Vance’s first global test: A failing grade in the Caucasus

2026-03-12 - 15:05

Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in the South Caucasus with a reputation as a fearless defender of persecuted Christians. He left with that reputation in shreds, diminished by his own hand — By caution, and worse, cowardice where conviction and courage were needed. On this first real test on the global stage, he fell short — failing Christian Armenians and Christians worldwide. In the name of President Trump’s “peace,” Vice President Vance rewarded Azerbaijan’s aggression — locking in its genocidal gains while deepening Armenian losses of land, security and sovereignty. The facts, sadly, bear this out: — Vice President Vance abandoned Armenian hostages: He failed to demand the immediate, unconditional release of Armenian hostages, prisoners of war and political detainees held in Baku — many subjected to torture and other abuse — normalizing Azerbaijan’s hostage diplomacy. — Vice President Vance refused to back the right of return of the people of Artsakh: He failed to affirm the internationally protected right of more than 150,000 forcibly displaced Armenians from Artsakh to return safely to their ancestral and indigenous homeland, normalizing Baku’s policy of ethnic cleansing. — Vice President Vance remained silent on the destruction of Christian heritage: He failed to confront Azerbaijan over its documented desecration and erasure of Armenian Christian churches, monasteries and cemeteries in Artsakh — normalizing the eradication of holy sites across a cradle of early Christianity. — Vice President Vance ignored Azerbaijani military occupation of Armenia: He failed to condemn or even comment on Azerbaijan’s ongoing military occupation of internationally recognized Armenian territory — normalizing Azerbaijan’s cross-border seizure of sovereign Armenian territory. Vice President Vance refused to sanction Azerbaijani leaders: He failed to enforce U.S. sanctions, including Global Magnitsky sanctions, against Azerbaijani leaders for documented war crimes and human rights abuses — normalizing continued anti-Armenian aggression. During his time in Armenia, Vice President Vance did address jailed Armenian clergy, failing to visit or even comment on Armenian Apostolic archbishops, bishops, parish priests and deacons imprisoned by the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. For the vice president, this was not a routine diplomatic stop. It was a defining moment — a deeply disturbing one. It disappointed me and will surely be remembered by 72,000 of my fellow Armenian Michiganders, a pivotal voting bloc in a hotly contested swing state. This was a failed test, to be sure, but we are still in the midterm of his tenure. The vice president still has time to get this right.