Examining the Security Context

Examining the Context: Azerbaijan’s Madman Strategy and the Normalization of Coercion

EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks with Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly series "EVN Security Report" who explains the madman theory, a strategy in coercive bargaining, where the perceived extremism of an actor is leveraged to achieve one-sided outcomes. In this context, Kopalyan explains how Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s bargaining posture operates off of the logic that if his terms are not met, he reserves the right to wage war, thus anchoring the threat of destruction to force acquiescence from Armenia and the international community.
Examining the Context: Strategic Obstructionism and a Potemkin Hegemon

Examining the Context: Strategic Obstructionism and a Potemkin Hegemon

EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks with Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly EVN Security Report, about the necessity of scenario and contingency planning to prepare courses of actions and outcomes to address unexpected situations and mitigate significant impact to Armenia due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and its effect upon Russia's domestic political order.

Examining the Context: The Geopoliticization of Democracy and the Problem of Illiberal Peace

Examining the Context: The Geopoliticization of Democracy and the Problem of Illiberal Peace

EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks with political scientist and international security expert Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly series "EVN Security Report" about the security context for March 2023. The briefing, entitled "The Geopoliticization of Democracy and the Problem of Illiberal Peace" looks at the growing Russian-Azerbaijani axis, and why Armenia must choose a liberal peacebuilding process over an authoritarian and illiberal peace process.

Examining the Context: Resilience

EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks with political scientist and international security expert Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly series "EVN Security Report" about the security context for February 2023. The briefing, entitled "Resilience" argues that Armenia must not only restructure its security architecture, but also develop comprehensive resiliency capabilities. Kopalyan defines five governance characteristics vital to building or effecting resilience: state capacity, selective decentralization, institutional memory, political inclusivity and strength of civil society.

Examining the Context: The Growing Russo-Azerbaijani Axis and Why Armenia Must Adopt a Porcupine Doctrine

EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks with political scientist and international security expert Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly series "EVN Security Report" about the security context for January 2023. Kopalyan argues that taking into consideration the security situation and guided by a strategy of deterrence-by-denial, Armenia must develop a "porcupine doctrine" to deter Azerbaijan's objectives and the destabilizing designs of the Aliyev regime.