Month: November 2009

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Things get going: weekly review

09:45 / 11/21/2009Domestic policy

After a long interval, this week has proved to be a politically
eventful one. The pro-government camp’s intensified activities have
been a distinctive feature in contrast to its usual passivity and
responses to the Opposition’s accusations. This time, Armenia’s second
President Robert Kocharyan personally responded to the Opposition
leader Levot Ter-Petrosyan. Robert Kocharyan’s appearance in public is
within the context of his repeated attempts to return to politics.

The statements made by Robert Kocharyan, who, as usual, resorted to
insulting his political opponent, without making any specific
political appraisals, are of no special interest. Another matter is
the disappointment felt by few of Robert Kocharyan’s supporters, who
form part of the Establishment. For months `Kocharyan’s people’ had
been waiting for their `icon’ to give a serious and well-argued
response to the signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols and the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, but Kocharyan only confined himself to
stories about recent hunting in Africa thereby underlining his
alienation from political life.

On the other hand, Kocharyan’s team cannot be said `to be asleep’ ` it
is showing clear signs of political activity. Over the last few months
the ex-president has been `present’ on the political scene by means of
his minions. The Civilitas Foundation headed by the ex-foreign
minister Vartan Oskanian is holding regular events. However, after
Oskanian was actively involved in the tragic events on March 1, 2008,
the Armenian society is unwilling to accept his concern over the
situation in the country as sincere statements by an independent
politician.

In this context, another creature of Robert Kocharyan, the Chairman of
the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan
`launched an offensive.’ He has been actively buying the airtime of
Armenian TV channels lately, and the viewers have to `enjoy’ the
programs about the `charity and generosity’ of Mr. Tsarukyan, who is
not in any way among Armenia’s largest taxpayers. What is more, PAP
representatives kicked up a row at the sitting of the Yerevan
Municipal Council thereby coming into an open conflict with Yerevan
Mayor Gagik Beglaryan, a nominee of the Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA) and its Chairman, RA President Serzh Sargsyan. The
Beglaryan-Tsarukyan confrontation stems from the elections to the
Yerevan Municipal Council on May 31, when the RPA formed an
overwhelming majority and laid hands on the reigns of government in
the Armenian capital. Thus the RPA must have broken `a previous
portfolio arrangement’ with the PAP. The PAP, however, has not yet so
far come into an overt conflict with the RPA.

The PAP’s recently intensified activities are in perfect harmony with
Robert Kocharyan’s repeated attempts to remind the public of his
presence in Armenia’s political life. Strangely enough, the Armenian
authorities do not put any obstacles to the Armenian TV channels
covering the activities of Gagik Tsarukyan and his party. This
situation suggests that the confrontation between the two forces,
which are the backbone of the ruling coalition, is an intricate
combination of undercurrents.

In fact, we can state that the Serzh Sargsyan team has managed to
prevent Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan from being involved in
behind-the-scenes activities in case of political tension in the
country as a result of unfavorable developments in the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. This is the only plausible explanation
for his sudden admission to the RPA, as well as for the subsequent
statements by RPA representatives that, from now on, the Premier will
not be free in expressing his political views, but will be obliged to
implement the central ruling force’s policy.

The regards the opposition camp, main developments involved Nikol
Pashinyan, Editor-in-Chief of the opposition newspaper Haykakan
Zhamanak. The developments took an unexpected course, which is
evidence of the authorities’ changed tactics. At the November 19 court
sitting, the Prosecution refused to call the most part of the
witnesses involved in the case. It has a logical explanation: a number
of political myths created by the Armenian authorities in interpreting
the March 1, 2008, events were debunked by the conflicting
testimonies. Almost all the witnesses `destroyed’ the Prosecution’s
arguments, which made the Prosecution to refuse to call the others
thereby trying to speed up the proceedings.

The authorities’ `aspiration’ to have a verdict returned as soon as
possible can be explained. Nikol Pashinyan, who is charged with
organizing riots, has been nominated as a parliamentary candidate by
the Opposition at the by-elections in Election District #10 scheduled
for January 10. Pashinyan can run for Parliament without any problems
unless a verdict of guilty is returned before January 10. As regards
the story with a certificate confirming his residence in Armenia over
the last five years, it ended in a verdict obliging the local passport
office to issue the relevant certificate to Pashinyan for him to be
able to get registered as a candidate.

