Armenia's Hostage Crisis Has Ended, but Its Problems Have Not

After Armenia's two-week hostage crisis wound down, President Serzh Sarkisian vowed Aug. 1 to form a government of national accord in the hope of appeasing his dissatisfied populace. But while the hostage situation is over, protests against the government are not, underscoring the broader political problems the president has yet to solve. Persistent discontent at home and a standoff with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh will continue to cloud the future of the Armenian government no matter who leads it, leaving the government in Yerevan little room to maneuver in domestic and foreign policy matters.