The following is a brief summary of news from the Regional Studies Center (RSC), an independent think tank based in Yerevan, Armenia.

Dr. Mikayel Zolyan

25 January 2016

Timed with the fifth anniversary of the revolution in Egypt, a watershed event in what became known as the “Arab Sping,” RSC Analyst Dr. Mikayel Zolyan assesses the implications for the post-Soviet space.

This is the Armenian version of his original English-language article.

Dr. Mikayel Zolyan

25 January 2016

Timed with the fifth anniversary of the revolution in Egypt, a watershed event in what became known as the “Arab Sping,” RSC Analyst Dr. Mikayel Zolyan assesses the implications for the post-Soviet space.

In an article entitled “South Caucasus will struggle to win Iran's attention,” Carmen Valache of Business New Europe (BNE) cites RSC Director Richard Giragosian in her assessment of the future of Iran’s relations with the countries of the South Caucasus now that sanctions against Iran are being lifted.

The Regional Studies Center (RSC) held its latest closed monthly briefing on 20 January, with presentations by RSC Director Richard Giragosian and Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan.  This month’s briefing featured a comprehensive analysis consisting of three main areas: (1) assessing recent political developments in Armenia, related to the implications of the December passage of the constitutional referendum, and a review of the negative economic impact on Armenia from the Russian crisis; (2) an overview of regional developments, including the recent Russian military buildup in Armenia, the deepening economic crisis in Azerbaijan, and the outlook for Armenia-Turkey “normalization,” especially given the recent Turkish-Russian crisis; (3) an assessment of the broader military situation, in light of the recent escalation of clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh and with an added focus on the outlook for the diplomatic mediation of the Karabakh conflict following the December meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Switzerland.