The secret of the success of Pashinyan’s populism does not lie in any exceptional political talent or strategic genius, as we are often told from screens and podiums. Its success stems from something far more prosaic, yet highly effective: the ability to work with people’s expectations and fears - and, importantly, society’s willingness to indulge in wishful thinking.

Nikol Pashinyan has recently been offering society a rather peculiar formula of political choice: either him or war.

В марте 2026 года Никол Пашинян представил концепцию «Реальной Армении», где независимость определяется как переход от «зависимости от немногих» к «зависимости от многих». В теории — это путь к устойчивости и суверенитету. На практике — иная картина.

“Artsakh's parliamentary factions issued a statement following a Pashinyan's scandalous altercation with a forcefully displaced Artakhi resident, Armine Mosyan, and her child, and the subsequent ‘retreat’ of that sly demagogue.

A settlement of the Karabakh conflict under the Russian scenario would have allowed Armenia not only to preserve Artsakh but also to play a significant role in the implementation of the North–South Corridor project.

Ironically, formal income and asset declarations create an illusion of transparency and accountability, while in reality, corrupt practices persist — and may even become institutionalized — turning the law into a largely decorative element of public governance.

On March 16, 2026, Robert Kocharyan was officially nominated as a candidate for prime minister by the Armenia Alliance. Regardless of one’s personal attitude toward Kocharyan, it must be acknowledged that both the future of his political force and, to a large extent, the fate of Armenia itself rest on his shoulders. Much will depend on his actions - whether the country continues its downward trajectory or manages to stabilize and move toward development.

A state governed by populist slogans instead of a coherent strategy has no future.

The RPA’s motto is simple and cynical: either us or Nikol Pashinyan. Any force capable of genuinely competing with Pashinyan immediately becomes a target for discrediting, manipulation, and political games.

The September events were not merely a military operation. They unfolded within a specific political atmosphere largely shaped by the Armenian authorities themselves. Their so-called “peace agenda” in practice turned out to be a risky experiment in which the country’s security was made dependent on vague international guarantees.