Author: Nadirian Emma

ISRAELI DAILY CRITICIZES POLICIES TOWARD TURKEY

Hurriyet
Feb 18 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – Israeli Foreign Ministry is trying to punish Turkey
for criticizing its policies toward Gaza by using the Armenians’
"genocide" claims, a leading Israeli newspaper says. The daily also
criticizes Gen. Mizrahi for overstepping the bounds of its authority

A leading Israeli newspaper has criticized the Israeli Foreign
Ministry for signaling that Israel may recognize Armenian "genocide"
claims to punish Ankara, which has grown increasingly vocal in its
criticism against Israel’s Gaza operation.

In an editorial published Sunday, Haaretz also criticized the Israeli
Ground Forces Commander Gen. Avi Mizrahi, whose earlier statements
said the Turkish prime minister should first look in the mirror before
attacking Israel, which led to another wave of tension between the two
countries, prompting the comment that Mizrahi was a military officer
and thus "not tasked with formulating Israel’s foreign policy, nor
does he appraise other countries."

"Perhaps the chief of staff should let his subordinates know when they
are overstepping the bounds of their authority," Haaretz’s editorial
said. One would even have expected the general to be relieved of his
duties "in a different era," it read.

Out of line

The general feeling among Israelis is that Gen. Mizrahi was out of
line making political statements as a military figure. But experts
say he should be reprimanded, not discharged as suggested by Haaretz.

Professor Yair Evron, an expert at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for
National Security Studies, said he agreed with the general tenor of
the Haaretz editorial. Although Prime Minister Erdogan’s references
to the operation in Gaza were extreme and unfounded, "I do not think
that Israel should raise the Armenian issue as a political instrument
vis-?-vis Turkey," he said.

Professor Efraim Inbar from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic
Studies, on the other hand, said it was the Turks who were defending
an organization like Hamas and they were the ones who should face
the consequences when the time comes.

"The Israeli lobby was very active in preventing the passage of the
genocide resolution in the United States. We value our relations with
Turkey very much. But if the Turks don’t want to be our friend, or if
they are creating a crisis, then the lobby would do what it must do,"
he said.

On Mizrahi, Evron said generals should not make public declarations
concerning foreign or defense policy. "However, I do not think that
general Mizrahi should be relieved from office, but he should be
reprimanded," he said.

Inbar also said the general should keep away from politics, although,
"Israel’s anger at Turkey is understandable."

Turkey awaits detailed explanation from Israel The controversial
remarks made by a senior Israeli general telling the Turkish prime
minister to look in the mirror, after the latter was critical of
Israel’s offensive in Gaza, did not benefit already strained bilateral
relations, the foreign minister said late Monday.

"We believe it would better if there was a more detailed and
comprehensive explanation (from the Israeli side)," Ali Babacan told
reporters at Ankara’s Esenboga airport, before departing for Yemen.

The Israeli army made a statement over the weekend disassociating
itself from the harsh remarks by Major General Avi Mizrahi, saying his
views were not reflective of the official position of the army. The
general called on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to
look in the mirror, referring to the 1915 incidents and the Kurdish
conflict in Turkey.

Ankara described the comments as unacceptable and demanded urgent
clarification, while delivering a note of protest to Israel.

"It is quite easy to escalate tension with such statements," Babacan
said, adding Turkish reaction was conveyed to the Israeli side at
various levels. He repeated that Turkey wished to see a detailed
explanation from Tel-Aviv and stressed there were intense contacts
between the two countries’ foreign ministries but warned no special
meaning should be attributed to that communication.

ARMENIA: DOES RUSSIA’S $500 MILLION LOAN COME WITH STRINGS ATTACHED FOR YEREVAN?
Haroutiun Khachatrian

EurasiaNet
Feb 17 2009
NY

A $500 million "stabilization" loan from the Kremlin is stoking debate
in Armenia about the potential political ramifications of Russian
assistance. Armenian leaders, however, are denying reports that Russia
has set certain conditions in exchange for the financial assistance.

