Armenian News Network - Groong: Week In Review Podcast
Weekly review of Armenian News from https://groong.org. Keeping up with news related to Armenia and Armenians can be challenging; the sheer volume of news in the past few years has increased greatly, and the rise of the “Fake News” phenomenon contributing to the erosion of trust in the news media. The diversity of languages used by the worldwide Armenian community also poses a challenge for Armenian news; there is a significant portion of news that originates in Armenian, sometimes in Russian, and does not get adequately translated into English, or Western Armenian, for those in the Diaspora who are not proficient in Eastern Armenian. Finally, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the political turbulence in countries where significant communities of the Armenian Diaspora reside, be it Syria, Lebanon, the United States, etc., many of our friends and colleagues indicate that they’re simply overloaded with information and lack the time and energy to separate the good from the bad. So we’re creating this weekly digest of news and analysis that we find relevant to share with our friends and the wider ANN/Groong audience. Our goal is to provide a brief overview of the main headlines of the past week, and then cover a smaller set of the more important developments, curated by ANN/Groong editors and contributors who spend an inordinate amount of time daily to process Armenian news. We hope that over time this podcast will help our listeners in becoming more astute consumers of Armenian news. We will strive to provide a rich set of notes with each installation, with links to the most relevant articles and information as a starting point for your further investigation.
Episodes
525 episodes
YoungMin - Travel Blogger’s Visit to Occupied and Ethnically Cleansed Artsakh | Ep 526, Mar 22, 2026
Conversations on Groong - March 22, 2026South Korean travel blogger YoungMin visited Artsakh after Azerbaijan's 2023 ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, becoming one of the few independent foreign visitors to document conditions on the...
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Episode 526
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47:55
Eldar Mamedov - Iran War: The Northern Front | Ep 525, Mar 22, 2026
Conversations on Groong - March 22, 2026Topics:Iran at WarThe Northern Front: Turkey & AzerbaijanChanging Nakhijevan's ConstitutionGuest: Eldar MamedovHosts
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Episode 525
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47:14
Varuzhan Geghamyan - Iran War, Zangezur Corridor, Nakhijevan Constitution | Ep 524, Mar 20, 2026
Conversations on Groong - March 20, 2026Topics:Iran at WarThe Northern Front: Turkey & AzerbaijanChanging Nakhijevan’s ConstitutionGuest:
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Episode 524
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1:06:52
Scott Horton - Why Are We at War with Iran? | Ep 523, Mar 20, 2026
Conversations on Groong - March 20, 2026Topics - Why this war began - U.S. fallout and political costs - Paths to wider regional escalationGuest: Scott HortonHosts: - Hovik M...
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Episode 523
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54:05
Arthur Martirosyan - Iran War, Effect on Armenia, June Parliamentary | Ep 522, Mar 15, 2026
Groong Week in Review - March 15, 2026Arthur Martirosyan examines the ongoing U.S.–Israel war on Iran and its uncertain trajectory, focusing on escalation risks, strategic objectives, and potential diplomatic offramps. The discuss...
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Episode 522
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51:25
Hrant Mikaelian - Iran War Update, IRI Poll Review, Armenian Political Landscape | Ep 521, Mar 8, 2026
We discuss with Hrant Mikaelian the expanding war on Iran and what it could mean for the region. We took a close look at the latest IRI poll and its disputed methodology and findings, and the emerging shape of Armenia’s parliamentary race. Hran...
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Episode 521
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1:17:02
Hrant Mikaelian - Iran War, Effect on Armenia, Sumgait Pogroms, | Ep 520, Mar 1, 2026
Groong Week in Review - March 1, 2026TopicsUS and Israel launch war against IranDecapitation strikes, mass civilian casualtiesIran retaliates region-wide, war expandsArmenia leadership...
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Episode 520
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49:23
Dziunik Aghajanian - Iran War Fears, June Vote Rules, State-Church Clash | Ep 519, Feb 22, 2026
Groong Week in Review - February 22, 2026Topics:Iran War FearsJune Parliamentary ElectionsAttacks on the Armenian ChurchGuest: Dziunik AghajanianHosts:...
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Episode 519
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55:13
Zaroui Pogossian - Vardanank, The Battle of Avarayr in 451 AD | Ep 518, Feb 24, 2026
Groong Deep History - February 24, 2026In the inaugural Groong Deep History episode, historian Prof. Zaroui Pogossian joins the show to unpack the Vardanank wars and the Battle of Avarayr (451 AD). The conversation sets the longer politi...
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Episode 518
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1:09:37
JD Vance in Armenia and Azerbaijan | Ep 517, Feb 15, 2026
Conversations on Groong - Feb 15, 2026TopicsVance visit, protocol and opticsTsitsernakaberd tweet, “autocorrect diplomacy”TRIPP corridor stake and sovereignty risksNuclear SMR deal, costs a...
