#SouthCaucasus
Touting Himself as ‘Defender’ of #Democracy, #Pashinyan Says People of Armenia are Guided by ‘Stalinist’ Worldview – Asbarez.com asbarez.com/touting-himself-….
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday said he and his government were sole “defenders” of democracy in Armenia, while the rest of Armenian society was guided by a Stalinist worldview.Pashinyan made the statement at a panel for democracy in Yerevan, while attempting to tout his plans to amend Armenia’s Constitution, a demand being set by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as a precondition for signing a peace agreement with Armenia.
“Who is the leader and defender of democracy and the bearer of democratic values in Armenia?” Pashinyan asked. “The current government [of Armenia] is the defender of these values,” he emphasized.
Then he went of to claim that the entire Armenian society is living by a “patriotism model advanced by Stalin, [Nikita] Khrushchev and [Leonid] Brezhnev, and the Stalinist worldview,” referring to Soviet leaders who succeeded the notorious Josef Stalin, under whose rule Artsakh was place within the Azerbaijan SSR as an autonomous oblast.
“After all, we are guided by the same theories that Stalin formulated. Our thought process is derived from the expressions and viewpoints that he instilled. Today, there are no democratic protections,” Pashinyan said.
In the same presentation, Pashinyan again railed against the opposition and his predecessors, Levon Ter-Petrosian, Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian. He continued his crusade against the Armenian Church and Catholicos Karekin II, despite not having any Constitutional authority to meddle in Church matters.
Pashinyan had announced over the weekend that a referendum for a new Constitution will be held after the scheduled parliamentary election in June, 2026.
Speaking at the democracy forum on Tuesday, Pashinyan said that Armenia’s new constitution must create a legal connection between the people and the legal order.
He said that the current various constitutions in Armenia have never enjoyed the support of the majority of the population, and they were, in essence, unpopular, saying the law of the land in Armenia is oppressive.
“The current constitution and legal order in Armenia are as hateful to the people as those adopted by the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire; this is an imposed agenda,” Pashinyan declared.
He went on to say that the adoption of a new constitution will enable the country to overcome the main problem of Armenia’s democracy, in particular, the disconnect between the judicial system and the people.
According to Pashinyan, the current judicial system of Armenia lacks an “organic link” with the country’s society. It operates in isolation, and this, in turn, undermines trust in it.
“The power belongs to the people, and any power must stem from them. Today I see a serious systemic problem. The judicial system in Armenia does not stem from the people and is completely separated from them,” Pashinyan said.
He emphasized that until this problem is resolved, it is simply impossible to ensure the full development of democracy in Armenia.
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 2, 2025
Month: November 2025
#SouthCaucasus
x.com/clashreport/status/198…
#Pashinyan: Recent speech on #trust and #KGB – Google Search google.com/search?q=Pashinya… In a recent speech, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed issues of national security reforms and public trust in state institutions, referencing a broader need to overcome past influences, which in public discourse and civil society discussions are often linked to the legacy of the KGB and Russian influence. [1, 2] Key points from his recent statements include: Need for Lustration and Reform: While Pashinyan did not use the term “KGB” himself in the snippets available, an October 2025 statement from a coalition of Armenian civil society organizations supporting his government’s “cleanup” efforts explicitly mentioned the “penetration of Russian KGB influence into various layers of our society” over the past 30 years and called for lustration to counter this. This suggests the term and its associated historical context are part of the ongoing public debate that Pashinyan’s reforms address. Strengthening State Institutions and Public Trust: Pashinyan has emphasized the need to increase people’s trust in state institutions, particularly the judiciary and law enforcement bodies. He has linked the lack of trust in the judicial system to its historical disconnect from the people and the need for a new constitution to address this fundamental problem. Security Service Reorganization: Pashinyan has consistently pushed for reforms in the National Security Service (NSS), aiming to transform it primarily into a counterintelligence body, while creating a separate Foreign Intelligence Service. He argues that separating intelligence and counterintelligence functions aligns with international best practices and strengthens the service, though some critics view these efforts as part of a broader move away from Russian influence. Combating Corruption: Pashinyan has indicated that high levels of corruption in the past were systemic and pervasive, undermining public trust in investigations and court rulings. He stressed the importance of credibility in the fight against corruption, ensuring that anti-corruption measures are serious and effective, which requires robust institutional guarantees. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] In summary, Pashinyan’s recent public addresses focus on deep-seated institutional reforms, democratic consolidation, and building public trust, within a context where external commentators and civil society groups specifically reference the need to counter historical KGB/Russian influence. [1, 5] AI responses may include mistakes. [1] facebook.com/CivilNet.TV/pos…] news.am/eng/news/911386.html…] arminfo.info/full_news.php?i…] primeminister.am/en/statemen…] asbarez.com/touting-himself-… x.com/clashreport/status/1984905323669545391— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 2, 2025
