Von der Leyen in the South Caucasus

https://www.euronews.com/2026/07/02/von-der-leyen-unveils-major-eu-support-initiatives-in-strategic-trip-to-armenia

Given Armenia's recent tilt away from Russia, and Azerbaijan's mostly pro-US stance, the moment seems ripe for the EU to sweep into the South Caucasus and do some bridge building. As I have long suggested, the EU offers a Western and yet non-American alternative, and one more attractive given the geographic proximity to the region.

An Evangelical Call for the State to Sanction Religious Speech

https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/35103/patriarch-kirill-has-built-a-theological-architecture-built-to-sanctify-aggression

It would seem Tatiana Kopaleishvili, a female theologian from the Evangelical Alliance supports the notion of EU sanctions against Kirill, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The charge is that he has employed propaganda in which the war against Ukraine is deemed by Kirill, a holy conflict. As such, given his teachings are deemed authoritative by his flock, he is guilty of war crimes and worthy of sanctions.

Georgia and the Slippery Nature of Defining Democracy

https://eurasianet.org/us-congressional-measure-to-punish-georgian-dream-government-at-risk-of-failure

Take note how the religious concept of 'backsliding' is being applied to governments that are restricting democratic processes and institutions. Democracy is indeed a key doctrinal plank in the Humanist religion. In most cases its ideals and values are simply assumed by media and government figures and yet it's never that simple.

An American Military Presence in the Caucasus Sold as Peace

https://eurasianet.org/trump-brokers-potentially-game-changing-deal-with-armenia-azerbaijan

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/07/us-deal-armenia-azerbaijan-00499285

I must say if this deal holds and comes to fruition, it will be quite the feather in Donald Trump's cap. Or if it goes wrong, it may be viewed by historians in terms of folly and provocation.

Kadyrov's Chechens in the Ukraine War

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/russian-special-forces-halt-advancement-of-ukrainian-troops

I've written many times about Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of a rebel leader who turned into Moscow's faithful satrap. Usually when Kadyrov's name comes up, it's in reference to his corruption, authoritarian rule, or the hunting down of Chechen rebels abroad - men that would consider him to be a traitor and thus he's proven quite zealous in pursuing these men.

More Signals from Armenia

https://eurasianet.org/armenia-sending-signals-that-it-wants-to-back-out-of-a-nuclear-energy-deal-with-russia

https://theworld.org/stories/2024/09/06/the-rise-of-an-armenian-church-opposition-leader

Yerevan continues to signal its shift to the West. There's little doubt that Moscow is alarmed as now Armenia seeks to re-orient its nuclear energy programme to the West and to cut out the Russians.

The Untold Story of the Prisoner Exchange: Chechen Militants and Western Intelligence

https://thegrayzone.com/2024/08/05/us-russia-prisoner-swap-cia-chechen-jihad/

This GrayZone article also caught my eye. I was glad to see that in all the hysteria regarding Russia, there's a story about Chechnya that's been largely forgotten.

Armenia's Shift to the West

https://eurasianet.org/russia-rages-over-us-military-exercise-in-armenia

These military exercises signal Yerevan's shift to the West and yet another Western incursion on the borders of Russia, another invasion into its historical sphere.

The Wooing of Armenia

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-launch-new-e270-million-plan-bring-armenia-fold-russia/

Since the article's publication in April, there have been numerous reports regarding Armenia. The situation remains dynamic with Yerevan reaching out to Ukraine and thus angering Russia in the process. There are real fears in Moscow of Armenia rescinding its membership with the Russian-led CSTO security agreement and flipping over to the NATO column - not in full membership but as one of its allies. This also generates concerns over the brewing instability of its neighbour Georgia. For Putin, the invasion of Ukraine was meant to arrest Atlanticist expansion, but with the accession of Sweden and Finland into NATO, and now the growing risk of all of Transcaucasia falling under the aegis of the American-led bloc, there's no small degree of consternation. And the EU is also looking to expand.

Politics and Persecution in Armenia

https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/25560/armenian-court-rejects-baptist-conscientious-objector-appeal-against-jail-sentence

I have mentioned this in previous articles but there's been a shift in how the American Right deals with the Armenian question. For many years the US stuck close to its NATO ally in Ankara and the Turkish refusal to acknowledge the genocide. Türkiye has long been linked with Azerbaijan, especially in the post-Cold War setting. This opened door for Washington and gave the United States access to oil and both America and Israel found an ally (for its own reasons) antagonistic to Tehran and right on its border. For the US, the geopolitical placement of Azerbaijan vis-à-vis Russia was also an important consideration.

