Examining the Context

Disinformation campaigns are strategic tools designed to erode political culture rather than foster healthy debate. In this episode, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan explains how coordinated disinformation endangers Armenia’s resilience and security, and how society can build immunity against it.

On August 8, the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United States signed landmark agreements in Washington aimed at closing a chapter on decades of conflict and paving the way for normalization, economic connectivity and stability. Nerses Kopalyan joins us to explore how these accords came to be, the challenges and concerns they face, and the opportunities they present for the region’s future.

Following the 12-day Israel-Iran War and a dramatic U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, Armenia faces new geopolitical risks. Dr. Nerses Kopalyan joins us to examine the implications for Yerevan’s foreign policy, explore the limits of neutrality, and assess how Armenia can navigate rising regional volatility by utilizing strategic ambiguity.

Armenia hosted the second Yerevan Dialogue in partnership with France, India, and Poland. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the EVN Security Report series, talks about the strategic implications of this emerging partnership and what securitized minilateralism could mean for Armenia’s evolving security architecture.

In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Nerses Kopalyan unpacks Russia’s evolving strategy to undermine Armenia’s democracy, focusing on hybrid tactics, electoral interference, and soft power ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections and explores how these pressures could shape Armenia’s political future and societal resilience.

Is Aliyev genuinely pursuing peace, or is he using negotiations to cement his geopolitical gains? Nerses Kopalyan, author of the EVN Security Report series dissects Azerbaijan’s approach to the peace talks and explores the deeper reasons why Aliyev will not sign a peace deal with Armenia.

For the first time, a deep dive into Armenia’s intelligence community and its pivotal role in developing early warning systems. A conversation with Nerses Kopalyan, author of the EVN Security Report series, on the challenges, capabilities, and future of Armenian intelligence.

In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Nerses Kopalyan explains why Armenia’s efforts to rearm and build deterrence capabilities pose a direct challenge to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s grand strategy of maintaining military dominance over Yerevan. While a full-scale war remains unlikely, the risk of targeted strategic or surgical strikes against Armenia is high.

On January 14, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership Commission charter, a milestone in relations between the two nations. The agreement opens new pathways for deepening engagement in economic development, energy, security, democracy, justice, and people-to-people exchanges. Nerses Kopalyan provides contextual analysis and explains its strategic implications for Armenia.

In this episode of “Examining the Context”, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan delves into the emerging contours of the Trump Doctrine, shedding light on the competing policy orientations within his administration and their potential implications for the South Caucasus—particularly Armenia’s security landscape.