Pashinyan: Recent speech on trust and KGB – Google Search google.com/search?q=Pashinya…
In a recent speech, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed issues of national security reforms and public trust in state institutions, referencing a broader need to overcome past influences, which in public discourse and civil society discussions are often linked to the legacy of the KGB and Russian influence. [1, 2]
Key points from his recent statements include:Need for Lustration and Reform: While Pashinyan did not use the term “KGB” himself in the snippets available, an October 2025 statement from a coalition of Armenian civil society organizations supporting his government’s “cleanup” efforts explicitly mentioned the “penetration of Russian KGB influence into various layers of our society” over the past 30 years and called for lustration to counter this. This suggests the term and its associated historical context are part of the ongoing public debate that Pashinyan’s reforms address.
Strengthening State Institutions and Public Trust: Pashinyan has emphasized the need to increase people’s trust in state institutions, particularly the judiciary and law enforcement bodies. He has linked the lack of trust in the judicial system to its historical disconnect from the people and the need for a new constitution to address this fundamental problem.
Security Service Reorganization: Pashinyan has consistently pushed for reforms in the National Security Service (NSS), aiming to transform it primarily into a counterintelligence body, while creating a separate Foreign Intelligence Service. He argues that separating intelligence and counterintelligence functions aligns with international best practices and strengthens the service, though some critics view these efforts as part of a broader move away from Russian influence.
Combating Corruption: Pashinyan has indicated that high levels of corruption in the past were systemic and pervasive, undermining public trust in investigations and court rulings. He stressed the importance of credibility in the fight against corruption, ensuring that anti-corruption measures are serious and effective, which requires robust institutional guarantees. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]In summary, Pashinyan’s recent public addresses focus on deep-seated institutional reforms, democratic consolidation, and building public trust, within a context where external commentators and civil society groups specifically reference the need to counter historical KGB/Russian influence. [1, 5]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] facebook.com/CivilNet.TV/pos…
[2] news.am/eng/news/911386.html
[3] arminfo.info/full_news.php?i…
[4] primeminister.am/en/statemen…
[5] asbarez.com/touting-himself-…— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 2, 2025
The #dynamics of the foreign #intelligenceservices penetration into #American life in the last 30 years – Google Search google.com/search?q=The+dyna…
Over the past 30 years, the dynamics of foreign intelligence penetration into American life have dramatically shifted from traditional human intelligence (HUMINT) gathering toward sophisticated cyber operations, economic espionage, and information warfare. The primary drivers of this evolution are rapid technological advancements and the geopolitical changes following the Cold War and the 9/11 attacks. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Dynamics and Trends • Rise of Cyber Espionage: The most significant change has been the transition to cyber operations. Foreign adversaries, particularly nation-states like China and Russia, perceive cyber espionage as a low-cost, high-impact method for stealing sensitive information.• Targets: Targets have expanded from traditional government and military entities to include critical infrastructure (energy, telecommunications, transportation), private sector companies, academic institutions, and research labs.
• Goals: Objectives include stealing military and WMD technology data, intellectual property, trade secrets, and large quantities of personally identifiable information (PII) for future use.
• Methods: Adversaries use sophisticated techniques like spear-phishing, malware, and supply chain compromises to gain access to U.S. networks.• Shift to Economic and Technological Espionage: While Cold War espionage focused on political and military intelligence, the last three decades have seen a major focus on economic and technological advantage. Foreign intelligence services actively pursue U.S. technology to boost their own domestic economic growth and modernize their military forces.
