When does a volunteer become a propagandist? And how does an "observation mission" quietly step over its mandate and end up enabling political maneuvering in one of the most fragile regions of the South Caucasus? These questions become all the more urgent as new revelations come to light about David R. Hackett — a U.S. citizen of Armenian descent — and his involvement in activities that cast serious doubt on the neutrality of the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA).

In February 2025, the European Union Mission to Armenia shared a seemingly mundane photo on LinkedIn. Two men stand in a snowy border region between Armenia and Azerbaijan — one clad in civilian winterwear, the other in the unmistakable blue vest of the EU mission. Nothing alarming, right?

Well, it turns out the man on the left is David R. Hackett, a PhD student at Boston University, who isn't just visiting Armenia — he’s woven deep into its nationalist infrastructure. The problem? Hackett is not a European Union citizen. He’s not even a neutral researcher. He is, by all accounts, an American citizen with a long record of involvement in Armenian lobby politics, memory activism, and, notably, the illegal self-proclaimed "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic."

So why exactly was he standing on a European Union mission's border patrol?

He has revealed himself as of Armenian descendant. His great grand mom Varter Boghosian moved to the US from Turkish town of Harput. Even in one his interviews he called this town of made-up Armenian name. This fact alone is enough to understand his real motives. Hackett claims to be an academic, a volunteer, a grandson of a survivor. But a closer look at his résumé reveals something far more orchestrated.

His academic focus? "Genocide Studies, the preservation of memory, and the geopolitics of the South Caucasus." And the capstone of his academic career? A research thesis titled "DIASPORA DIPLOMACY — Understanding the Armenian diaspora’s effectiveness at advocating for genocide recognition."

One might ask: is this a research project — or a propaganda blueprint?

His CV reads like the playbook of someone deeply entrenched in lobbying, advocacy, and identity politics. From his internship at the Foreign Ministry of the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” to his award from the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Hackett hasn’t just been studying the region — he’s been actively participating in the ideological war that has long defined it.

Worse still, he contributed to a publication from the Lemkin Institute, which claims to identify “risk factors” of genocide in the region — predictably aligned with Armenian narratives, omitting any acknowledgement of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity or the suffering of Azerbaijani IDPs.

Hackett’s journey to Armenia began in 2023 through the Birthright Armenia program, a volunteer scheme aimed at reconnecting diaspora Armenians with their "homeland." Founded by Edele Hovnanian, a known philanthropist with strong ties to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the program serves as a soft power tool for lobby influence. Hackett claims to have "volunteered" in self-proclaimed “Artsakh” — better known to international law as illegally occupied Azerbaijani territory.

Should we still believe this was a simple “volunteer trip”?

Let’s not forget: he’s also actively working at the Lemkin Institute, an organization notorious for unbalanced accusations and selectively applied definitions of genocide.

According to EUMA’s own mandate, the mission is to “observe and report” and is strictly composed of EU citizens. So what exactly was a U.S. national — let alone a politically-involved one with ties to separatist regimes — doing on the frontlines of their mission?

It’s no longer merely difficult to see EUMA as a neutral observer in the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations — it’s becoming near impossible. The involvement of individuals like David Hackett, who have open affiliations with Armenian nationalist networks and have worked within illegal separatist structures, is not just a procedural oversight — it's a deliberate move.

Hackett’s presence at the border under the auspices of a European mission signals something more disturbing: an orchestrated attempt to craft and legitimize a one-sided narrative in the relations. EUMA, by inviting or at the very least enabling Hackett’s participation, appears to be playing a double game. Publicly, it claims to be a monitoring body aimed at de-escalation. But behind the scenes, it is allowing — even facilitating — actors who specialize in emotional manipulation, selective memory politics, and lobby-driven propaganda to position themselves at the frontline of international observation.

Moreover, while the US Department of State has issued travel restrictions for the border region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, David Hackett continues to move freely in that area. This blatant disregard for state-sanctioned caution further underscores that hAe is no ordinary individual—a typical citizen or student would adhere to such recommendations, highlighting instead a calculated immunity and a hidden agenda.

Why bring a young American with no official role, no EU citizenship, and a documented history of anti-Azerbaijani political work to a volatile border zone?

The answer may lie in EUMA’s less-than-transparent agenda. By positioning activists like Hackett in sensitive regions, they can collect curated data for reports that amplify Armenian grievances while downplaying or omitting Azerbaijani realities, feed emotionally charged narratives to sympathetic European media and NGOs, increasing hostility and suspicion against Azerbaijan, legitimize separatist histories by normalizing figures connected to illegal entities like the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”, and most dangerously, undermine peacebuilding efforts by fostering division and resentment through quiet but powerful acts of symbolic propaganda.

In this light, Hackett is not just a volunteer observer. He is a tool of soft provocation, planted to subtly inject partisan bias into the mission’s reports and visual presence. His writings and affiliations make it clear: this is a person trained not just in observation, but in agenda-driven interpretation.

Hackett’s case is not an isolated oversight — it is a calculated deployment, a symptom of a deeper rot in EUMA’s operational integrity.

The real question is no longer whether the EU is turning a blind eye, but rather — is it actively complicit in a broader campaign of soft power manipulation? How long will Azerbaijan be expected to tolerate the weaponization of so-called neutral missions that act as covert amplifiers for one side’s agenda?

It’s time to call things by their true name. David Hackett isn’t merely a PhD student with an interest in genocide studies. He is a lobby-aligned political actor, embedded under the camouflage of academia and volunteering. And EUMA? It’s long past time to scrutinize who they’re really working for — and whose peace they’re really promoting.