Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026)

View Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46991/jia.2026.2.1
Published: 13.07.2026

Full Issue

Editorial Foreword

Discussion Article

  • Discussion Article

    From Military Modernization to Army Transformation: Human Resource, Force Structure, and Command Reform in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia

    Suren Papikyan, Harutyun Matevosyan
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    Abstract

    Contemporary military transformation extends beyond technological modernization, requiring comprehensive institutional reforms that integrate effective military management, adaptive command structures, and human resource development to enhance operational effectiveness. The transformation of the Armed Forces has become a top priority for Armenia, especially after changes in the security architecture following the 2020 44- day war. The Concept for the Transformation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia (2024–2035) outlines the main goals for military reforms that aim to strengthen the national defense capability. This article explores the concept, focusing on the sphere of military management and human resource development. It examines the modernization of command-and-control systems, the adoption of mission command principles, the establishment of a professional non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps, enhancements in morale and psychological readiness, and the improvement of the reserve and conscription system. The successful institutionalization of reforms will embed adaptive leadership and decentralized command into the organizational culture of the Armenian military. The article argues that the Transformation Concept marks a broader strategic shift from force modernization to institutional transformation, demonstrating that effective military management, mission command, and human resource development constitute the essential foundations of long-term operational effectiveness and resilience.

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Articles

  • Articles

    Beyond the Target: Geopolitical Implications of the US Sanctions Against Russia on Armenia

    Gor Petrosyan
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    Abstract

    This paper examines the unintended systemic consequences of US sanctions against Russia on the Republic of Armenia between 2022 and 2026. Anchored in Sanctions Theory, the study identifies a ‘Sanctions Paradox’: while restrictive measures initially generated short-term economic gains through diverted trade and human capital influxes, they simultaneously accelerated Armenia’s strategic vulnerabilities by eroding Russia’s security guarantees. Specifically, the temporary windfall from re-exports and tech relocations created an unsustainable economic dependency that directly conflicted with Yerevan’s urgent need for political diversification. Utilizing a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods approach, the research analyzes how this paradox catalyzed a definitive realignment with the West. Central to this shift are the 2025 EU Integration Act and the 2026 TRIPP Framework Agreement, which serve as instruments of ‘Contractual Sovereignty’ and ‘Commercial Deterrence’. By navigating this dual-track reality, the findings offer a novel framework for understanding how intermediary economies leverage institutional pivots to survive great-power economic warfare. Armenia’s trajectory suggests that small-state agency in a sanctioned environment is increasingly defined by security. The article contributes to sanctions theory by demonstrating that consequential effects of sanctions may occur not only within the target state itself, but within intermediary states whose economic and security dependencies are transformed in opposite directions.

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    Abrahamyan, Eduard. “Russia’s Growing Military Deployment in Syunik: A Challenge to Armenian Sovereignty and Defense.” Institute for Security Analysis (ISA) Research Memo, October 2023. https://securityandanalysis.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Russias-Growing-Military-Deployment-in-Syunik-A-Challenge-to-Armenian-Sovereignty-and-Defense-1.pdf.

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  • Articles

    Rethinking Ukraine's Geopolitics: The Failure of Intermediation and the Origins of War

    Gréta Hőhn
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    Abstract

    The Russia–Ukraine war stands as one of the most consequential geopolitical conflicts of the 21st century, raising fundamental questions about the relationship between geography, power, and conflict in the post–Cold War international order. Tensions between Russia and Western powers have intensified during the conflict, and more than three years after the outbreak of the war, its outcome remains uncertain. The paper analyzes Ukraine’s geopolitical position as a key factor shaping the origins and dynamics of the ongoing war. Particular attention is given to Ukraine’s evolving relations with Russia and with Western actors, primarily the United States and the European Union. Ukraine has long occupied a central place not only in Russia’s geopolitical and geostrategic designs, but also in Russian history and identity. Yet after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine began to develop closer political and economic ties with Western institutions, following a trajectory similar to that of several former Eastern Bloc states. This article argues that Ukraine’s geopolitical position is best understood not as a buffer, but as a failed intermediary space, in which competing integration projects (Euro-Atlantic and Russian) have eroded the conditions necessary for neutrality, transforming structural in-betweenness into a catalyst for war.