Nagorno-Karabakh peace process

This week has been marked by intensive preparations for the next
Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meeting. The numerous statements
made on the international scene suggest the conclusion that the key
geopolitical players, Russia, the USA and European Union (EU), have
intensified the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. The developments show
that the international community is increasing its pressure on Armenia
and Azerbaijan, and the forthcoming Armenian-Azerbaijan presidential
meeting may result in a document on the fundamental settlement
principles.

Although the Azerbaijani authorities’ non-constructive position may
thwart the negotiation process, the geopolitical players, instead of
`neutralizing’ official Baku’s provocations, began making desperate
efforts to achieve the results as soon as possible. The United States’
`outward passivity’ confirms the suppositions that, in contrast to the
Armenian-Turkish relations, Russia is the principal mediator in the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Moreover, at a news conference on the
EU-Russia Summit, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made a plain
statement on a Russia-West consensus on the ways of settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Contrasting the disagreements over last
year’s events in Georgia between Russia and the West with the
`complete agreement’ on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the Russian
leader stated: `In particular, we discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process taking place between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It has made
progress. This is an example of how we can cooperate or could have
cooperated but for last year’s tragedy.’

This year it is impossible to state the reason for the intensified
Armenia-Turkey normalization and Nagorno-Karabakh peace processes in a
clearer way. But for the Russia-West agreement this spring, the
Armenian-Turkish roadmap would not have been signed this April,
Armenian-Turkish protocols would not have been initialed on August 31
and signed on October 10. And now that Yerevan and Ankara have to take
concrete steps to ratify and start implementing the protocols, Moscow
has made statements running counter to its previous ones. Let us take
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ statements just before the
Armenian-Turkish protocols were signed. They denied any linkage
between the Armenia-Turkey and Nagorno-Karabakh peace processes On the
other hand, Andrey Nesterenko, official representative of the RF
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the following statement: `As far as we
know issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh were raised during the
Yerevan-Ankara negotiations. This range of issue must be considered in
this process. Let us hope that all the issues will be settled in
conformity with the decisions made by international organizations and
meet the interests of all the nations of the region.’ So it turned out
that two simultaneous processes are going on, which, according to the
statements made abroad, are so parallel that it can hardly be noticed.

A number of European officials also voiced their opinions on the
intensifying Nagorno-Karabakh peace process on the threshold of the
Aliyev-Sargsyan meeting.

The attempts made by the geopolitical players and international
community to speed up the settlement of the frozen conflict and help
the conflicting parties to reach a peace agreement can only be
welcomed. The mediators, however, are `getting carried away’, making a
fundamental mistake, which may prove too expensive to all the sides
and fatal to the previous efforts and agreements. Do not they
exaggerate the significance of the geopolitical factor in the sides’
making crucial decisions?

Economy and social life

Government officials go on making their assessments of the impact of
the global economic crisis on Armenia, which, however, are getting
less and less convincing. Let us remembers that, just of the threshold
of the unprecedented economic decline, RA Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan even said the crisis could be of benefit to Armenia, whereas
RA Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan’s present assurances do not
sound convincing. The Minister is sure that `Armenia will be ahead of
others in overcoming the consequences of the financial crisis and
restore its economy.’ On the other hand, Armenia was not among the
first to feel the consequences of the crisis, so it will be ahead of
others in overcoming them though the economic decline was among the
most serious in the country. `The economic decline index is a
technical one reflecting the technical aspect of the situation in the
country,’ Davtyan said.

According to the data published this week, the poverty level rose by
2.8% in Armenia in the 2nd quarter of 2009 as compared with the
corresponding period last year ` up to 28.4%. A WB expert cited the
figures at a presentation of a WB report on Armenia.

At the same time, despite criticism, the Armenian Government continues
providing financial guarantees. It is the turn of the Norashen-2007
cooperative society now. The Government has provided it with U.S.
$500,000 guarantees for three years. The aim is to attract credits for
the construction of a residential building in the Achapnyak community
in Yerevan.

