Donald Trump talks a lot. Speech is his weapon of choice, and attack is his strategy. Dangerous stuff if you happen to be the president of the United States, and have a huge and well-equipped military machine at your disposal in case you want to put words in action. But it does not require a shot to be fired for a lot of people to get hurt, and for relations built over decades to be spoilt. Trump was is Davos last week. His speech was, as expected, controversial. But it was what he said after his return that caused a stir. In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Trump said of Nato troops: "We've never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. "They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan... and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.” In 2005, I took a sabbatical from my NGO work to go and work for six months with the United Nations in Afghanistan. I was part of a five-person team that was to help set up the new Afghan Parliament. My office in Kabul was in Wazir Akbar Khan District, a stone throw away from the British Embassy.  It was as safe as could be in Afghanistan at the time. But, in fact, nowhere was safe. The Serena Hotel, where I used to go every Friday for coffee was bombed soon after, leaving many dead. Every time you left Afghanistan you were glad you were still alive. More than 3,500 coalition soldiers died, about two-thirds of them Americans, as of 2021 when the US withdrew from the country. The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths in the conflict behind the US, which saw 2,461 fatalities. Most of the 457 British troops who died serving in Afghanistan over a period of nearly 20 years were killed in Helmand - the scene of the heaviest fighting. Hundreds more suffered injuries and lost limbs. Trump’s insult to the dead, wounded and others who served in Afghanistan will not be forgotten easily. The US will find this out when it needs allies to support it, as it will sooner or later. The NATO alliance was already rattled by Trumps attempts to absorb Greenland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally. But all the shenanigans around Greenland will blur into insignificance when compared to the insult to thousands of war dead and veterans. The bad taste will linger for a long time and spoils relations that have been built over decades. (click the picture to read the Monday Commentary in full).

On January 14, 2026, Armenia and the United States jointly announced the publication of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) Implementation Framework, representing a concrete follow-up to the August 8 agreements aimed at operationalizing the planned multimodal transit route across Armenian territory. The Framework outlines how TRIPP will be established to create unimpeded, multimodal transit connectivity linking Azerbaijan’s main territory with its Nakhichevan exclave, enhancing regional trade, stability, and integration while advancing sovereignty, territorial integrity, and reciprocal benefits. It sets out the objectives of TRIPP for all parties: for the U.S., expanded markets and critical supply-chain connectivity; for Armenia, an enhanced role as a transit and economic hub, foreign investment attraction, institutional capacity building, and expanded export potential; and for the region, peace, prosperity, and improved connectivity. Mariam Khurshudyan an expert at the Orbelli Centre in Yerevan looks at an eventful year in US-Armenian relations. She says that TRIPP represents a potentially meaningful step toward enhanced connectivity and cooperation, offering opportunities for economic development and regional engagement. At the same time, its long-term significance will depend on careful implementation, sustained political commitment, and the ability to manage regional sensitivities. In conclusion, Armenian diplomacy has succeeded in elevating what could have remained a narrowly bilateral or technical arrangement into a matter of broader international relevance. By anchoring the process in a multilateral context and engaging global partners, Yerevan positioned the initiative as part of a wider conversation on connectivity, stability, and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus and beyond. While the project’s ultimate impact will depend on implementation and regional dynamics, this diplomatic approach has modestly increased Armenia’s international engagement and contributed to a broader range of external partnerships.(Read her analysis in full by clicking the image).

The editorial team of commonspace.eu continues to provide a forum for informed discussion on Europe and its neighbourhood. This week, we welcome Armenian political personality, Dr. Stepan Grigoryan, who reflects on his early entry into Armenian politics under the Iron Curtain, his firsthand experience of its collapse, and his ongoing efforts to combat election interference and propaganda through social media. The results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, expected to take place in June 2026, could either establish a path toward long-lasting diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan or risk derailing the peace process entirely, along with its hopes of deepening integration with Western political and economic spheres. Dr. Grigoryan warns of Kremlin conduits exploiting public anxieties of ongoing negotiations following the landmark peace agreement in August: “Rather than serving as a genuine national opposition… It is these political forces that disseminate fear and uncertainty within Armenian society regarding the ongoing peace process with Azerbaijan.” However, Stepan Grigoryan is optimistic. “I think the peace process with Azerbaijan will keep moving forward and Armenia will meet its goals with the EU, provided we don't face the kind of military force that Vladimir Solovyov has hinted at. (Read the full conversation with Dr. Grigoryan by clicking on the image).