Laurence Broers

@laurencebroers.bsky.social

Researcher and practitioner, contemporary South Caucasus | associate fellow, Chatham House | co-editor-in-chief, Caucasus Survey

iphronline.org/articles/rus... New report from IPHR & HCA Vanadzor on Russian interference in Armenia's June 2026 election, documenting "a sustained Russian interference campaign combining economic and diplomatic pressure, covert information manipulation, and ... financial inducements & coercion..."

New Report — RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN ARMENIA’S 2026 ELECTIONS: A Post-election Examination - IPHR

IPHR and The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office are publishing their new report, RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN ARMENIA’S 2026 ELECTIONS: A Post-election Examination, examining the methods, actors, ...

iphronline.org

For historians of Azerbaijan: this is a fascinating case study of push and pull between centre and periphery under the reforming conditions of Nikita Khrushchev's Soviet Union, focused on the rise and fall of the Ministry of Communal Economy in the Azerbaijani SSR.

Caucasus Survey@caucasussurvey.bsky.social · 6d ago

brill.com/view/journal... Recently published in Caucasus Survey: 'The Rise and Fall of a Republican Ministry: Communal Economy in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, 1954–63', by Aydin Alizade

Armenian-Azerbaijani debates have been roiling for two weeks following an incident on an Azerbaijani tour of cultural heritage sites in Karabakh. What happened and what does it tell us about the state of the peace process?

Crushed by the loss of Richard Giragosian, an anchor of the policy-facing space in Armenia and tireless advocate of normalization with the country’s neighbours, who died unexpectedly in Istanbul on Saturday. Rest in peace, my friend.

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This looks to be a fascinating conference recovering the contingencies in the formation of territorial units in the early years of the Soviet Union, taking place Tbilisi in February 2027. Submission deadline: 20 October.

Caucasus Survey@caucasussurvey.bsky.social · 4w ago

mwsgeorgia.hypotheses.org/13941 Call for papers: Paths Not Taken: Forgotten (?!) (Non-)Territorial Entities in the Early Soviet Union, conference in Tbilisi, 25-27 February 2027, organized by Davit Jishkariani & Jörn Happel. Submission deadline: 20 October.

A fascinating study by Toghrul Abbasov challenging a widely held view of Azerbaijani nationalism as simply reacting to Armenian nationalism in the 1980s, and showing how Azerbaijani nation-building combined with new forms of mass popular culture in the post-Stalin era.

Caucasus Survey@caucasussurvey.bsky.social · 4w ago

brill.com/view/journal... Recently published in Caucasus Survey: 'The Nationalization of Karabakh through Popular Culture in Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1960s and 1970s', by Toghrul Abbasov

My book manuscript is now handed in! 2.5 years of work for a deep, wide-ranging revision of my 2019 volume Anatomy of a Rivalry are over… grateful to all those who read and commented on it 🙏🏻 I am exhausted but looking forward to new horizons, new themes and new collaborations!

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Hello Bluesky! We are joining the conversation. For over 30 years, we have worked alongside people in conflict to build sustainable peace. Follow us for updates on our global peacebuilding work, policy & practice insights, and ways to get involved. Looking forward to being part of this community.

A few follow-up thoughts on Armenia's election. Armenian democracy has passed another stress-test and voters were able to decide on the basis of a competitive vote, which is not a given, and the high turnout (59%) reveals an engaged Armenian public.