At its sitting on November 17, the RA Commission for Protection of
Economic Competition initiated proceedings against 19 major companies
working on the Armenian drug market. Surveys conducted by the
Commission this October-November showed rise in drug prices. The
prices for anti-virus drugs as well as for drugs against
cardiovascular diseases and diabetes showed a sharp rise. The
Commission arrived at the conclusion that the aforementioned economic
entities violate the antimonopoly laws. The Commission intends to
demand documents substantiating the price rise from the importers. The
companies also have to provide all the import and sales documents to
the Commission. The Commission also pointed out the necessity for
finding out the reasons for limited competition on Armenia’s drug
market. On top of all, after swine flue cases were registered in
Armenia, anti-virus medicines and hygienic masks disappeared from
drugstores. And the price for TAMIFLU has been raised several times.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Aysor, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Comrade-in-arms pay tribute to Leonid Azgaldyan

Today comrade-in-arms of Hero of Karabakh war, 1st degree Battle Cross
Medal awarded Leonid Azgaldyan, met with journalists on Leonid’s 67th
birth anniversary.

`Leonid was very talented. Still at soviet times he greatly
contributed to science,’ told Gagik Ginosyan, Karin Ensemble’s
director. As a physicist Leonid Azgaldyan alongside with his friends
Alexander Tamanyan and Karen Grigoryan worked up on weapons at early
wartime.

`Leonid was one of the first personalities who paid attention to
strategy of close-based military defense,’ told Colonel Hamik
Sayadyan. Being not professional educated man of arms Leonid was as
good in military as military specialists are.

Leonid Azgaldyan was a good tutor; he trained combat-ready soldiers
who were named `Leonid’s guys’.

Once on meeting with foreign journalist, when asked what `political
color’ Leonid belongs to, he scooped up a soil and said: `I am
soil-colored’.

Karabakh war hero Leonid Azgaldyan died on June 21 1992. Through his
comrade-in-arms’ efforts a bust in memory of Leonid Azgaldyan is set
up at Mashtots-Khorenatsi crossway in Armenian capital city of
Yerevan.

Trend, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2009

Azerbaijan to raise Nagorno-Karabakh question at plenary session of BSEC PA
21.11.2009 15:59
Azerbaijan, Baku, November 20 / Trend News, A.Huseynbala /

At the 34th plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), which will be held in Moscow, the
Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan will raise the issue of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

It is expected that the speech of the Speaker at the meeting will
touch upon the issues of contamination of rivers and damages inflicted
to the environment in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the head
of the Parliament’s press service Akif Tevekkuloglu briefed the media
on Nov. 21.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Led by Speaker Oktay Asadov, the delegation will leave for Moscow to
participate at the plenary session of the BSEC PA on Nov. 22.
According to Tevekkuloglu, the meeting will focus on the rational
exploitation of natural resources, improvement of legislative base in
this regard, the formation of ecological wisdom and other
organizational issues.

BSEC was established in 1992. The organization includes Azerbaijan,
Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Romania,
Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

news.az, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2009

Double standards hinder Karabakh conflict settlement
Sat 21 November 2009 | 10:20 GMT Text size:

Elnur Aslanov Elnur Aslanov, head of the political analysis and
information department at Azerbaijan’s presidential administration,
comments to News.Az on the process to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

"The double standards applied in relations with the South Caucasus
countries are among the real hindrances to the Karabakh conflict
settlement. Everyone knows that territorial integrity, which is an
imperative principle of international law, was violated and lands were
occupied. Therefore, the world community should differentiate between
the aggressor and the victim. On the other hand, this illegal
situation can be assessed as a crime against peace, and the state
should be held internationally and criminally responsible. In this
respect, the world community must be aware of its responsibility, try
to act lawfully and not to repeat historical mistakes.

"Unfortunately, different approaches are applied to equivalent
conflicts today. Historical experience shows that the application of
double standards sometimes leads to the strengthening of one party and
to a deadlock in negotiations. Therefore, the active role of the
international community in the Karabakh conflict and its determined
position may create favourable conditions for the settlement of the
conflict.

"The unsettled conflict also hinders regional development as regional
cooperation is possible only between countries that respect the
principles of good neighbourliness and do not have territorial claims
against each other. Armenia is isolated from regional economic
projects as its policy of occupation contradicts the principle of
regional cooperation. The settlement of the Karabakh conflict is the
only way to end Armenia’s isolation and its regional integration.

