, and the Caucasus, with a particular focus on Soviet Armenia during the era of Nikita Khrushchev's Thaw. He earned his Ph.D. in History at Ohio State University, his MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, his MLIS at Kent State University, and his BA in History at John Carroll University in Cleveland. He has also written analyses on current affairs in Russia, Armenia, and post-Soviet space for various publications, including The Nation magazine, Hetq, the Russian International Affairs Council, and more.