Details about the loan, announced on February 10, remain under
wraps. The Ministry of Finance has announced only that the loan will
have a term of 15 years, with a four-year grace period. A Ministry
of Finance official, who asked not to be named, told EurasiaNet that
many aspects of the loan are still being negotiated, meaning that it
could be weeks before the full scope of the package is known.

Economics Minister Nerses Yeritsyan told reporters on February 14
that the government will discuss later how the money will be used.

The lack of detail has prompted skepticism among many analysts. "There
is no information about the interest rate for this loan. Also the
. . . schedule is unclear. When will Armenia get this money? Will it
be provided as a lump sum or in several parts?" noted Bagrat Asatrian,
a former chairman of the Central Bank. "Unless these details are known,
one cannot estimate how good this credit is."

The loan has also sparked questions about what Russia expects for its
money. Russia already dominates major sectors of the Armenian economy,
such as energy, communications and railroads. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. Concerns have been expressed that Armenia’s
economic dependence on Russia might become still stronger after loan
payouts begin.

On February 11, the independent newspaper 168 Zham commented that
"No one believes that Russia provides purely friendly help to its
ally when Russia itself is not in a good state."

A February 10 report from the Ministry of Finance, however, stressed
that "the agreement does not envisage fulfillment of any non-financial
obligations by the Republic of Armenia."

One financial expert believes that the loan is a purely business
decision. "If Armenia ever has to borrow money under commercial terms,
now is the best time for such a loan. Armenia has a reputation
as a good borrower and has a relatively small foreign debt,"
commented Tigran Jrbashian, development director of Ameria Bank,
a commercial bank in Yerevan that is the country’s 7th largest
financial institution.

One concern expressed in the media is that Armenia may be encouraged
to enter a "ruble zone" in exchange for Russia’s $500 million loan.

In a February 11 interview with the Russian news agency Regnum,
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that there is "a real chance"
for such a move "if by ruble zone it is meant countries that use
the ruble in their trade with Russia." The prime minister added that
"if one means a union similar to the euro zone, so it is too early
to speak about this."

Despite their being on opposite ends of the political spectrum,
Asatrian largely concurred with Sargsyan on the ruble zone issue. "The
issue of choosing a currency for foreign trade or even for bank
reserves is a professional rather than a political matter. So, the
Russian ruble can well be used in trade if the trading parties find
it convenient," said Asatrian, who preceded Sargsyan as chairman
of the Central Bank and who backs the opposition movement led by
former President Levon Ter-Petrosian. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

Apart from Armenia joining a potential ruble zone, experts are tending
to focus on the question of whether the Central Bank might use the loan
to let Armenia’s currency, the dram, float against the dollar. Many
experts criticize the bank for keeping the dram artificially stable
against the dollar, thereby hindering Armenian exporters. Asatrian
says that the policy wastes Central Bank foreign reserves.

Officials and other observers counter that maintaining a relatively
stable exchange rate is needed to maintain financial stability and
stave off the negative effects of the global economic crisis. So far,
the damage inflicted by the worldwide downturn has not been severe
in Armenia. But the crisis is expected to take a big bite out of
the roughly $1.5 billion in remittances that are shipped back to
Armenia each year, according to Central Bank estimates. That sum
plays a key role in boosting living standards and stabilizing the
dram. "[A]llowing the dollar to rise against the dram will bring an
increase in the prices of exported goods, which is rather dangerous
now," said economist Gagik Poghosian of Yerevan’s Association for
Foreign Investments and Cooperation.

Agreed banker Jrbashian: "Several Armenian governments and the Central
Bank have succeeded in establishing financial stability, which has
no analogy in the CIS. There is no obvious reason to destroy it now."

IRAN’S DEFENSE MINISTER TO VISIT MOSCOW TO STRENGTHEN MILITARY TIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.02.2009 13:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran’s Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
is reported to visit Russia to strengthen military and technical
cooperation between the two countries.

The Minister is also expected to negotiate a deal with Russia and
attend some defense facilities.

"The main purpose of the visit is to cement cooperation and promote
implementation of agreements in the military and technical sector,"
said a statement issued by the Iranian Defense Ministry.

The visit gave rise to speculations about a possible delivery of
Russian S-300 system to Iran. The perspective troubles U.S. and Israeli
leaders, who believe S-300 will strengthen Iran’s anti aircraft system.