"It should also be noted that as the main initiator and executor of
projects in the region, Azerbaijan will never agree to Armenia’s
participation in these projects before it withdraws its troops from
the occupied lands. Azerbaijan will increase political and economic
pressure on Armenia until the occupation ends. This is the main tool
in restoring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

"If Armenia really wants to demonstrate a positive and sincere
approach, it should first withdraw its troops from Azerbaijan’s lands.

"However, the position of the Armenian leadership is not sincere. They
are more concerned with the negative impact of the current situation
on Armenia’s economy. Armenia is among the countries most affected by
the world financial crisis, therefore, it is not difficult to imagine
its current state. Furthermore, a greater part of its state budget
comes from transfers from the diaspora. As the diaspora has faced the
world crisis, this has affected the Armenian state budget too.

"In these conditions, the Armenian economy is deteriorating and this
will further affect internal political stability. The domestic
political situation worsens when there is no progress in people’s
living conditions and when no positive changes are expected.
Therefore, the Armenian leadership should realize that peaceful
coexistence with neighbours and participation in regional cooperation
meet their interests."

Jamil Bayramov
News.Az

eTurbo News
Nov 21 2009

Hidden Treasures Of Armenia
Armenian landscape is picturesque and rich in cultural monuments

Photo from Motaz Othman
By Motaz Othman, eTN | Nov 20, 2009

Mrs. Nelli Malkhasyan is an old friend of mine, I’m always meeting
with her at travel fairs and witnessed her efforts to promote her
country, Armenia. I met her again during the World Travel Market (WTM)
at the Armenia stand, and I asked her to introduce her country to the
readers of eTurboNews.

"With my pleasure," she said and invited me to visit Armenia on my own
to be able to discover fully the hidden treasures of her homeland. She
told me that Armenia has attracted travelers since ancient times.
Caravans would travel across the territory of historical Armenia as it
was an important part of the Great Silk Route. Many famous travelers,
such as Jean Baptist Tavernier, Marco Polo, and others, have portrayed
this country in their books depicting its picturesque landscape and
the richness of its numerous cultural monuments, covering a wide range
of the history of human civilization from Cyclopean fortresses to the
times of Urartu and the Pagan era, with its towns built in Hellenistic
style to early Christian churches and ecclesiastic universities homed
by monasteries. Pages could be written on the long-aged history of
Armenia!

Generally, tourists visiting Armenia are excited by its nature and
amazed by the results of its "creative work" (pictorial landforms,
rock sculptures, waterfalls, etc.) and wish to learn more about the
roots of their formation. As a matter of fact, Armenia is one of those
few countries that, though small in territory, is notable for its
complexity and rich diversity of its geological structures. In a small
area, one can observe various signs of active geological processes
ever taking place on the Earth and continuing today.

Among all this diverse Armenian geology are objects that could be
assigned to the rank of rarity, and often, unique natural geological
monuments are to be found. The agro-biological diversity of wild
relatives of plants – cultivated, medicinal, edible, wood, coloring,
aromatic, fodder, and many others – including many endemic, relict,
and rare species is surprising.

The people and races that have populated the Armenian highland, whose
origin stretches into the unknown millennia of prehistory, have
provided the human substance for its culture. Being at the crossroads
of Asia and Europe, the country served as a bridge joining both,
geographically as well as culturally, Iran and Indo-China with
European civilization. Armenia synthesized the best traditions of the
arts, music, and architecture from its neighbors and gave them a new
interpretation that not only enriched its own cultural heritage but
also influenced that of its neighbors. A visit to Armenia will help
one to define a new interpretation of east-west cultural interactions.

Throughout Yerevan alone, there are more than 40 museums and galleries
presenting fine arts. Yet the country as a whole is often referred to
as an outdoor museum. It has over 4,000 historical monuments, which
cover various periods of the country’s development from prehistoric to
the Hellenistic era and from the early to medieval Christian era. The
stone-carved crosses and cathedrals recall the European Renaissance.
Comparisons and discoveries of the arts are a continual delight in
this magical country.

