As the world order continues its transformation from a unipolar system to a more complex multipolar configuration, Armenia faces multifaceted challenges amplified by its defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan in 2023, the forced displacement of Armenian population and the continued assertive policy of Azerbaijan, which promotes the concepts of so-called “Western Azerbaijan” and a “Zangezur Corridor.”
The war in Ukraine and the complete rupture of Russia-West relations adds complexity to Armenian foreign policy, as Yerevan navigates the great power competition. In this context, the successful continuation of the cooperation between Armenian National Defense Research University (NDRU) and the US National Defense University (NDU) could be an efficient platform for intellectual debates about the future development of Armenia.
The NDRU was established in 2005 as the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) by Lieutenant-General Hayk Kotanjian, a doctor of political science and professor. Its primary task was to study the principles of activity of the US NDU that nourished the top US military-political leadership with the products of its academic research and provided the top leadership with interagency security education, and to develop the project of establishing its sister organization by localizing NDU’s model in Armenia. The project of the Armenian INSS-NDRU was elaborated by Dr. Kotanjian during his graduate studies and further fellowships at the US NDU, Harvard University and other important centers.
During its activities, the INSS, as an academic basis of the future NDRU, has taken steps towards creating a quality professional environment necessary for defense security studies in Armenia. It incorporated regional security studies; the establishment of strategic gaming and cybersecurity groups aimed at the gradual development of the research component; and transformation of the research results into a form accessible to broader audiences after the launching of the educational component and opening of the NDRU in 2016.
Given the ever-growing role of artificial intelligence in every aspect of human activities, the cooperation between Armenian NDRU and the US NDU College of Information and Cyberspace is of utmost importance for ensuring Armenian national interests in this vital sphere.
As Lt. Gen. Hayk Kotanjian celebrated his 80th anniversary a few days ago, the activities of the Armenian NDRU and continuation of the cooperation with the US NDU are a vivid example of how one person’s vision and relentless efforts can make a long-term impact on the future of state and nation.
