31/4 Charents St, Yerevan 0025
(010) 540631

2016

Caucasus Institute organizes various events, round tables, conferences, trainings and seminars. These events are aimed at strengthening the bond between science and society, fostering pluralism and stimulating the transfer of research results.


Book Presentation

WAR, BUSINESS AND POLITICS:
INFORMAL NETWORKS AND FORMAL INSTITUTIONS IN ARMENIA

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On December 13 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN) presented their new book entitled War, Business and Politics: Informal Networks and Formal Institutions in Armenia, by CI scholars Alexander Iskandaryan, Sergey Minasyan and Hrant Mikaelian.
The book is based on a study of formal and informal groups and mechanisms within Armenia’s political, economic and military elites, revealing trends in formal institution-building and the changing role of informality in Armenia’s power system since its independence from the USSR.
The presentation by Georgi Derluguian, Professor of Sociology and Chair, Peace and Security Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE, was followed by a roundtable discussion of informality in Armenia and other post-Communist countries. The discussion was moderated by Alexander Iskandaryan.

 


Training

POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY

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On November 12 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN) held a training on Political Sociology. The main topics of the training were development issues, democracy patterns, media and elections. The trainers were Marina Muskhelishvili, Professor at Georgian American University, Head of the Social Studies Centre, Tbilisi, Georgia; Eveline Baumann, Socio-economist at the IRD (Institut de recherché pour le développement), member of Cessma, France
It was an interactive training: the participants were involved in the presentations asking relevant questions and commenting on arguments put forward by the trainers.

 


Working Paper Presentation

THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF AZERBAIJAN AND ITS DEPENDENCE
ON ENERGY RESOURCES

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On November 4 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN) held a presentation of a new CI Working Paper entitled The Political System of Azerbaijan and its Dependence on Energy Resources, by Armen Manvelyan, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.
The presentation was followed by a roundtable discussion of current trends in the political
system of Azerbaijan against the background of declining oil and gas prices.

 

 


Korea-Armenia International Conference

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR CULTURAL COOPERATION AND MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ARMENIA AND KOREA

confaOn October 31 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Korean Association of Slavic-Eurasian Studies and Korea Foundation held Korea-Armenia international conference on “New Opportunities for Cultural Cooperation and Mutual Understanding between Armenia and Korea.”
Welcome speeches by Ashot Kocharyan, Head of Bilateral and Multilateral Economic Cooperation Department at MFA, Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute, and Hong Wan Suk, President of the Korean Association of Slavic-Eurasian Studies (KASEUS), marked the start of the Conference. The presentations were focused on economic, political, and cultural similarities and differences between Armenia and Korea, the current state of bilateral relations and perspectives for future cooperation.
During discussions of the presentations the participants came up with recommendations in regard to the possible ways to enhance future cooperation.
The presentations by Park Young Eun, Professor at Hanyang University, and Mark Grigoryan, Adviser of the Director of the Public Radio of Armenia, marked the end of the Conference.

 


Armenian-Georgian Expert Forum: Workshop 5

ARMENIA-GEORGIA COOPERATION PROSPECTS: CIVIL SOCIETY, DOMESTIC POLICY, ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

FORUM-e1484810448336On October 18-20 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, ASCN and the Republican Institute of Georgia held 5th Workshop of the Armenian-Georgian Expert Forum on Armenian-Georgian cooperation prospects. The speakers of the event were Nino Kalandarishvili, Republican Institute, Georgia; Mark Grigoryan, Public Radio of Armenia, Armenia; Zurab Bregvadze, State Museum of Arts, Georgia; Irakli Khorbaladze, Central Election Commission of Georgia; Giorgi Masalkin, Adjara Supreme Council, Georgia; David Petrosyan, Freelance Journalist, Armenia; Sergey Minasyan, Caucasus Institute, Armenia; Alexander Iskandaryan, Caucasus Institute, Armenia.
Welcome speeches by Peter-Andreas Bochmann, Alexander Iskandaryan, and Nino Kalandarishvili marked the start of the Forum. The presentations and discussions were focused on the development and the current state of civil society, the implementation of domestic policies, and the situation of ethnic and religious minorities in both countries.
All the presentations were followed by discussions that were moderated by Nino Kalandarishvili and Sergey Minasyan. Alexander Iskandaryan and Nino Kalandarishvili summed up the two-day Forum.

 


Training

USING LINEAR REGRESSION IN SOCIOLOGICAL STUDIES

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On October 5, 6, 13 the Caucasus Institute (CI) held a training on using linear regression in sociological studies. During three days the trainer Samvel Manukyan, PhD in Social Sciences, presented to the participants basics of linear regression and its application in social research, mathematical and sociological interpretation of linear regression analysis. The trainees were given a home assignment that was discussed and analysed on the last day of the training.

 

 

 


Book presentation and Roundtable

DETERRENCE IN THE KARABAKH CONFLICT

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On October 4 the Caucasus Institute (CI) in cooperation with the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN) presented a new book by the CI deputy director Dr. Sergey Minasyan, titled “Deterrence in the Karabakh Conflict”. The book presentation by Vagharshak Harutyunyan, the former Minister of Defense of the RA was followed by a roundtable discussion on recent military and political trends of the Karabakh conflict.
The book examines the theoretical foundations of conventional military deterrence and deterrence by political and diplomatic means as well as explores possible applications of deterrence policies in the frames of the Karabakh conflict.