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  • Articles

    The "New Yalta" Framework: Great-Power Bargaining in the Russia–Ukraine War and the Transactional Geopolitics

    Garik Keryan
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    Abstract

    This article critically examines the structural transformation of the transatlantic security architecture and the severe erosion of the post-Cold War international order during the latter stages of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Following years of unified Western military deterrence and strict adherence to the principles of territorial sovereignty, the 2025 inauguration of the Trump administration catalyzed a profound geopolitical rupture. By analyzing back-channel diplomacy, the Anchorage summit, and the restrictive 28-point American peace proposal, this study traces Washington’s rapid pivot toward transactional, bilateral negotiations with Moscow. The analysis reveals how this superpower-centric mediation systematically marginalized European allies and applied coercive diplomatic pressure on Kyiv to accept maximalist Russian territorial demands. The paper argues that the United States has actively retreated from the universalist doctrine of international law, adopting a nineteenth-century spheres-of-influence model. Ultimately, this emerging “New Yalta” framework implicitly validates military conquest as a legitimate tool of statecraft, institutionalizing a highly volatile, frozen conflict while simultaneously forcing a rapid, continent-wide militarization of Europe in direct response to an increasingly unreliable American security umbrella.

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    Axios. “Trump Ukraine Peace Plan: 28 Points.” November 20, 2025. https://www.axios.com/2025/11/20/trump-ukraine-peace-plan-28-points-russia.

    Baunov, Alexander. “Alaska Summit Leaves Ukraine a Hostage to Russia’s Demands of the West.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, August 2025. Accessed January 3, 2026. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/08/alaska-summit-putin-trump?lang=en.

    Baunov, Alexander. “Diplomatic Theater: Who Are the Russian Negotiators Trying to Please.” [Дипломатический театр. Кому пытаются угодить российские переговорщики]. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://storage.googleapis.com/crng/russia-trump-peace-talk-confusion.html.

    Baunov, Alexander. “Killing With Kindness: Why Putin Is Proving So Amenable to Trump.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 2025. Accessed December 7, 2025. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/02/putin-trump-relationship-goals?lang=en.

    Boylan, Brandon M. “Alaska in U.S.–Russian Relations from the Alaska Purchase to the Russo-Ukrainian War.” In GlobalArctic, edited by G. Rekvig and M. Finger. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4868-9_2.

    Bramsen, Isabel, and Isak Svensson. “Peace Talks in the Russia-Ukraine War: When, Who, and How?” International Negotiation 30, no. 1 (2024): 97-122. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718069-bja10106.

    Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). “Russia's War in Ukraine: The Next Chapter.” September 30, 2025. Accessed May 1, 2026. https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-war-ukraine-next-chapter.

    Daehnhardt, Patricia. “The Euro-Atlantic Security Order and the War in Ukraine.” Jean Monnet Atlantic Network 2.0 (2022).

    Foreign Policy Council 'Ukrainian Prism'. “Ukraine's Peace Formula: Global Dimension and Shared Principles.” 2024. https://prismua.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Peace-Formula%E2%80%93final.pdf.

    Gady, Franz-Stefan, and Michael Kofman. “Ukraine's Strategy of Attrition.” Survival 65, no. 2 (2023): 7-22. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00396338.2023.2193092.

    Gaponenko, A. “Russian-Ukrainian Conflict: Interests of the Participants, Internal Limitations, External Environment and Resolution Scenarios.” [Российско-украинский конфликт: интересы участников, внутренние ограничения, внешняя среда и сценарии разрешения]. Zavtra, January 9, 2025. Accessed January 17, 2026. https://zavtra.ru/blogs/rossijsko-ukrainskij_konflikt_interesi_uchastnikov_vnutrennie_ogranicheniya_vneshnyaya_sreda_i_stcenarii_razresheniya.

    Hamilton, Daniel S., and Stefan Meister. “The Eastern Question: Russia, the West, and Europe's Grey Zone.” German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (2016).

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    Korostikov, Mikhail. “Trump’s Dream of a Rare Earths Deal With Kyiv or Moscow Is Wishful Thinking.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 2025. Accessed December 7, 2025. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/02/russia-usa-ukraine-metals-agreement?lang=en.

    Krasovskaya, Kira. “Negotiations Between the US, Europe, and Ukraine Held in Paris.” [В Париже прошли переговоры США, Европы и Украины]. DW. Accessed December 18, 2025. https://www.dw.com/ru/v-parize-prosli-peregovory-ssa-evropy-i-ukrainy/a-72279339.

