Christmas in Armenia: America's Ally (Eric Hacopian)

The last five years have been anything but easy for Armenia. After a 2020 war, a 2022 invasion, and most recently, a blockade of 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenians today are desperately seeking allies to ensure their security and independence in their ancestral homeland. This week, Robert and Mariam sit down with Eric Hacopian, an Armenian-American political strategist, to discuss the dilemmas of a tiny country surrounded by stronger neighbors, stranded in a sea of tyranny. Is Armenia more “Western” or “Eastern”?  Is it really a client state of Russia and Iran? Is a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan truly possible? Finally, could a strong US-Armenia alliance serve both nations?

Eric Hacopian is a 30-year veteran of American politics, having worked on campaigns from the local to the presidential level. For the past 23 years, he has been the principle at EDH & Associates, a Southern California-based Democratic consulting firm. In 2017, he and his family moved from Los Angeles to Armenia.

Highlights

• [00:01:53] Eric’s journey from Iran to the US, and ultimately, to his homeland of Armenia. 
• [00:04:30] Armenia’s 2018 Velvet Revolution and its culture of freedom and solidarity 
• [00:10:45] The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: major players and major losses
• [00:15:30] The Russia-Ukraine War, the Azeri regime, and joint Russian-Azeri Aggression 
• [00:20:00] 2022 September invasion of internationally recognized Armenian territory: the collapse of the Russian position, the death of the peace camp, and an American opportunity 
• [00:24:30] Armenia vs. the world: life on an island 
• [00:29:58] Is Armenia more “Western” or “Eastern”? 
• [00:35:30] The changing world: will Armenia and Azerbaijan normalize relations? 
• [00:37:25] Armenia’s affinity for the United States, the myth of the Armenia-Iran alliance, and the broad rejectionism of Soviet ideology 
• [00:44:54] Armenia’s Christian character and the Western bias against the Christians of the East 
• [00:48:41] The Armenian diaspora: incredible success yet unrealized potential 
• [00:52:03] Where can Western Christians find common ground with their Armenian brothers and sisters? 
• [1:00:54] Universalizing your story: what other minority Christian communities can learn from Armenians