Although Russia officially denies rumors on S-300 transfer, it has
already sold 29 Тоr-1Ð~ air defense systems to Iran to the amount
of $ 0.5 billion.

Tor-M1 is a short range, mobile air defense system intended for
engagement of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, UAVs, and cruise
missiles flying between medium and very low altitudes even in severe
countermeasures environments. It comprises radar system, command and
control interface, and eight 9M331 missiles as well as associated
equipment. The entire Tor-M1 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system is
mounted on a single tracked armored vehicle.

The Tor-M1 fully automated system is able to perform air surveillance
and missile firing, against two targets simultaneously, on the move.

Hurriyet / Turkish Daily News
February 12, 2009 Thursday

DETAILS OF THORNAHIN TESTIMONY POINT AT TOP GENERAL

A former police special operations officer caught in a recent
Ergenekon raid has claimed that Chief of General Staff Gen. Ylker
Bathornbueth was aware the ex-police officer was asked to head up a
new anti-terror unit, daily Radikal reported yesterday

Soon after ex-police special operations deputy chief, Ybrahim
THORNahin, was arrested police found a map in his house that led them
to a hidden weapons cache. They also discovered a list containing
names of many police and military officers, some also indicted in the
Ergenekon case, which police have used to connect THORNahin to the
alleged gang. THORNahin has maintained the list was in relation to the
new clandestine unit he was instructed to form. Military officials
have consistently denied any such instructions were given

THORNahins text messages, electronically monitored by police,
mentioned a "Bueth Pasha." "My Bueth pasha knows, they must be hundred
percent reliable," read one message sent to another detained Ergenekon
suspect, Lt. Taylan Ozgur Kyrmyzy.

"I was told that the president, as well as the Interior Minister
Bethornir Atalay, signed the order to create a new unit," THORNahin
told the prosecutor, Zekeriya Oz. THORNahin said he was to be
appointed head of "S-1" on Jan. 12 in a ceremony had he not been
detained

A document titled "to my honorable Chief of Staff" was also recovered
from THORNahins house, which according to THORNahin was to be offered
to the General Staff during the ceremony

The General Staff has denied THORNahins testimony, with a written
statement released Jan. 12. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek has also
denied any offer to THORNahin was ever made

Meanwhile, the Air Force Command has denied that six of the seven
people arrested yesterday and Tuesday were active duty officers,
contrary to first reports. The Workers Party, or YPs, deputy leader,
Mehmet Bedri Gultekin, was among those arrested after the Air Force
Command began an investigation into claims of "Headquarter Houses"
that brought together YP members and military officers on duty,
according to the Ergenekon indictment. YP vice-chair, Hasan Basri
Ozbey, said the military prosecutor merely wanted to consult Gultekin
and said "Headquarter Houses" was a sheer lie

Justice Minister Mehmet Ali THORNahin rejected that the courts were
divided in their allegiance, commenting on voice recordings attributed
to the wife of retired Gen. THORNener Eruygur, Mukaddes Eruygur, who
said the 12th and 14th courts were "on their side." The 12th Court
took the decision to release retired Gen. Hurthornit Tolon, who had
been under arrest in the Ergenekon case for seven months

"Such an impression casts a shadow on justice," Minister THORNahin
said, but added that he was not sure whether the voice recording was
real or not

In the voice recordings, Mrs. Eruygur is heard speaking to Col. Nusret
Demircan, the head of GATA Military Hospital Brain Surgery unit, and
asking the military doctor whether her husband would be arrested again
if he were released. A part of the record reveals that retired
Gen. Eruygur, arrested but released due to health problems, was indeed
in good health

[HH] Suspect THORNahin silent on death lists Arrested in January,
ex-police officer THORNahin gave detailed information to prosecutor
Zekeriya Oz about the proposal, according to details of his
testimony. THORNahin, who suffered brain damage after a traffic
accident in 2000, had pointed the finger at the General Staff’s press
information chief, Brig. Gen. Metin Gurak, as the general who gave him
orders to designate personnel for the new "S-1" anti-terror unit and
said he was told to select trustworthy military men and police.