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    Martin, Jonathan. “How to Avoid the Putin Slow-Walk: A New Trump Ultimatum.” Politico, August 20, 2025. Accessed January 3, 2026. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/08/20/trump-putin-negotiation-ultimatum-bill-00515477.

    Meduza. “Full Text of Russia's Memorandum 'On the Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis' Published.” [Опубликован полный текст меморандума России “по урегулированию украинского кризиса”]. June 2, 2025. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://meduza.io/feature/2025/06/02/opublikovan-polnyy-tekst-memoranduma-rossii-po-uregulirovaniyu-ukrainskogo-krizisa.

    Munich Security Conference. “The US in the World.” MSC 2025. Accessed December 7, 2025. https://securityconference.org/en/msc-2025/agenda/event/the-us-in-the-world-2/.

    NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (ENSEC COE). “Ukraine’s resources. Critical raw materials.” December 10, 2024. https://www.enseccoe.org/publications/ukraines-resources/.

    Nezavisimaya Gazeta. “Russia and the US Agreed to Restore Embassy Staff in Moscow and Washington — Rubio.” [РФ и США договорились восстановить штат посольств в Москве и Вашингтоне — Рубио]. February 18, 2025. Accessed December 6, 2025. https://www.ng.ru/news/810974.html.

    Odessa Media. “Quarrel of the Year: What Are the Consequences of the Zelensky-Trump Conflict and Will Europe Save the Situation.” [Ссора года. Какие последствия конфликта Зеленского и Трампа и спасет ли ситуацию Европа]. Accessed December 6, 2025. https://odessamedia.net/news/ssora-goda-kakie-posledstviya-konflikta-zelenskogo-i-trampa-i-spaset-li-situatsiyu-evropa.

    Pertsev, Andrey. “Why Is the Kremlin Insisting on Ukraine Holding Elections?” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 2025. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/09/russia-ukraine-zelensky-replacement?lang=en.

    Prots, Anastasia. “73% of Ukrainians Negatively Evaluate Trump's Presidency — KIIS.” [73% украинцев негативно оценивают президентство Трампа – КМИС]. Ukrainska Pravda, April 1, 2025. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2025/04/01/7505488/.

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    RBC. “Reuters Published the Text of the Ukrainian Ceasefire Memorandum.” [Reuters опубликовал текст украинского меморандума о прекращении огня]. June 1, 2025. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.rbc.ru/politics/01/06/2025/683c6a149a794732b1af799e.

    RBC. “Reuters Explained What Compromise Russia is Ready for in a Deal with Ukraine.” [Reuters объяснил, на какой компромисс готова Россия в сделке с Украиной]. August 21, 2025. Accessed December 26, 2025. https://www.rbc.ru/politics/21/08/2025/68a73c8b9a79471e0adf1d4d.

    Reynolds, Nate, and Eugene Rumer. “Europe Must Lead to Prevent the Worst in Ukraine.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 2025. Accessed December 26, 2025. https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/07/ukraine-russia-drone-missile-strikes-europe-weapons-defense-plan?lang=en.

    Skorkin, Konstantin. “Where Is Ukraine’s Pro-Trump Camp?” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, April 2025. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/04/ukraine-trumpist-elites?lang=en.

    Stanovaya, Tatiana. “The Long-Awaited Call: What Putin Is Counting On in Negotiations with Trump.” [Долгожданный звонок. На что рассчитывает Путин в переговорах с Трампом]. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 2025. Accessed December 7, 2025. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/02/putin-trump-phone-call?lang=ru.

    Stanovaya, Tatiana. “Not So Much About Ukraine: What Putin Hopes to Gain from Normalizing Relations with the US.” [Не столько об Украине. Чего Путин добивается от нормализации отношений с США]. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 2025. Accessed December 7, 2025. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/02/russia-usa-talks-goals?lang=ru.

    Stanovaya, Tatiana. “Tactical Victories in Ukraine Peace Talks Will Only Lead to Strategic Defeat.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, August 2025. Accessed January 3, 2026. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/08/russia-usa-ukraine-alaska-goals?lang=en.

    Svidrigailov, Gennady. “The US Demands a 30-Day Ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump Threatens New Sanctions.” [США требуют 30-дневного прекращения огня на Украине. Трамп угрожает новыми санкциями]. Gazeta.ru, May 9, 2025. Accessed December 15, 2025. https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2025/05/09/21007112.shtml.

