Armenia’s Velvet Revolution: Authoritarian Decline and Civil Resistance in a Multipolar World, edited by Broers Laurence, and Anna Ohanyan. London: I.B. TAURIS, 2021. XVI, 271 pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781788317214

Abstract

The collection was written originally in English and published in 2021. It analyzes the problems of the Velvet Revolution in Armenia in terms of the decline of authoritarianism and civil resistance in the transformation of a multipolar world. The authors of the collection comparatively analyze the internal and external political problems of modern Armenia, the policy of democratization of the political regime, the cycles of political power, the transit of the elite and the leadership of the parties in power, certain aspects of its economic and social development.

The team of authors prepared this collection and a comprehensive study of the entire system of public regulation of the political life of Armenia, the nature and forms of relations between the public authorities and civil society organizations. The main trends in the foreign policy development of post-Soviet Armenia, primarily in the regional conflict environment and in the European direction, and in connection with the Velvet Revolution, are explored.

The authors of the chapters highlight the main stages and tasks of the Velvet Revolution in Armenia and civil resistance: when, how and how it was built and with what degree of effectiveness the system of public regulation operated, how its main administrative institutions operated in the center and locally.

The appeal to this problem is caused by the relevance of studying the subject of the Velvet Revolution in the modern life of Armenia, the need to more fully comprehend the processes taking place in the Armenian environment inside and outside the country.

The book contains many interesting facts and points of view. Therefore, it will be interesting and useful not only for scientists, but also for everyone interested in the problems of revolution, democratization and civil resistance. It may serve as practical handbook for political scientists, sociologists, journalists as well as students and specialists from the field of human rights,  democratization and international relations, interested in modern revolutions, political technologies, diaspora and civil society studies, etc.