A list titled "S-1" was found during a search of THORNahin’s house and
featured several hundred policemen and soldiers already under arrest
in the Ergenekon case

THORNahin also said he participated in regular meetings with the
General Staff. "Metin Gurak, whom I refer to as Bathornbueth Pashas
number one, called me from an unknown number," he said

The organization THORNahin was setting up would be responsible for
"cleaning out the interior of Turkey," according to THORNahins own
voice in a conversation recorded by police

"The interior and exterior, relating to northern Iraq. Metin Gurak
told me that all members would be Turks," THORNahin had told Oz

THORNahin left a bulk of questions unanswered about death lists,
indexes and house plans of non-Muslim and Alevi religious leaders’
houses. He did not give information on the "Safir," which was referred
to as an organization within the military in his conversations with
Cengiz. In most of the conversations, Oz asked THORNahin about Fatma
Cengiz, an officer at the Kayseri Airborne Infantry Command who was
sent to jail after a later wave of Ergenekon arrests

"Asena sit. A duty arrives. The Armenian must be killed," read a text
message he sent to Cengiz, presumably against the Armenian community
leader in Sivas, Minas Duran Guler, whom THORNahin tracked. THORNahin
did not elaborate on frequent hate speeches against non-Muslims in his
conversations

THORNahin was convicted in 2000 as he was hospitalized for breach of
duty that led to the disappearance of weapons in the Susurluk
scandal. He was pardoned by former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in
2002 when he was diagnosed with memory loss

[HH] Release Ozbek, unions demand

Ergenekon drew widespread international reaction yesterday. Industry
workers unions from Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan and the semi-autonomous regions of Gagauzia and
Bashkortostan, as well as the International Eurasian Metal Workers
Union, presided by an Ergenekon suspect currently under arrest,
Mustafa Ozbek, asked "independent Turkish courts" to release the
"patriotic and well-known" union leader.

The Ergenekon case officially started when police discovered 27
grenades in a shanty house belonging to a retired noncommissioned
officer in Istanbul in June 2007

Prosecutors have alleged there is a secret ultra-nationalist group
made up of retired and active military officers, writers, unionists
and journalists who want to spread nationalist violence and overthrow
the government by provoking a coup

Most of the Ergenekon indictment, some 2,500 pages long, is based on
six sacks of documents about an organization called "Ergenekon"
discovered in 2001 at the house of Tuncay Guney, a controversial
figure arrested for petty fraud but released soon afterward. Guney now
lives in Canada. The Ergenekon case is shrouded in a mist of
controversy with opposition parties claiming the ruling Justice and
Development Party, or AKP, is exploiting the case to suppress secular
opposition. Serious criticism abounds concerning the arrests and
detentions that violate the code of criminal procedure, according to
some jurists

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 15 2009

Questions

DOGU ERGIL

The right-wing isolationists in Turkey have two basic characteristics:
They are both nationalistic and xenophobic, and as a majority they
happen to be mainly old and new state functionaries. However, "their
state" has never been and will never be a responsive, efficient and
accountable apparatus as long as their grip on it persists. It is they
who disseminate rumors that President Abdullah Gül is of
Armenian extraction and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an is
a crypto Jew. But then all of their memorized rhetoric got bundled up
when Mr. ErdoÄ?an spoke harshly against the dealings of the
Jewish state vis-à-vis the Palestinians to the face of the very
president of the country.

Those who were highly critical of the prime minister and his party
were quite surprised at the positive effect of Mr. ErdoÄ?an’s
undiplomatic retort to Shimon Peres. Soaring public sentiment in
support of ErdoÄ?an both on the domestic political scene and in
the Arab/Muslim world led them to take a reserved but hypocritical
position. After all there are local/municipal elections coming up next
month, and who could go against the tide of popular feelings?

This is all to the good. It seems Mr. ErdoÄ?an’s party will
benefit from his international bravado for speaking out in favor of
the underdog and the oppressed. In person he is expected to fill in
for the absentee leadership in the Middle East for drawing the moral
boundaries of injustice and exploitation, although he cannot set more
concrete boundaries to deter them. This all happened because he
transcended the code of conduct of a national leader and acquired the
quality of a moral leader, defending a just cause for the leaderless
in the Middle East and the Muslim world.

