Research

Research

Transition to a Professional Army: Analysis and Recommendations on the Transformation Concept of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia

By Eduard Arakelyan The Armed Forces Transformation Concept, designed for the 2024–2035 period, is an open professional document that coordinates the main directions of reform. The document is general in nature and does not contain detailed implementation mechanisms. In addition to the public component, there is a classified section covering governance, military science, troop training, […]

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Research

New RCDS Report: Towards an Asymmetric Defense Model – Building a Layered Drone Capability in Armenia

The Regional Center for Democracy and Security (RCDS) has published a new report by Louis-Mathieu Tartinville  and Eduard Arakelyan, Towards an Asymmetric Defense Model: Building a Layered Drone Capability in Armenia. The report examines Armenia’s military transformation and argues that, given the country’s structural disadvantage vis-à-vis Azerbaijan, conventional military parity is neither realistic nor sustainable. […]

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Research

Parliamentary Elections in Armenia and Hate Speech Against Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees: June 2026

By Hayk Khanumyan The campaign for Armenia’s 2026 National Assembly elections ended on June 5, with voting taking place on June 7. Compared to May—which was saturated with hate speech targeting forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh and featured incidents involving senior public officials, community leaders, and other political actors—June saw fewer such incidents involving high-ranking […]

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Research

Parliamentary Elections in Armenia and Hate Speech Against Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees: May 2026

By Tigran Grigoryan and Hayk Khanumyan On May 8, 2026, the official campaign period for the elections to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia commenced. The month of May was marked by unprecedented levels of hate speech, with the primary generators being representatives of the ruling Civil Contract Party and their supporters. Once […]

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Research

New RCDS Report: Comparing Russian Information Influence in Moldova and Armenia: Patterns, Challenges, and Specificities

The Regional Center for Democracy and Security has published a new report titled “Comparing Russian Information Influence in Moldova and Armenia: Patterns, Challenges, and Specificities.” The report examines how Russian foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) campaigns are constructed, disseminated, and adapted across two distinct post-Soviet environments, with a particular focus on the narratives, actors, […]

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Research

Parliamentary Elections in Armenia and Hate Speech Against Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees: April 2026

By Hayk Khanumyan The campaign for Armenia’s 2026 National Assembly elections has officially begun, although participating political forces have already been actively campaigning for several months. The intensification of political competition in an increasingly polarized environment has led to a rise in hate speech, visible both among social media users and various political actors, particularly […]

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Research

From Dependence to Diversification: Armenia’s Defense Reorientation After Russia’s War in Ukraine

In the new issue of the Caucasus Analytical Digest, Tigran Grigoryan and Eduard Arakelyan analyze the transformation of Armenia’s defense policy following the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The article, titled “From Dependence to Diversification: Armenia’s Defense Policy Reorientation After Russia’s War in Ukraine,” argues that the post-2022 period marked a turning point in […]

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This image was generated using AI and is for illustrative purposes only. Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental.
Research

Parliamentary Elections in Armenia and Hate Speech Against Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees: March 2026

This image was generated using AI and is for illustrative purposes only. Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental. By Tigran Grigoryan and Hayk Khanumyan Following the ethnic cleansing that took place in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 and the forced displacement of the entire population, numerous challenges continue to persist in the process […]

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Publications

RCDS Analytical Brief: Strategic Implications of the Iran Crisis for Armenia

The ongoing war around Iran represents a systemic challenge to the regional balance and carries significant implications for Armenia’s security, economy, and logistical connectivity. Iran plays an important role in Armenia’s external economic relations: key trade routes linking Armenia with the markets of the Persian Gulf and Asia pass through Iranian territory. Iran is also […]

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