The Armenian Studies Program hosted author Sassoon Grigorian, via Zoom, on Thursday March 12, 2026, to discuss his recent book Smart Nation A Blueprint for Modern Armenia (London: Gomidas Institute, 2016, 2025). Grigorian’s presentation was entitled, “Armenia in 2035: What Can and Should be Done.” Grigorian is a prominent government affairs and public policy professional, especially in the technology sector. He has worked for multiple fortune 500 companies and is currently the Vice President of Public Policy at Salesforce.
Grigorian first visited Fresno 10 years ago and was amazed by its scenery. It reminded him of why Armenian immigrants came here over 100 years ago for farming and other opportunities. Grigorian has always been interested in Armenia and how it could progress in the next decade.
According to Grigorian, about seventy percent of the thirty ideas presented in the book were either adopted in full or in part by the Armenian government. Grigorian doesn’t claim full responsibility for that, but it is an indication of what is realistically possible for a country like Armenia. In order for change to happen in ten years, there needs to be a vision and plan to get there. Armenia has developed quite significantly economically already in the last ten years. According to the World Bank Classification, Armenia is now an upper middle class developing economy (World Bank, July 1, 2024).
The key to unlocking Armenia’s potential is by utilizing its most prized possession, which is its people. The three concrete ideas that Grigorian suggested in his presentation to help progress Armenia were: AI and Human Capital, Smart Foreign Policy, and a “Porcupine” Defense Plan. The Armenian technology sector is on track to be its largest industry and has become a hub in the region for technology. In 2024 ServiceTitan was founded in Los Angeles by two Armenians, Vahe Kuzoyan and Ara Mahdessian, and is currently valued around 9 billion dollars. A lot of its engineers are based in Armenia, and they recently opened an office in Yerevan. Nvidia and Firebird are also slated to open a 500-million-dollar AI supercomputer center in Armenia in 2026. The government should also develop a National AI plan with a dedicated minister and officer of AI to take it to the next decade.
Human capital is a renewable resource and grows with education, training, and experience. Many small states have had to rely on their people’s innovation to advance further technologically. The World Bank has a Human Capital Index where Armenia ranks at 0.58, which is around the middle tier globally. According to the World Bank, even though the score is above the 2010 score of 0.54, it is “lower than the average for the Europe and Central Asia region (0.69),” highlighting the need to increase the quality of education, as reflected in international tests. According to Grigorian, Armenia should aim to be in the higher tier grouping to strengthen its human capital.
The second concept suggests a 360-degree Smart Foreign Policy inspired by former U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Edward Djerejian. It is a holistic approach to national relations. Armenia has no allies, therefore there is no country that would step in and fight alongside Armenia except for Iran. Armenia can potentially serve as an honest broker between the United States and Iran due to its strategic importance and broker some sort of agreement between them by implementing the S20. This new kind of global, political, and economic alliance, would bring together the 20 largest economies in the world by coordinating policies, sharing resources and knowledge, and strengthening their own power through a united front. The S20 was introduced by Armenia’s former President Armen Sarkissian. It would represent small states as a cluster of one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial countries in the world.
The third concept, the “Porcupine Defense” Strategy, is when a country makes itself so well defended, that it makes it difficult for enemies to attack. This can include geographic or structural fortifications, exploiting natural terrain, and building a strong infrastructure.
Armenia’s defense budget focuses on its armed forces, while Azerbaijan’s includes additional allocations for various institutions. It is much cheaper to effectively defend yourself than to be an aggressor. Having an effective intelligence system will also help aid Armenia in its defense strategy.
If Armenia would implement the concepts suggested by Grigorian, the country could not only grow technologically, but also improve its quality of life for its most valuable asset – its people. Paving the way for the suggested technological advances, building human capital, developing a foreign policy, and establishing a thorough intelligence and defense strategy will ensure that Armenia will be an even greater innovator by 2035.