Having said this, would Mr. ErdoÄ?an’s sudden and unprecedented
popularity help him put things in order on alien soil rather than on
his native soil? For the sake of realism, here are some concrete
questions to be addressed:

1- Would he have the leverage over Israel to convince this country to
change its ways of resorting to disproportionate violence when
Palestinians raise their tone in demanding their rights and constantly
delaying a two-state solution?

2- Would he have enough clout to deter Hamas from doing what it has
been doing since its inception: waging a war of existence until the
demise of Israel and remaining an armed militia until it achieves this
end? It is obvious that Hamas’ terrorist methods are the basis of
Israeli aggression provided by the legitimacy of "fighting against
terrorism" as self-defense.

3- Would he be able to end the calculated silence of the
leaders/rulers of Arab states by making the voice of the "Arab street"
heard inside the thick walls of their palaces?

4- Would Mr. ErdoÄ?an be able to rally Arab (and other Muslim)
states to support a common agenda that will bring peace and stability
to the Middle East without leaving out both Israel and the
Palestinians?

5- Would he be able to convince the present and future Israeli
governments to set higher humanitarian standards in dealing with
"regional others" rather than seeing them as potential dangers for
their country’s national security?

6- What kind of tone would he bring to Turkey’s relations with the US
and the European Union when he vies for a peace deal involving both
Israel and its sworn enemy Hamas when a similar armed organization
continues to be a menace in Turkey, constantly seeking representation
at the official/legal level?

These are seminal questions to be addressed to as we take a euphoric
position in support of the defiant attitude of Mr. ErdoÄ?an, as
emotions are for men but states are driven by rationality and most of
the time by compromise.

The streets are the scene of instant love affairs and sudden
divorces. That is why many families prefer marriages of convenience to
temporary togetherness born out of "love at first sight." We will see
what is more realistic in the atmosphere born out of the circumstances
that have elevated Mr. ErdoÄ?an to be labeled as the new Nasser
of the Middle East.

15.02.2009

WITH THE STATE BUDGET MEANS 720 FAMILIES TO BE ENSURED WITH APARTMENTS IN THE DISASTER ZONE

ARMENPRESS
Feb 13, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS: From 6,930 homeless families
registered in the disaster zone 720 will be ensured with apartments
this year with the state budget means. For this aim nearly 3.5 billion
drams have been released from the state budget.

Deputy Armenian Urban Minister Karlen Gevorkian told Armenpress that
2013 is the deadline for the solution of apartment issues of homeless
families of the disaster zone. In parallel to the state budget means,
in the disaster zone apartment building will be conducted with the
credit means of "Glendale hills" organization, which the state is
obliged to return in 15 years. The organization has worked out a
program according to which during 800 days 3,000 apartments will be
constructed in Gyumri and 350 – in Spitak 2,500 private houses in
Shirak and Lori provinces.

The deputy minister informed that this year in the disaster zone in
parallel to providing a certificate of apartment purchasing extended
construction works will also be conducted. With the state budget
means the housing issues of Tsakhkahovit, Stepanavan, Maralik and
Dilijan families which became homeless as a result of the disaster
are intended to be finally solved.

In Gyumri, besides the certificate of apartment purchase, an extended
construction program will be implemented, within the frameworks of
which by 2013 apartments are intended to be constructed for 3,000
families.

The works are already in process from October 2008. In the nearest
future apartment building works will also kick off in Lori province.

K. Gevorkian said that this year before ensuring the mentioned 720
families with apartments, it must be found out whether these families
have apartments in other communities or not. For implementation of
these works a new department will be established within the Ministry
where the cases of all homeless families will be centralized. Together
with the Central bank a joint computer program has been worked out
which will allow us to coordinate the works.

According to the deputy minister the circumstance that many families
have left for other countries to work and it is not possible to conduct
a full registration and provide financial means impedes the solution
of housing issues.

>From 1988-2008 nearly 58,000 families in the disaster zone have been
ensured with apartments.