• Diversification of Actors and Methods: The number of actors targeting the U.S. has grown beyond major powers. The global availability of advanced technologies has enabled a wider range of states, organizations, and individuals to conduct intelligence activities previously limited to well-financed intelligence services.
• Information Warfare and Influence Operations: Foreign intelligence services now actively engage in information warfare and malign influence operations to sow discontent, weaken the U.S. system from within, and shape U.S. public opinion and policy.
• Post-9/11 Counterterrorism Focus (US Response): The U.S. intelligence community underwent a significant transformation after 9/11, restructuring to become a threat-based, intelligence-driven national security enterprise focused on detecting and dismantling terrorist plots. This led to an expansion of domestic surveillance authorities and data collection programs, intended to improve information sharing and connect the dots between foreign intelligence and domestic threats. [1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16]Summary The nature of foreign intelligence penetration has fundamentally changed, becoming more pervasive, technologically advanced, and focused on gaining economic and strategic advantage through cyber means, while continuing to leverage human sources. These dynamics present complex challenges for U.S. counterintelligence efforts, which have adapted by focusing on cyber defense, international partnerships, and protecting critical infrastructure from a growing number of diverse threats. [1, 14, 17, 18, 19]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents…
[2] orionpolicy.org/cyber-espion…
[3] scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/vi…
[4] tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.…
[5] nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/…
[6] brennancenter.org/issues/pro…
[7] americanprogress.org/article…
[8] pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/inter…
[9] csis.org/programs/strategic-…
[10] tbp.org/static/docs/features…
[11] dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents…
[12] justice.gov/archive/911/coun…
[13] gao.gov/assets/gao-24-107600…
[14] dcsa.mil/Portals/128/Documen…
[15] dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents…
[16] csis.org/programs/strategic-…
[17] defensescoop.com/2023/03/08/…
[18] rsinc.com/chinese-government…
[19] muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/8…— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 1, 2025
The #Counterintelligence Issues: The Illegal #Immigrants and ethnic crime groups form networks with the connections to their #IntelligenceServices – Google Search google.com/search?q=The+Coun…
The user’s statement, “The Counterintelligence Issues: The Illegal Immigrants and ethnic crime groups form networks with the connections to their Intelligence Services,” reflects a recognized area of counterintelligence concern, where foreign intelligence entities may exploit transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and immigration systems to further their goals. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key points regarding this issue:TCOs as Proxies: Some state actors use TCO networks as proxies to engage in illicit activities, allowing the states to maintain plausible deniability.
Non-Traditional Collection: Foreign adversaries increasingly employ non-traditional methods for intelligence collection, including using human collectors who are not formally affiliated with intelligence services.
Exploitation of Pathways: Transnational criminal networks, which facilitate illegal immigration, create vulnerabilities that can be exploited by other nefarious actors, including intelligence services.
Convergence of Threats: There is a recognized overlap between terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and international organized crime, with groups sharing tactics and sometimes forming strategic alliances.
Counterintelligence Focus: U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI and ICE, investigate these complex, global networks to stop crime at the source and disrupt threats to national security.
Transnational Repression: Foreign governments have engaged in transnational repression, reaching beyond their borders to intimidate or harm diaspora communities in the U.S., which involves clandestine activities falling under counterintelligence investigations. [1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]While research indicates that undocumented immigrants are, in general, less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens, the structure of criminal networks that facilitate illegal border crossings provides opportunities for exploitation by hostile intelligence entities, which is a key focus for counterintelligence efforts. [2, 13, 14, 15]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] fbi.gov/news/speeches-and-te…
[2] congress.gov/107/plaws/publ5…
[3] propublica.org/article/immig…
[4] ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-librar…
[5] secureco.com/posts/minimize-…
[6] fbi.gov/investigate/counteri…
[7] dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents…
[8] fbi.gov/about/faqs/what-is-t…
[9] intelligence.gov/assets/docu…
[10] ice.gov/about-ice/hsi/invest…
[11] congress.gov/crs_external_pr…
[12] commdocs.house.gov/committee…
[13] asanet.org/sociological-rese…
[14] nytimes.com/2019/05/13/upsho…
[15] nij.ojp.gov/topics/crimes/re…— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 1, 2025