Examining the Context

In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan explains how decades of dependency on Russia, neglect of military modernization, and policy missteps by successive Armenian administrations left Armenia’s security apparatus idle as Azerbaijan emerged as a regional military power.

Armenia faces distinct security threats from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia, with Russia posing the most complex and severe challenge through cyber operations. In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Nerses Kopalyan explains the concept of subversion as a tenable risk-mitigation strategy against these threats.

In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan explains what U.S. foreign policy will hold for Armenia and the region if Kamala Harris wins in the upcoming presidential elections in the United States.

In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan explains the concept of defense diplomacy to understand the strategic framework guiding America’s increasing engagement with Armenia’s security landscape.

In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan notes that public discourse in Armenia incorrectly attempts to situate the country’s security context within the larger international constellation. He argues that a more cogent and empirically substantive approach can be established through the concept of Regional Security Complex Theory.

In this episode of "Examining the Context" podcast, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan talks about de-hybridization, a new trend in security studies. He discusses how states frequently targeted by hybrid attacks can develop strategies to counter and prevent the effectiveness of hybrid warfare.

In this episode of “Examining the Context” podcast, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan talks about how Armenia must anticipate, mitigate and deter the Aliyev regime's threats and potential attacks by gauging its coercive credibility through a threat matrix.

Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly series "EVN Security Report" talks about why establishing a Western pivot was crucial for Armenia to achieve an independent foreign policy and enhance its security capabilities. Kopalyan explains why this process involves pivoting first and only then adopting hedging strategies.

To strengthen and democratize its defense sector, Armenia needs to diversify access to armaments and advanced weapons systems and develop a comprehensive, well-structured and expert-driven procurement program. EVN Report’s Maria Titizian speaks with the author of “EVN Security Report” Dr. Nerses Kopalyan about the February 2024 security briefing.

For the January 2024 EVN Security Report, Dr. Nerses Kopalyan introduced a rationalist explanation of war to address the causal mechanisms shaping Aliyev’s incentives for being conflict-prone. He speaks with EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian about how rationalist models of war are applied to account for the decision-making and policy preferences of the Aliyev regime and why peace for the Azerbaijani president is deemed an “irrational” preference.