ARMENIA: STATE BONDS YIELD HIT AMD 507 760 922

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.02.2009 15:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the information provided at official
website of the Armenian Ministry of Finance, Series AMGN60052135 medium
term state bonds (maturity date: 60 weeks) were auctioned on Feb. 12.

Bond volume totals AMD 1 000 000 000, demand: AMD 550 000 000.

Total volume for bonds auctioned: AMD 540 000 000.

State bonds yield hit AMD 507 760 922.

Weighted average bond yield hit 10.0050 percent, and maximum yield
ended at 10.0050 percent.

5 agents partook in the auction.

LITHUANIA TO ISSUE SCHENGEN VISAS ON ESTONIA’S BEHALF IN ARMENIA, KALININGRAD

Baltic News Service
February 11, 2009 Wednesday 11:57 PM EET

Estonia and Lithuania are set to conclude an agreement under which
Lithuania will represent Estonia in matters related to visas in
Armenia and the Kaliningrad region of Russia.

The Estonian government is planning to endorse the corresponding
agreement on Thursday. The document would be signed during a visit
by the foreign minister of Lithuania to Tallinn on Feb. 17.

The agreement on Schengen visa representation would be applied in the
handling of airport transit visas, transit visas and short-term visas.

PROPAGANDA IN AZERI WAY: A FICTITIOUS LETTER OF ‘AZERI SOLDIER’ AND EXCITEMENT FOR HIM

ArmInfo
2009-02-09 15:29:00

ArmInfo. A new turn of anti-Armenian propaganda has started in
Azerbaijan, this time – by means of a "letter" of an Azerbaijani
soldier who allegedly intended to come over to the Armenian side and
informed Armenians, Azeris and the whole world about this.

The Azeri media have been publishing for a week that the Armenian
newspaper "Version" published a letter with the above-mentioned content
by some Vusal Gasanov, in the initial version – Gajiyev. We’ll repeat
especially for slow-witted people – neither a Russian-language, nor
an Armenian-language newspaper with such a name is registered in the
State Register of Armenia.

As regards the e-version of the newspaper "Version" (I beg your pardon
for the wordplay), which was not discovered either, even the domain
"am" is no evidence of the Armenian origin because it is possible to
be registered outside Armenia as well.

Nevertheless, disregarding the official denial of existence of
such a newspaper, Azeri media continue using the yarn they have
put up, probably, at the suggestion of special services, to conduct
anti-Armenian propaganda.

Moreover, today Gasanov-Gajiyev himself, thoroughly instructed by the
relevant security bodies, came out with denial and branded Armenians
as people who "committed (an old song – editor) genocide against
Azeri people in Khojalu, killing women, children and old men".

Assuring the readers of his firm willingness "to fight for his country
and liberate their lands from Armenian aggressors at any moment ",
the young man stated that "he looks forward to the day when he will
be given the order to attack and liberate Nagornyy Karabakh territory
and the adjoining regions seized by Armenian troops". What a good
occasion for propaganda! "Unmasking" the "real Armenian propaganda
machine", Gasanov reproaches Armenians for the propaganda based on
lie and falsehood.

It’s a pity that before making allegations young man Vusal Gasanov, if
such man really exists, failed to make sure who has defamed his name.

Armen Martirosian: Murder of deputy head of police bears evidence of
unsatisfactory work of Armenian law enforcement system

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. "The murder of the deputy head of the
police Gevorg Mherian proves once again that Armenia’s law enforcement
system does not carry out satisfactory work – within the framework of
professional powers reserved for it by law, and at the moment we all
are vulnerable", the head of "Heritage" parliamentary faction Armen
Martirosian said at the February 6 briefing, noting that the incident
is blameworthy and regrettable. "The law enforcement system is more
engaged in intervention in political processes and convincing people
not to participate in meetings," he said.

The secretary of the faction Larisa Aleverdian expressed an opinion
that as long as those who ordered the crimes committed so far,
including the March 1 killings, are not revealed, "we all are in a very
difficult situation as the killers are still at large".

The representative of "Heritage" Vardan Khachatrian said: "In
connection with Mherian’s murder, we have establsihed another
circumstance: the idea that problems are solved here by means of
bullets and blood is becoming more and more embedded in public opinion,
which, perhaps, is the most undesirable phenomenon".