Though distinctive national styles are clear, an Armenian national
song can sound to a westerner as hauntingly oriental. In order to
understand Armenian musical arts, please visit the House-Museum of the
world-reknowned contemporary composer Aram Khachatouryan or go to the
Philharmonic Hall, the Chamber Music Hall, or to the Opera and Ballet
House while in Yerevan.

Armenia’s literary and artistic history is studied and exhibited in
Matenadaran ` the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, which
preserves a unique collection of 14,000 complete manuscripts,
fragments, and miniatures (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The oldest
parchment manuscript dates back to early 5th c. The majority of
manuscripts are research works of ancient scholars on astrology,
alchemy, geography, history, medicine, poetry, and the musical arts.

Mrs. Nellie is the general manager of the Princess Maneh Consultancy
and Tourist Services – a full service incoming tour operator and DMC
offering tailored packages to the most attractive sights and
architectural monuments of Armenia.

-landscape-picturesque-and-rich-cultural-monuments

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Armenia-Turkey Protocols in RA Constitutional Court

12:08 / 11/21/2009Armenia-Turkey Protocols are already in the RA
Constitutional Court for 4 days, said the Head of RA Constitutional
Court Staff Arushan Hakobyan. The ratification date should be
announced within next 20 days at the plenary session.

If failed to reach an agreement, the procedure will prolong for
another 10 days. In any case, within a month Constitutional Court
should make a decision on the matter, according to which either the
Protocols will be returned, or their constitutionality will be
verified.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Aysor, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

`Yesterdays was decision based on the law’

`I don’t have illusions that the system of Justice of Armenia became
democratic at once’, – said Suren Surenyants the member of the
political board of the Republic Party referring to the decision taken
by Administrative Court.

Surenyants mentioned that in the last 10 years at least 2 times he has
get in touch with the judicial system and is sure that there is no
more corrupted and spoiled institution in Armenia than the judicial
system.

`Yesterday’s decision is based on the law. But here I can see several
contexts. Either the acting power has decided to show a political will
or to create a new scenario as if Pashinyan’s participation will cause
obstacles in other places’,- said Surenyants.

He also mentioned that he doesn’t have illusions and will believe in
positive changes of the authorities only in case of having honest
elections with equal rights.

Today, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2009

Armenian elite understands regional alignment of forces will not be in
favor of Armenia: Russian expert

21 November 2009 [13:44] – Today.Az

Day.Az interview with Russian political expert and Head of the
Political Forecasting Service of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies
Alexander Karavayev.

Day.Az: According to media reports, Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents will meet in Munich on Nov. 22. What are your expectations?
Can we expect progress?

Alexander Karavayev: It is hard to predict. It seems there are good
conditions for a breakthrough that could be beneficial for Armenia. At
present, Azerbaijan extends its hand to Armenia. In general, fairly
positive picture emerges out of the impasse. Support by global powers
and, of course, the Diaspora serves as an incentive to keep Karabakh
and surrounding areas. Actually, this support has always existed and
still exists. But support is rendered to Armenia as a state. It is not
policy of this state in respect of Karabakh.

The Armenian elite understands that the alignment of regional forces
in the foreseeable future will not be in favor of Armenia. But now
there are all chances to gradually get out of this impasse with
dignity, and to get benefits from it. If no progress is reached, a
window of opportunities will remain till the spring of 2010.

Q: What can be an alternative to the Minsk Group?

A: I have no idea. Any scheme in this respect is possible. If the CIS
bodies had retained the authority and power, this organization would
have every reason to become a sponsor of the peace process. But it did
not happen. Peacekeeping forces can hold any name. But only powers
that enjoy credibility and respect all over the world should act as
organizers. However, experience shows even this is not always enough.

Q: The Council of Europe Secretary General says his organization is
ready to offer assistance once Turkey and Armenia need it while
normalizing relations. What assistance can the Council of Europe
provide?

A: Probably, they could offer "to talk about it." No more. For
example, hold a conference, meeting of members of parliament and
public leaders. There can be no exceptional diplomatic involvement of
the Council of Europe.

Day.Az

URL:

Aysor, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Transfers entering Armenia reduced with 30%

The transfers of January ` February 2009 in Armenia made 148.4 million dollars.

More than half of the means have been transferred from Russia (98.0
million dollars). The money that came out from Armenia in the
abovementioned period made 57.2 million dollars.