Paris,Yerevan, and Baku

https://eurasianet.org/armenia-azerbaijan-macron-stirring-things-up-in-the-caucasus

Baku is in a fairly cozy relationship with Washington and thus if the Americans don't want to see Macron make this move, you can be sure the Azeri government will speak out and condemn French overtures.

Georgian Orthodoxy and East-West Intrigues

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Conflicts-and-alleged-poisonings:-the-internal-war-in-Georgian-Church-58834.html

The sources cited here are not above scrutiny, but given the history of the Orthodox world, and the present tensions within Georgia and the Caucasus in general, the intrigues and attempted assassinations are not altogether surprising. In fact the Georgian Orthodox Church had a similar incident in 2017.

The Dagestan Airport Incident

Anti-Semitism is alive and well to be sure and yet there elements within the media that are keen to spin these stories and obfuscate the real issues at hand.

To Flip Armenia and the Fall of Nagorno-Karabakh

https://eurasianet.org/as-azerbaijan-takes-over-karabakh-armenian-russian-ties-reach-new-nadir

As I have related in the past, the Armenian lobby in the United States has been faced with an impossible situation, a position divorced from the realities of US foreign policy. Since the fall of the USSR, Armenia has been allied with Russia and indirectly with Iran. America has, since the formation of NATO been an ally of the Turks, and with the break-up of the Soviet Union this relationship extended to the Turkish regime in Azerbaijan. The latter country was particularly attractive given its oil resources and geo-strategic position on the Caspian Sea which connects it to Central Asia.

Armenia's Sacral Claims

https://eurasianet.org/rift-widens-between-armenian-church-government

This is a somewhat hopeless debate to wade into. There are glaring assumptions being made that must be questioned. Armenia is viewed by its Orthodox Church and the religious sections of its populace as a sacral state. As such, Nagorno-Karabakh is in reality Artsakh – part of the ancient conglomeration of Armenian kingdoms. As a people they have lost so much and have been brought so low, that for some a line has been drawn. No further. They will not brook any further humiliation at the hands of Turks and will not tolerate any political party that even entertains capitulation. For some this isn't just politics or nationalism – it's theological.

Moldovan Intrigues and Russian Threats

https://www.euractiv.com/section/europe-s-east/news/in-moldova-europes-leaders-strive-to-send-message-of-unity-towards-russia/

This article has been in the queue for a few weeks and I might have tossed it aside other than it struck me today (24 June) of how absurd it is in many respects even as NATO continues to push the narrative about the threat of Russia. Russia has been exposed today as a nation in a state of instability and peril. Not only did Putin's forces fail to take Kyiv in 2022, he has now faced a very threatening mutiny and this is even in light Ukraine's failed spring 2023 offensive. Putin looks weak in the eyes of the world.

The Azerbaijan Proxy

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/8/analysis-will-azerbaijan-iran-tensions-lead-to-war

This is a story that I've been following for years – the fact that Azerbaijan has become a platform for Israeli military and espionage operations directed against Iran. Azerbaijan itself is a divided land – the Turkic-speaking region was carved out of Persia first by the Tsars in the nineteenth century and then under Stalin the northern portion of the territory became part of the USSR. Apart from a brief episode in the context of the Russian Revolution and Civil War, Azerbaijan only became truly independent in 1991. And while the population is mostly Shiite (orienting them toward Iran), being Turkic they also retain close cultural ties to Ankara and share the general Turkish hostility toward the Armenians – with whom they have fought two wars since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

The Dismemberment of Russia

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/'Regionalists'-want-Russia-dismembered-and-under-international-control-57911.html

The US media and Washington's political mouthpieces can downplay this question all they want but the discussions are happening and at a greater pace than seen before.

Khan and US Drones in Pakistani Airspace

https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/dont-expect-pakistan-to-host-us-military-bases/

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-accuses-pakistan-allowing-us-drones-use-its-airspace-2022-08-28/

In some respects this is a small story and received little attention but it deserves a second look. The Taliban has protested regarding US drone strikes in Afghanistan and particularly the targeted killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. They are of course upset with Washington but the real target of their accusations and perhaps their ire is Pakistan. The Taliban accuses Islamabad of hosting US drones or at the very least allowing them to strike from its airspace.

A Ukraine Miscellany (X): Clashes on the Russian Frontier and Charges of Torture

The longstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has flared up and dozens are dead as a result of skirmishes. The evidence suggests this latest round of violence was instigated by Baku as Armenia is all but broken and still recovering from its serious defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. It is highly unlikely that they would pick a fight at this time – a point even Western academics and commentators are willing to concede.