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    Vedomosti. “Russian Foreign Ministry Publishes Draft Security Agreements with NATO and the United States.” [МИД России опубликовал проекты договоров с НАТО и США по безопасности]. December 17, 2021. Accessed December 5, 2025. https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/news/2021/12/17/901297-mid-rossii-opublikoval-proekti-dogovorov.

    Vinkovetsky, Ilya. Russian America: An Overseas Colony of a Continental Empire, 1804–1867. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

    Yle. “Trump's Peace Plan for Ukraine Published – Read the Full Text.” [Опубликован мирный план Трампа для Украины – читайте полный текст]. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://yle.fi/a/74-20195384.

    Znamenski, Andrei. “History with an Attitude: Alaska in Modern Russian Patriotic Rhetoric.” Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 57, no. 3 (2009): 346-373.

  • Articles

    Between Geopolitical Tensions and Social Fragility: Explaining Youth Radicalization in Central Asia

    Kuralay Baizakova
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    Abstract

    This article examines the impact of geopolitical tensions on youth radicalization in Central Asia, arguing that the phenomenon emerges from the interaction between domestic vulnerabilities and external strategic pressures. It moves beyond causal explanations based solely on socio-economic or religious factors and situates radicalization within the broader context of Eurasian power competition and regional insecurity. Using an interdisciplinary framework that combines political and geopolitical analysis with systemic and institutional approaches, the study identifies key drivers of radicalization, including unemployment, marginalization, labor migration, digital propaganda, prison radicalization, and identity-based tensions, alongside the destabilizing spillover effects of conflicts in Afghanistan and the Middle East. The article further demonstrates that intensifying rivalry among major and regional powers reshapes the regional security environment in ways that can indirectly facilitate extremist mobilization. It concludes that addressing youth radicalization in Central Asia requires a comprehensive and coordinated strategy that integrates domestic reform with a clear understanding of the broader geopolitical dynamics influencing regional stability.

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  • Articles

    The Symbolic Warfare of 9/11: The Construction of the Enemy Image and the Institutional Crisis of the Unipolar World Order

    Dr. Artak S. Khachatryan, Araik E. Mkrtumyan, Abgar N. Barseghyan, Dr. Mkhitar R. Gabrielyan
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    Abstract

    This article examines the 9/11 attacks not merely as a military event or act of transnational terrorism, but as a transformative symbolic performance that fundamentally reconfigured the architecture of global political meaning and redefined global political identity. Utilizing a cultural-anthropological framework, the study analyzes the transition from a single day of violence to a twenty-year Global War on Terror. The research focuses on the mechanisms by which the enemy image is constructed and the institutionalization of a permanent state of exception within the liberal world order. It argues that these processes operated not only through formal policy instruments but also through diffuse cultural and media practices that normalized exceptional governance across societies. By examining the intervention in Afghanistan, the authors demonstrate how security-driven discourses reproduced new forms of ethnocentrism, mass surveillance, and Islamophobia. The study concludes that 9/11 catalyzed a profound internal crisis of liberal governance and the emergence of novel modalities of global control.

    References

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  • Articles

    Southern Africa in a Multipolar World: External Power Competition and Regional Agency

    Vimbiso Juliet Mapfidza
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    Abstract

    Southern Africa has become an increasingly important arena in global politics as the world shifts toward a multipolar order. Multipolarity expands Southern Africa’s diplomatic options but not its structural economic agency, producing a form of conditional agency constrained by enduring global economic hierarchies. Considerable scholarly attention has been devoted to understanding how countries in this region navigate the growing influence of external powers—China, the United States, the European Union (EU), Russia, and BRICS. This article examines how Southern African states balance external pressures with their own regional and national priorities, drawing on qualitative case studies from selected SADC member states. The analysis shows that while engagement with multiple global actors offers Southern African states opportunities to expand their diplomatic and economic options, structural constraints such as dependence on foreign aid, weak regional coordination, and uneven power relations often limit their ability to act independently. This article argues that Southern Africa’s ability to exercise meaningful agency in a multipolar world relies on stronger regional institutions and better coordination among member states. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of African agency and regionalism, highlighting both the challenges and possibilities for Southern African states in shaping their own regional environment.

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