The amount of transfers that entered Armenia for non commercial aims
made around 144.4 million dollars.

If we compare the results with the same period of the previous year we
will see that the transfers that enter the country have been reduced
with around 30%. The amount of the transfers of January ` September
2008 is around 203.4 million dollars.

The numbers announced by the CB reflect only the transfers made only
through trade banks.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Winnipeg Free Press , Canada
Nov 21 2009

New way to look at genocide an ungainly work

Book Reviewed by: Lionel Steiman

Worse Than War
Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity
PublicAffairs, 658 pages, $38
By Daniel Jonah Goldhagen

This ungainly work has many faults, the first being its length.

It is wordy and repetitive, its tone is often arrogant and omniscient,
and its author, American academic Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, is insulting
and dismissive of views with which he disagrees.

Because it presents evidence selectively, and forces it to fit
Goldhagen’s preconceptions, the book is not a trustworthy reference.
But it is also a vigorously argued effort to address a major cause of
human suffering.

Worse than War claims to offer a new way of understanding the
phenomenon of genocide, and a corresponding method of preventing or
restraining genocidal actions once they begin.

In it Goldhagen uses the interpretive frame of his controversial 1996
book on the Holocaust, Hitler’s Willing Executioners, for an analysis
of genocide in general. Goldhagen’s first book was rejected by
scholars for faulty research and interpretation, and the present work
will not likely fare any better.

That is partly because Goldhagen excludes structural and material
factors from consideration, focusing instead solely on the role of
individuals.

All genocidal assaults, he believes, are caused by individuals, who
are always motivated by ideas. Individual leaders conjure some
transformation of society which they insist requires the elimination
of an identified enemy, usually a mistrusted and hated minority.

Goldhagen calculates that in the 20th century between 125 and 175
million people were victims of mass murder, three times the number of
military and civilian deaths in all the wars of that century.

But it is often impossible to distinguish between deaths resulting
from war and those caused by genocide. Goldhagen insists a distinction
can be made, but he fails to make a clear one. This is a serious flaw
in a book whose title is Worse than War.

Goldhagen’s central concept is "eliminationism," which he prefers to
the more narrowly defined genocide. Eliminationist leaders and
politics are key to understanding the origins as well as the course of
genocide, from that of the Armenians, Jews and Cambodians, to the
so-called "ethnic cleansing" by Serbs and Croat in the Balkans, as
well as the recent assaults in Rwanda and Darfur.

There must exist a totality of beliefs, desires, ideologies, acts and
policies to make mass annihilation an actual option. Goldhagen coined
the term "eliminationism" for this totality because the term genocide
made it impossible to diagnose potentially genocidal situations.

Although he insists that his concept enables us to diagnose and deal
with situations before they escalate into full-blown genocides, his
eliminationism is too broad and amorphous a concept to serve as the
basis of concerted action by any international body.

In 1948 the United Nations defined genocide, but in a way that almost
guaranteed that intervention to stop it would never be undertaken.
Goldhagen therefore proposes a new approach, one combining prevention,
intervention and justice.

The media would drop the illusion that genocide results from a
conflict between two equal sides and would avoid such euphemisms as
"ethnic cleansing." Where political leaders commit mass murder, they
and their deeds would be labelled accordingly, even where they were
heads of state.

Bounties would be placed on the heads of any political or military
leaders pursuing eliminationist ends. The UN would no longer pamper
tyrants and other practitioners of eliminationism; it would admit only
democracies, would impose effective sanctions including armed
intervention, and would establish an effective International Court.

In Goldhagen’s view the only major remaining source of eliminationist
assaults lies in "political Islam," his term for Islamism or Islamic
fundamentalism.

Its targets are Americans and other infidels, particularly Israel and
the Jews. Goldhagen refers to Israel as a target of possible genocide
but fails to mention the Palestinians.

In the Middle East one side’s legitimate defenders are the other
side’s genocidal terrorists. How can "eliminationism" be addressed
where each side see its salvation in the disappearance of the other?

University of Manitoba historian Lionel Steiman is the author of Paths
to Genocide: Antisemitism in Western History (St. Martin’s Press,
1998).

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 21, 2009 H7

/books/new-way-to-look-at-genocide-an-ungainly-wor k-70689527.html

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress