Author: Maghakian Mike

The Toronto Star
December 9, 2009 Wednesday

Genocide 101;
One Toronto history course is known to make students cry, and then
feel empowered. Its focus? Humanity’s worst acts

BY: Louise Brown, Toronto Star

There is a Grade 11 history class in Etobicoke that has been known to
make students cry. Teacher Shelley Kyte gets nightmares just from
planning some of the lessons.

In a course believed to be unlike any other in the country, the focus
is genocide, the worst of human atrocities. They have covered the
Armenian genocide and the Holocaust already; now they are discovering
Rwanda, a horror that happened during their short lives.

Here in Room 219 at Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy, near
Royal York Rd. and Lawrence Ave. W., students as young as 15 have
watched footage of a Tutsi couple kneeling before being beaten to
death. They have learned that "everybody took part in the killing –
even teachers," said student Joshua Watkis.

This week, they were to play Pax Warrior, a computer game that lets
you imagine you are a United Nations commander facing horrific choices
during the Rwandan bloodbath.

"It’s heavy, what we learn in this course," said Watkis. "It’s pretty
raw; it’s hard to watch, but it’s real and the more our generation
looks into stuff like this, the more we can stop it."

For the first time since the course was launched last year within the
Toronto District School Board, a genocide class opened its doors to a
reporter and photographer this week, plus two Scarborough teachers who
hope to run the course next year and the board consultant who will
help them with the highly charged material.

Despite initial controversy over the brutal subject matter, more than
10 school boards from as far away as Vancouver, Montreal and New
Brunswick have expressed interest in the curriculum.

"You could do this course very badly – ‘Here’s a bunch of atrocities,
humanity sucks, let’s all give up’ – but we try to give children the
tools to understand how those events are perpetrated so they can
understand how they can be prevented," said Kyte, one of 20 teachers
leading the course, and a co-author of some of its lessons.

"I screen out some of the more horrific material – that’s why I get
the bad dreams – and I limit the amount we do watch," said Kyte. "But
I actually like when students get upset, especially boys, when they
realize this isn’t a slasher film. This is real. Some hide their eyes.
Some cry, but they need to appreciate the gravity before they can
develop empathy and then hope."

Trustee Gerri Gershon proposed the course last year as a way to teach
teenagers "the depths of the darker side of human nature, because
sometimes when we are moved by some terrible thing, it can bring us to
some positive action.

"It’s sad and it’s horrific," she said, "but it’s also very real and
there can be a tremendous amount of rich learning about empathy and
civic responsibility and not standing by passively when these things
begin."

Students learn the eight stages a group goes through before committing
genocide, as outlined by U.S. law professor Gregory Stanton: classify
"us vs. them;" label them with symbols like the Jewish star;
dehumanize them with slurs, such as Tutsi cockroach; organize groups
to carry out the hate crime; polarize anyone who disagrees; segregate
those to be killed; exterminate them – then deny it.

"These students can see violence all over TV and YouTube," said Kyte,
but the course offers a way to analyze the roots of this type of
hatred.

"This course really hits you hard. Sometimes when I leave the class I
can’t stop thinking of it for a while," said Keisha O’Leary, 15.

"But it provides awareness so people like us won’t ignore it when we
see it starting."

ARMENIA URGES ANNULMENT OF PROTOCOLS IF TURKEY INSISTS ON KARABAKH
Cansu Camlibel

Hurriyet Daily News
Dec 18 2009

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian.

The historic protocols signed by Turkey and Armenia to establish
diplomatic links and open their sealed border risk becoming null
and void if Turkey insists on making the Nagorno-Karabakh issue a
precondition, Armenia has said.

"We very much hope the Turkish Parliament will not take a step that
would mean a miscarriage of the agreements. If this happens, our
parliament would [essentially declare] the protocols to be null and
void. We would be back to square one," Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sarkisian told the daily Hurriyet in an interview in Yerevan last week.

In a move to normalize relations, the two countries signed two
important documents in October but these have not yet been ratified
by the two countries’ parliaments.

Following strong reaction from Azerbaijan, whose territory has been
partially occupied by Armenian forces, the Turkish government announced
that it would not move forward with the protocols unless Armenia and
Azerbaijan make progress in negotiations for the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Armenia says the process should be free
of preconditions.

"Our position has not changed. Judging from Prime Minister [Recep
Tayyip] Erdogan’s statements, it seems that the Turkish position has
shifted, which means that the Turkish Parliament may propose certain
preconditions," Sarkisian said.

"If Turkey comes up with preconditions, Armenia would be free to
do so as well itself," he said, citing genocide recognition and not
entering any negotiations until borders are opened as examples. He
also emphasized that the Turks were originally responsible for closing
the border.

One of the most fundamental problems between the two countries is the
1915 incidents that caused the deaths of many Armenian citizens of
the Ottoman Empire. Terming it "genocide," Armenia and the Armenian
diaspora have worked hard for the events to be recognized as such by
third countries.

Turkey, on the other hand, admits the killings but says it had nothing
to do with the crime of genocide. If the protocols enter into force,
the two countries will set up an independent commission to explore
the incidents.

If the process fails because of Turkey’s preconditions, Sarkisian
said, "Turkey will have to explain to [international powers] why it
has broken its own agreement. Turkey’s credibility will be at stake.

It would be questionable to sit down with Turkey again."

He continued: "We are not playing any games with Turkey, we are
committed to an open and transparent foreign policy, we do not make
different statements to others and we do not see an alternative to
this process."

Process should not be stalled artificially

When asked about the deadline for the ratification of the protocols,
Sarkisian refrained from giving an exact timeframe but urged "Turkey
not to stall the process artificially."

"[Our] clear deadline is the Turkish legislation. We are closely
following this process. If we observe that the Turkish Parliament is
not stalling the process, we will make our own conclusions," he said.

The Turkish government has already submitted the protocols to its
Parliament for broad discussions in the relevant sub-commissions.

Armenia, however, must first get the approval of its Constitutional
Court before proceeding with parliamentary ratification.

Karabakh deal depends on Baku

On the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Sarkisian said the pace of the
negotiations depended on Baku. Criticizing the Azerbaijani leadership
for making "war calls," Sarkisian said, "We have to be ready for war
as history taught us."

"The best way to prevent war is to be ready for it. If there is any
time that Azerbaijanis feel that we are not ready for war, nothing
will stop them from breaking the peace, which is why we are not
afraid. What would we lose other than our chains?" he said.

Arguing that Turkey could not play a role on the solution of the
Karabakh issue because it cannot be neutral, Sarkisian also drew
attention to the risks of linking Turkish-Armenian rapprochement with
the Karabakh process.

"The first is that it will not contribute in any way to the resolution
of the Karabakh issue, on the contrary, it will impede it since Turkey
is not neutral. Secondly it will impede with the development of our
relations, which is neither in Turkey’s nor our interest," he said.

"The third dimension is that Erdogan was pretty tough this time [in
Washington]. The impression is that he might have wanted to create
an equilibrium between the acknowledgements of no preconditions in
the protocols," Sarkisian said.

‘We must overcome our complex’

Sarkisian emphasized that the alleged genocide is an essential point
for Armenians and the government, but said Armenian people should
overcome their complex toward the Turkish people.

"I have even stated that in our parliament. The attitude of our
people toward Turks and Turkey needs to change, however difficult that
may be. Our foreign policy should not be anti-Turkish. It should be
pro-Armenian. We need to be able to change the attitude of our nation,"
he said.

Sarkisian said one of the most important tools in developing ties
between the two countries is public acknowledgement.

"In my opinion, the eventual recognition of the genocide will
help Turkish society break through. This is the road to becoming a
full-fledged member of the European Union. Its psychological complex
must be overcome," Sarkisian said.

"The Germans succeeded in overcoming their complex, helping their
society to unprecedented social and economic development," he said.

TURKEY UNDER THE PRESSURE OF AZERBAIJAN WAS FORCED TO INVOLVE THE KARABAKH ISSUE ON THE AGENDA OF RELATIONS BETWEEN YEREVAN AND ANKARA

ArmInfo.
2009-12-17 14:30:00

ArmInfo. Turkey under the pressure of Azerbaijan was forced to involve
the Karabakh issue on the agenda of relations between Yerevan and
Ankara, the journalist of the Turkish Milliyet, Kadri Gursel, said
at today’s press-conference in Yerevan.

He also added it is no secret that the pressure is coming from the side
of Azerbaijan towards the Turkish society. He thinks this pressure upon
Turkey appeared later, as if Azerbaijan used to impose pressure upon
Turkey earlier, in that case the Karabakh problem would be involved
in the text of the Protocols, or would be announced in advance.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN VISITS THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY
Alisa Gevorgyan

"Radiolur"
17.12.2009 14:05

President Serzh Sargsyan today visited the History Museum of Armenia
to familiarize with the new display.

According to the Director of the Museum of History, Anelka Grigoryan,
all 1 200 items on display were found on the territory of the Republic
of Armenia. All the items are exceptional.

"We have presented an exhibition, which includes the Armenian culture.

This exhibition is interesting because for the first time it displays
all the stages of the stone and bronze ages," she said.

NUMBER OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION SUPPORTERS IN SENATE REACHES 10 AND IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 135

NOYAN TAPAN
DECEMBER 16, 2009
WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. American
Senators Barbara Boxer and Joe Liberman decided to join the Senators
supporting the resolution (N 316) demanding recognition of the Armenian
Genocide submitted to the Congress.

This week another Congresswoman, Linda Sanchez has also joined the
supporters of the Genocide Resolution (N 252) introduced to the House
of Representatives.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hambarian welcomed the decision of
the Congressmen meanwhile adding that work to increase the number of
supporters continues so as it will be possible to ratify the resolution
as soon as possible.

Thus, the number of resolution’s supporters in the Senate has reached
10 and in the House of Representatives 135.

ARMENIAN-INDIAN ICT CENTER OF EXCELLENCE TO OPERATE IN YEREVAN STARTING FROM 2010

NOYAN TAPAN
DECEMBER 16, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Under an agreement signed between
the governments of Armenia and India, an Armenian-Indian ICT Center
of Excellence will operate in Yerevan starting from 2010. The work of
this center to promote bilateral cooperation in the information and
communication technology sector will be coordinated by the Enterprise
Incubator Foundation (Armenia) and the Center for Development of
Advanced Computing (India).

RA Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsian told reporters on December 16
that both countries have rapidly developing IT sectors, so considerable
success can be achieved in terms of an exchange of experience and
knowledge.

The minister said that the center will operate at Yerevan State
University, but it will be accessible to all researchers. It will have
modern equipment and software enabling to solve complex scientific and
research problems. The center will prepare highly qualified experts
with the aim of attracting investments to the Armenian market.

Besides, it is envisaged organizing short-term certification courses
on application computer programs and advanced computer systems for
specialists from Armenia and regional countries. The center will also
run short-term courses on management and technical subjects.

The Indian Ambassador to Armenia Achal Kumar Malhotra said that India
has made serious progress in the ICT sector over the past 20 years.

"This project is part of the policy conducted by the Indian government,
it envisages an exchange of experience with developing countries. We
are ready to be a reliable partner of Armenia, and we want to deepen
the bilateral relations. I am confident that the project will be
implemented by the schedule date and will have a long time," the
ambassador stated.

Director of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation Bagrat Yengibarian
announced that in January 2010 a group of Armenian lecturers will
leave for India to undergo retraining, after which they will conduct
retraining courses for local specialists in Armenia. Besides, three
Indian experts will spend a year in Armenia and assist with the
establishment of the center. The process of supplying the center with
equipment will start in March, while the Armenian experts will return
from India in September. According to B. Yengibarian, if work proceeds
according to schedule, the center will begin operating in October.

MOSCOW DOES NOT DRAMATIZE DISAGREEMENTS WITH NATO

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.12.2009 15:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Moscow does not dramatize disagreements with
NATO and hopes for reciprocity in resolving the remaining problems,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during the talks with
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fog Rasmussen on Wednesday, Itar-Tass
reported.

"I’d like to note that Russia and NATO seek to normalize relations
and bring them to a new level," the minister said. "We praise the
NATO Secretary-General’s personal contribution to ensuring the NRC
ministerial meeting of December 4. The ministers approved important
documents that revealed the commonness of positions on the issues,
which should be solved jointly."

"We intend to implement the December 4 agreements," he added.

Russia and NATO have disagreements "on the issues on which our
positions diverge". "We do not dramatize the situation, but we
intend to solve these problems," Lavrov stressed. "Moreover we want
to systematically resolve the remaining problems. To this end, it is
necessary to take a very easy step – to comply with the principles
of the Russia-NATO Council. I hope for reciprocity," the minister said.

Rasmussen said the purpose of his visit to Moscow was to confirm NATO’
s interest in building genuine partnership with Russia. "The parties
may have disagreements in different fields, but they should not
prevail common interests," he said. "NATO’s goal is to successfully
develop practical cooperation in the directions where the parties
face common threats and challenges."

According to him, "this autumn opened a new era in Russian-NATO
relationship."

NEGOTIATIONS SUCCESS DEPENDS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC’S PARTICIPATION

Tert.am
11:24 ~U 16.12.09

RA President Serzh Sargsyan welcomed yesterday the delegation from
Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament (National Assembly), led by Parliamentary
Speaker Ashot Ghulyan. In Yerevan, the delegation participated in
the 7th meeting of the inter-parliamentary committee on cooperation
between the Republic of Armenia and Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
legislative bodies.

Greeting the Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentarians and wishing success in
the joint work with Armenia’s National Assembly, Sargsyan announced:
"Everyone must know that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have been
obliged to protect the right to live freely with the price of blood
during the war forced upon them, and that the people of Karabakh
consider that they have been able, on one hand, to restore the justice
that was destroyed during the violent Stalinian period, while, on
the other hand, to secure the necessary ideal conditions for their
physical survival."

The Armenian president also turned his attention to the possibilities
of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying, "It hasn’t
been only one time that we have announced that, in the outcome of
Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations, we have to find such solutions whose
implementation won’t bring about new displacements and new ethnic
cleansing… But we must also bravely know that the negotiating road
to solving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue can bring about success only in
the case when the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh directly participates
in the negotiations."

FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OF TURKEY’S POPULATION SUPPORT THE COUNTRY’S EU PROCESS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.12.2009 20:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The survey conducted by Eurobarometer (under the
European Commission in EU) showed that Turkish people’s support for
EU process has dropped from 48 to 45 percent over the past 6 months.

Fifty percent of respondents said Turkey would benefit from joining
the European family. Six months ago, the figure was 57%.

Trust in the European Parliament and European Commission dropped from
27% to 19% and 20% to 18% respectively.

ARA NRANYAN: ARMENIA WILL SEE POVERTY IN 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.12.2009 12:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia will see poverty in 2010, according to MP
Ara Nranyan.

"Even if the government ensures the 1.2% economic growth envisaged by
the 2010 budget, the living conditions of the republic’s population
will deteriorate," the member of ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary
group said.

"Under the circumstances, the middle class will be on the verge of
poverty. With a 1.2% economic growth at best, salaries and pensions
will not be raised. Moreover, the country will hardly regain the
pre-crisis amount of private money transfers," Nranyan said.