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Episode 517
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1:01:34
Philippe Raffi Kalfayan - Europe and America, JD Vance in Armenia, Pashinyan vs. The Armenian Church | Ep 516, Feb 8, 2026
Groong Week in Review - February 8, 2026TopicsA European View of AmericaJD Vance in ArmeniaPashinyan vs. The Armenian ChurchEurope and ArmeniaGuest
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Episode 516
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1:01:42
James Carden & Pietro Shakarian - Global Affairs in the Age of Trump 2.0 | Ep 515, Feb 7, 2026
Global Affairs in the Age of Trump 2.0Conversations on GroongTopicsTrump 2.0 and the “Donroe Doctrine”Rules-Based Disorder?Iran vs. the “Big, Beautiful Armada”US Cohesion and Mi...
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Episode 515
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1:07:56
Andrei Tsygankov - Canceling Russia and The Towers of the Kremlin | Ep 514, Feb 5, 2026
Conversations on Groong - February 5, 2026Topics:Defining the “Canceling Russia” phenomenonThe “cancel Russia” lobbyContainment shifts to coercive transformationRussian Orthodox Churc...
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Episode 514
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1:18:06
Christian Solidarity International Visits Jailed Armenian Clergy | Ep 513, Feb 4, 2026
Conversations on Groong - February 4, 2026Topics:CSI Visits Jailed ClericIRF SummitPACE MP Speaks UpGuest: Joel Veldkam...
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Episode 513
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24:46
Iran, Varchaband, War on Church, Mehmet Oz, Strong Armenia, Noragyugh | Ep 512, Feb 1, 2026
Groong Week in Review - February 1, 2026Topics: - Iran Conflict - Varchaband - War on Armenian Church - Mehmet Oz vs Armenian Americans - Narek Karapetyan and Strong Armenia - ...
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Episode 512
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52:19
David Davidian - Armenia’s Foreign Intel Service Annual Report | Ep 511, Jan 31, 2026
Conversations on Groong - Jan 31, 2026Topics: - Foreign intelligence service - FIS report, strategic gaps - Azerbaijan risk and deterrence - Hybrid threats and elections - TRIPP, ...
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Episode 511
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44:05
Arthur Khachatryan - Army Day, JD Vance to Armenia, TRIPP, Church, Strong Armenia Party | Ep 510, Jan 25, 2026
Groong Week in Review - January 25, 2026Topics:Memorial Day vs. Army DayJD Vance to Armenia and AzerbaijanArmenian Church DevelopmentsStrong Armenia - New Political Party<...
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Episode 510
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45:52
Erhan Arik - Horovel and the Armenian Genocide | Ep 509, Jan 22, 2026
Horovel and the Armenian Genocide | Ep 509, Jan 22, 2026The Critical Corner - Recorded on January 18, 2026TopicsHorovel, a cross-border memory projectOjakh, a second trip down memory l...
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Episode 509
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1:26:03
Sergei Melkonian - Syria, Iran Unrest, TRIPP, Armenian Parliamentary Elections | Ep 508, Jan 18, 2026
Groong Week in Review - January 18, 2026Topics:Syria, Kurds, Turkish advanceIran unrest, war postponedTRIPP and sovereignty dispute2026 elections, foreign influenceGues...
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Episode 508
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1:09:12
Anna Grigoryan - Armenia’s Political Crisis | Ep 507, Jan 17, 2026
Conversations on Groong - January 17, 2026Topics:Return of Four HostagesPashinyan vs. ChurchTRIPPArmenia Parliamentary ElectionGuest
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Episode 507
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1:13:14
Pietro Shakarian - Iran, Russia, and the Geopolitics of Post-Soviet Eurasia | Ep 506, Jan 16, 2026
Conversations on Groong - January 16, 2026TopicsUnrest in IranRussia-Iran PartnershipSolovyov’s StatementsTrump’s “TRIPP Wire” in the CaucasusRelease of Armenian hostages
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Episode 506
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1:04:09
Arthur Martirosyan - Ukraine, Iran, Baku Pogroms, Armenian Church Crisis | Ep 505, Jan 11, 2026
Groong Week in Review - January 11, 2026TopicsUkraine war’s global cost to RussiaIran unrest and war riskRemembering the Baku pogromsRussia-Armenia tensions and media threatsP...
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Episode 505
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1:09:24
Kevork Hagopjian - Armenia’s Church-State Showdown | Ep 504, Jan 13, 2026
Conversations on Groong - January 13, 2026Topics:The Legal Architecture: Autonomy, Exclusive Mission, and State NeutralityEngineering Parallel, Schismatic StructuresCriminal Law as Leverage
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Episode 504
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59:09