Publications - RCDS

Democracy Watch

April 22, 2024

Assault on opposition activist, attack on the media, controversial land deals and procurements by ruling party members

Introduction Welcome to DEMOCRACY WATCH, brought to you by CivilNet and the Regional Center for Democracy and Security. Weekly recaps will highlight and examine the pivotal challenges facing Armenia’s democratic institutions. Political Repression On April 15, opposition activist Samvel Vardanyan confronted ruling party deputy Hakob Aslanyan on a bus and began insulting him. After this […]

Democracy Watch

March 29, 2024

Call for transparency, divisive rhetoric and political polarization

The past week saw a surge in the use of divisive and polarizing language by key political figures in Armenia. The government’s decision earlier this month to initiate the delimitation process with Azerbaijan has sparked a significant public backlash, as many see the government’s current approach as unilateral and devoid of consensus. Here are three […]

Publications

March 28, 2024

Populism and Armenia’s foreign policy

This article is available only in Armenian.

Publications

March 27, 2024

Assessing Armenia’s Military Diversification Efforts: Partnerships with India and France

France and India have now emerged as Armenia’s primary arms suppliers. Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan expressed optimism about the new agreements, saying in February that they “will enhance the future of the army and the quality of armaments.” After the border clashes in September 2022, Armenia recognized that the Russian arms and military equipment […]

Publications

February 20, 2024

Armenian media should build trust, not sacrifice it for more clicks

The media is the least trusted institution among the Armenian public. According to the results of the CRRC’s Caucasus Barometer survey, in 2022, 73% of respondents said they do not trust the media. Another survey conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation among youth in Armenia in 2022 again indicated low trust in the media. Only 12% of respondents […]

Publications

February 2, 2024

RCDS insights: baku pushes for a new armenian constitution

What On January 18, Nikol Pashinyan called for a new constitution for Armenia, citing the need to enhance the country’s viability amidst changing geopolitical dynamics, emphasizing that he is not talking about a change in governance. Context On December 6, Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, expressed Baku’s anticipations for assurances against potential Armenian revanchism. After […]

Publications

December 25, 2023

Exploring the Impact on International Law Amid Nagorno-Karabakh Ethnic Cleansing, with Sheila Paylan

In this episode of the DemSecurity Podcast, Tigran Grigoryan, head of the RCDS, hosted international Human Rights lawyer Sheila Paylan. Together, they delved into various aspects of the relationship between international law and the events unfolding in Nagorno-Karabakh. They started by questioning the effectiveness of the rules-based order in preventing, regulating, and responding to […]

Publications

November 3, 2023

RCDS Insights – Armenia’s Efforts to Maintain Control Over Transport Routes

What: Armenia presents its vision, entitled “Crossroads of Peace”, to safeguard sovereign control over regional transport links. Context: On October 26, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan visited Tbilisi to present Yerevan’s vision for regional transport links, named “Crossroads of Peace”. The opening of regional transport links, blocked for more than three decades, is seen as […]

Publications

November 3, 2023

New Paradigm of Civil-Military Relations Dissected: Defense Reform Problematic

This publication is available only in Armenian.