 

 


Tea-drinking

MEETING 3: WHAT IS DEMOCRACY AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

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On July 15 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation invited students and young scholars to take part in a series of informal discussions in the format of tea parties held at the Caucasus Institute in the evenings every month. The third tea party took place on July 15 and was led by the Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan. The main topics of the discussion were the contemporary theories about democracy, its types, origins, and development.

 

 


Book presentation and Roundtable

DETERRENCE IN THE KARABAKH CONFLICT

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On June 27 in Vallex Garden Hotel, Stepanakert, NKR the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN) held a book presentation “Deterrence in the Karabakh Conflict” authored by Dr. Sergey Minasyan, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute. The book is dedicated to the theoretical foundations of conventional military deterrence and of deterrence by political and diplomatic means. As for the empirical part, it looks at the ways of applying deterrence policies to the case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The book was presented by Masis Mailian, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the NKR and the Chairman of the Public Council for FSPC. Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute, also took part in the discussion and presentation.
The presentation was followed by the roundtable discussion on recent military and political trends around the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict.


Roundtable

VALUES AND POLITICS: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION BY THE GERMAN BUNDESTAG AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS

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Speakers: Stepan Grigoryan, Head of the Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Integration; Ruben Melkonyan, Deputy Dean of the Department of Oriental Studies, YSU
Venue: Vallex Garden Hotel, Stepanakert, NKR
Date: June 21


The Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN) held a book presentation “Deterrence in the Karabakh Conflict” authored by Dr. Sergey Minasyan, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute. The book is dedicated to the theoretical foundations of conventional military deterrence and of deterrence by political and diplomatic means. As for the empirical part, it looks at the ways of applying deterrence policies to the case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The book was presented by Masis Mailian, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the NKR and the Chairman of the Public Council for Foreign and Security Policy (FSPC). Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute, also took part in the discussion and presentation.
The presentation was followed by the roundtable discussion on recent military and political trends around the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict.


Tea-drinking

WHAT IS THE CAUCASUS?

private-dining-and-meeting-room-for-up-to-49-people-tea-thyme-fort-q4RrJP-clipartA series of informal talks in a tea meeting format organized by the Caucasus Institute, in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, are aimed at bringing together young scholars and students under the to elaborate on the most actual topics of political science in Armenia. On June 16 the Caucasus Institute held the second informal meeting with Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute. During the event, the participants discussed the concept of the Caucasus, main characteristics of the Caucasus region, including diversity, polycentrism, conflicts and possible resolutions.

 

 


International Conference

CAUCASUS-2015

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On May 30-31 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with Academic Swiss Caucasus Net and with the support of Swiss Confederation organized its annual conference Caucasus-2015 that summed up the year in the South Caucasus. The first day of the conference started with opening speeches by Lukas Gasser, Ambassador of Switzerland to Armenia, and Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute.
The first day of the conference consisted of three sessions: “The main trends in the South Caucasus in 2015” (moderated by Sergey Minasyan, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute), “The North Caucasus: regional security and de facto entities in the South Caucasus” (moderated by Sergey Markedonov (Moscow)), and “The politics of regional and internal actors in the South Caucasus in 2015” (moderated by Alexander Iskandaryan). Every session was followed by a discussion.
The speakers were Giorgi Kanashvili, Executive Director of the Caucasian House (Tbilisi), Alexander Iskandaryan, Sergey Markedonov, Sergey Minasyan, David Petrosyan, Freelance Journalist (Yerevan), Akhmet Yarlykapov, Senior Fellow at the Center of Ethno-Political Studies, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), Laurence Broers (London), Associate Fellow at Chatham House Russia and Eurasia Programme and Editor-in-chief of the Caucasus Survey Journal (London), Alexander Krylov, Lead Researcher at Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), and Chengiz Akhtar, Professor of Political Science at Süleyman Şah University (Istanbul).
On the second day of the conference a roundtable discussion was held on “The Karabakh conflict: military and political developments and prospects for diplomacy.” The roundtable was focused on the escalation of hostilities that took place in early April 2016; it also examined long-term conflict developments.


Tea-drinking

MEETING 1: HOW TO MAKE POLITICAL FORECASTING

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The Caucasus Institute with the support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation has launched a series of informal talks in a tea meeting format engaging students and young scholars. On May 16 the Caucasus Institute held the first informal meeting with Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute. The main issues discussed during the meeting were devoted to the overall perception of the meaning and functions of political science and politics with the focus on political forecasting.

 

 


Roundtable

LINKS BETWEEN ENERGY AND SECURITY IN SOUTH CAUCASUS IN THE CONTEXT OF LOW OIL PRICES: TRENDS AND PROSPECTS

On March 29 the Caucasus Institute in cooperation with the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN) held a roundtable discussion on recent trends in the field of energy and implications for regional security in the South Caucasus. The speakers of the event were Armen Manvelyan, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy of Science of Armenia; Sergey Minasyan, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute.
Main topics of the roundtable were the following:
• Pricing in global oil and gas market: status and prospects;
• The prospects for oil and gas extraction in Azerbaijan and projects of transporting Caspian carbohydrates to international markets;
• The drop of oil prices and its impact on the social, economic and financial situation in Azerbaijan;
• Implications of the oil price fall for regional security in the South Caucasus, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict;
• The role of regional and external actors in the situation with energy in South Caucasus.
After the presentations, the attendants of the event were enrolled in the Q&A session. Questions were mainly devoted to the future of Nagorno-Karabagh conflict, the future of Russian oil and gas markets, the new distribution of power in the region, etc.