As the second in a new series of new RSC commentaries published on the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Armenian Service website blog, RSC Director Richard Giragosian addressed Armenia’s threat of isolation, noting that “for small, landlocked Armenia, history has not been very kind. Centuries as a prisoner of geography have meant that Armenia has had to survive as an arena for competition among much larger regional powers. And although Armenia has been both victim and victor, it has also faced a challenge of isolation.”
.He went on add that the “threat of isolation has only increased. Armenia’s decision to choose Russia’s Customs Union over the European Union has only heightened the limits and reduced the options for Armenia. It seems clear that Moscow is building fences, creating new divisions and dividing lines along its borders. And Armenia is now in danger of being trapped along the wrong side of those divisions and dividing lines.
Giragosian concluded that “as the Customs Union represents a new diving line and division based on Russian control over the ‘near abroad,’ it seems that the Armenian government has only welcomed a new degree of isolation…..But for Armenia, the challenge will be to regain its own place and position, to overcome isolation and to prevent overall insignificance. A truly difficult task, but if history reveals anything, it is that Armenia is able to survive. But this time, it is equally clear that for Armenia, survival alone is not enough.”
The Regional Studies Center (RSC) has entered into a new strategic partnership with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, with the publication of unique RSC analysis and commentary (in English and Armenian) on a wide range of political, economic and security issues as a regular RFE/RL blog post.