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

Anatol Lieven - Russia, Iran, Europe, and the Remaking of World Order | Ep 541, May 8, 2026

Conversations on Groong - May 8, 2026In this episode of Conversations on Groong, Dr. Anatol Lieven joins us to examine Russia’s place in a rapidly shifting global order. The discussion looks at the war in Ukraine, the state of Rus...

May 08, 2026 • Episode 541 • 1:06:00

Mikael Darbinian - Armenia’s Borders, TRIPP, and the Price of Weakness | Ep 540, May 6, 2026

Conversations on Groong - May 6, 2026This Conversations on Groong episode with Mikael Darbinian examines Armenia’s security crisis through the lens of the Strong Armenia doctrine. The discussion focuses on deterrence, diplom...

May 06, 2026 • Episode 540 • 1:02:33

Trump’s Iran Ceasefire, Operation Kochari, and Armenia’s Election Fog | Ep 539, May 3, 2026

Groong Week in Review - May 3, 2026This Groong Week in Review examines a volatile week across Armenia and the region. Asbed and Hovik discuss Trump’s declared ceasefire with Iran, the failed US-Iran talks in Islamabad, the continu...

May 05, 2026 • Episode 539 • 1:14:34

Hrair Balian - From Karabakh to TRIPP: Armenia’s Security Dilemma | Ep 538, May 3, 2026

Conversations on Groong - May 3, 2026In this Conversations on Groong episode, Hrair Balian joins us to discuss his book Anatomy of Peacemaking: Nagorno Karabakh Conflict & Missed Opportunities, the failure of diplomacy around ...

May 03, 2026 • Episode 538 • 1:16:50

Arega Hovsepyan - June 2026 Parliamentary Election in Armenia | Ep 537, Apr 30, 2026

Conversations on Groong - Apr 30, 2026In this Conversations on Groong episode, we speak with Arega Hovsepyan of the Strong Armenia party about Armenia’s June 2026 parliamentary elections, opposition politics, and the shifting geop...

April 29, 2026 • Episode 537 • 1:02:44

Arthur Martirosyan - Iran War, TRIPP, April 24, and Election Stakes | Ep 536, Apr 26, 2026

Groong Week in Review - April 26, 2026This Week in Review on Groong examines how the Iran war fallout and the extension of the ceasefire are reshaping Armenia’s geopolitical position. We break down the push for the TRIPP or Zange...

April 28, 2026 • Episode 536 • 1:09:35

Philippe Raffi Kalfayan - Monitoring the June 2026 Election in Armenia | Ep 535, Apr 26, 2026

Conversations on Groong - April 26, 2026Dr. Philippe Raffi Kalfayan joined Groong to discuss the International Observatory for Democracy in Armenia (IODA), its work ahead of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections, and the...

April 27, 2026 • Episode 535 • 1:05:22

Dmitry Suslov - War, Leverage, and Corridors, Russia’s View from All Fronts | Ep 534, Apr 25, 2026

Conversations on Groong - April 25, 2026In this episode of the Groong podcast, we speak with Dr. Dmitry Suslov about the shifting geopolitical landscape across the Iran war, the Ukraine conflict, and the South Caucasus. We exa...

April 25, 2026 • Episode 534 • 1:10:08

Warwick Powell - Thermoeconomics, Iran, and the New Geopolitical Economy | Ep 533, Apr 23, 2026

Conversations on Groong - April 23, 2026In this Conversations on Groong episode, Warwick Powell joins us to examine the Iran war through the lens of thermoeconomics, energy flows, de-dollarization, and shifting global power. We di...

April 22, 2026 • Episode 533 • 1:18:28

Dziunik Aghajanian - Iran War, Antalya, Armenian Parliamentary Elections | Ep 532, Apr 19, 2026

Groong Week in Review - April 19, 2026In this Week in Review episode, Ambassador Dziunik Aghajanian discusses the stalled Iran negotiations after the Islamabad talks, the renewed pressure around Hormuz and the naval blockade, Turkey’s po...

April 21, 2026 • Episode 532 • 1:07:13

Hovik & Asbed - Iran War, April 2016 War, Armenia & Russia, Politics & Election | Ep 530, Apr 5, 2026

Groong Week in Review - April 5, 2026Topics:Iran War Update2016 April WarAftermath of Pashinyan in MoscowDomestic Politics & ElectionHosts:Hovik Man...

April 19, 2026 • Episode 530 • 58:26

Hrant Mikaelian - US-Iran Talks, Orban Loses, Armenia, Polls | Ep 531, Apr 12, 2026

Groong Week in Review - April 12, 2026In this episode, we examine a fast-moving regional and political landscape, from the collapse of the US-Iran talks in Islamabad and the threat of a new naval blockade, to Viktor Orban’s electi...

April 15, 2026 • Episode 531 • 1:16:21

Pietro Shakarian - Iran War, Armenia and Russia, June Parliamentary Elections | Ep 529, Apr 4, 2026

Conversations on Groong - April 4, 2026In this episode of Conversations on Groong, Pietro Shakarian joins Hovik and Asbed to examine the Iran war, its impact on Russia, Ukraine, and the wider Eurasian balance, and what it means fo...

April 04, 2026 • Episode 529 • 1:01:01

Anna Karapetyan - Iran War, Pashinyan Fake Narratives, Fear-mongering, Silencing Talk of Artsakh | Ep 528, Mar 29, 2026

Groong Week in Review - March 29, 2026Our guest Anna Karapetyan focused on the widening Iran war and its possible fallout for Armenia, then turned to the narratives shaping Armenia’s election season. The discussion examined Pashinyan’s c...

March 31, 2026 • Episode 528 • 57:15

Hovik & Asbed - Karekin II travel-banned from Ilia II Funeral, Iran War, Armenia Parliamentary Election | Ep 527, Mar 22, 2026

Groong Week in Review - March 22, 2026This Week in Review featured Asbed and Hovik without a guest. We discussed the death of Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II and the Armenian government’s blocking of Catholicos of all Armeni...

March 24, 2026 • Episode 527 • 44:12

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...

March 22, 2026 • Episode 526 • 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

March 22, 2026 • Episode 525 • 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:

March 20, 2026 • Episode 524 • 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...

March 20, 2026 • Episode 523 • 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...

March 17, 2026 • Episode 522 • 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...

March 11, 2026 • Episode 521 • 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...

March 04, 2026 • Episode 520 • 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:...

February 26, 2026 • Episode 519 • 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...

February 24, 2026 • Episode 518 • 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...

February 14, 2026 • Episode 517 • 1:01:34