Author: nina hovnanian

IDN InDepthNews
April 5 2014

Working With Iran Is In Western Interest

News Analysis by Shireen T. Hunter*

WASHINGTON D.C. (IDN | Lobe Log) – Not long after the outbreak of the
crisis over Ukraine and Crimea, many observers began asking the
following question: what impact could renewed Russo-Western tensions
have on the fate of the ongoing negotiations with Iran over its
nuclear program? Will the Russians encourage Iran to become more
obdurate and change its current and more flexible approach to
negotiations with the P5+1 countries (the US, Britain, France, China,
and Russia plus Germany), stop complying with sanctions on Iran, or
even help it financially and militarily, for example by delivering the
promised-but-withheld S-300 air defense system or even shipping the
more advanced S-400?

Other questions are also important. Notably, what impact has the
West’s treatment of Iran had on Russia’s ability to pressure Ukraine
and in general to regain its influence in independent states of the
former Soviet Union, including the Caucasus and Central Asia? Indeed,
the Western policy of containing Iran and excluding it from many
regional and transnational energy and other schemes has facilitated
Russia’s policy of consolidating its position in the former USSR.

A major tool that Russia has used in its quest to regain influence
over its former possessions has been its vast oil and gas reserves.
This is quite evident in Ukraine’s case, where Russia has switched the
gas spigot on and off as a way of pressuring Kiev. Iran is only second
to Russia in its gas reserves and could have been an alternative to
Russia in many countries of the former USSR, including Ukraine.

Yet the Western policy of preventing any foreign investment in Iran’s
energy sector, coupled with preventing any transfer of Iran’s oil and
gas to Europe via various pipeline routes, has meant that Russia has
gained an excessive share of the European energy market. Iranian gas
could have easily been transported to Europe, especially the East
European countries, through Turkey, Bulgaria and so on. Even Ukraine
could have satisfied some of its energy needs through Iranian gas.

The same has been true in the Caucasus. Both Georgia and Armenia have
wanted more energy cooperation with Iran. However, they were
discouraged by the West and, in the case of Armenia, also pressured by
Russia. The result has been their greater vulnerability to Russian
pressure.

Meanwhile, preventing any of the Central Asian energy sources to pass
through Iran, the only country with common land and sea borders with
these countries (with the exception of Uzbekistan, which is a
land-locked country), has made it more difficult for countries like
Georgia to get, for instance, Turkmen gas. In other areas, too,
excluding Iran from regional energy schemes, and discouraging Central
Asian and Caucasian countries from cooperating with Iran, has worked
either in Russia’s favor or created opportunities for China.

Even in the areas of security and conflict-resolution, Iran’s
exclusion and the West’s encouraging regional countries to adopt
anti-Iran policies has had negative effects. This has even given rise
to new tensions and problems, for instance, between Iran and the
Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as exacerbated sectarian tensions. For
example, Azerbaijan’s resulting animosity to Iran has led it
periodically to favor Sunni radical Islamists. Consequently, today
Azerbaijan has a serious Salafi problem, and sectarian tensions in the
country have been on the rise.

Important lessons

The experience described above provides important lessons for Western
policy towards Iran and regional issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus,
and South Asia. The first lesson is that a policy of containment on
several fronts is not practicable, at least not in the long run. For
twenty years, the US has tried to contain both Russia and Iran in
these regions and to bar Iran’s interaction with these regions, while
also looking askance at China’s progress.

A second lesson is that excluding Iranian oil and gas from global
markets inevitably limited Europe’s and Central Asia’s energy choices,
making both more vulnerable to Russian pressures since, with the
exception of Qatar, the Persian Gulf oil giants are not major players
in the gas market.

The last and the most important lesson is that the West should press
forward with negotiations with Iran, toward a satisfactory conclusion
to the nuclear dispute. This should be followed by lifting sanctions,
encouraging the return of Western energy companies to Iran, and
planning new networks of energy transport which would include Iran. In
the long run, this kind of engagement would also translate into better
political relations between Iran and the West and produce a positive
impact on Iran’s political evolution and hence issues of human rights
and other freedoms in Iran.

With regard to broader regional security issues, the West should work
with Iran on a case-by-case basis wherever this serves Western
interests, rather than making all aspects of relations with Iran
hostage to its stand on the Palestinian question. As shown by the
example of Afghanistan — where Iran supported US interests in toppling
the Taliban, only to be deemed part of an Axis of Evil — isolating and
excluding Iran harms the West as much if not more than it does the
Islamic Republic. Right now, the only real winner is Vladimir Putin’s
Russia.

*Shireen T. Hunter is a Visiting Professor at Georgetown University’s
School of Foreign Service. Her latest book is Iran Divided: Historic
Roots of Iranian Debates on Identity, Culture, and Governance in the
21st Century (Rowman & Littlefield, forthcoming September 2014). This
article was first published in LobeLog on March 25, 2014 with the
headline Containing Iran Helps Putin’s Russia. [IDN-InDepthNews –
April 1, 2014]

Voltaire.net
April 5 2014

UN Security Council refuses to condemn Turkey-backed attack on Kassab

he Russian delegation to the United Nations said the Security Council
refused to take a stand on the attack perpetrated against Kassab,
thereby unveiling the support of several of its members for the
actions of Al-Qaeda.

On 21 March, the Turkish army penetrated Syrian territory to introduce
several hundred jihadists, affilitated to the Al-Nusra Front
(Al-Qaeda) and the Army of Islam (pro-Saudi). They seized the town of
Kassab, mainly populated by the Syro- Armenian descendents of the
Turkish massacre survivors 1915. When the Syrian Arab army intervened
to defend the city, the Turkish army downed one of its support
aircraft. The people of Kassab fled under the protection of the Syrian
government in Latakia .

Moreover, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the representatives
of the externally-based Syrian opposition who participated in the
Geneva 2 Conference to refrain from any contact with terrorist groups.

Children’s Author Shares her Armenian Culture through Stories

By Becky Morales for KidWorldCitizen

Posted on April 5, 2014 |

I am so excited I got to interview award-winning children’s author
Lucine Kasbarian, who shares Armenian culture in her folktales and
stories for children. You can see more at her web site. This post does
contain affiliate links, thank you for your support!

Tell me about your background. Where are you from and where have you
lived? What cultures do you identify with?
I was born in New Jersey to American-born Armenian parents. Their own
parents were survivors of the Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish regime in 1915. Though I have lived
primarily in the United States, I’ve traveled extensively to the Near
and Middle East, and identify with those cultures.

How did your parents teach you about your cultural heritage when you
were growing up?

Because the Genocide nearly wiped out our nation, we considered
ourselves an endangered species. As a result, my parents were very
conscientious about immersing me in the Armenian culture. We spoke
Armenian in the home and I was given constant access to Armenian
music, literature, art … and the company of fellow Armenians.

Growing up in North America, I was encouraged to “live in two worlds.”
There was my American life, where I went to public school and took
part in ballet class, our school chorus and the school track team. I
also had an Armenian life where I went to a Saturday Armenian school,
an Armenian folk dance class, Armenian liturgical and folk chorales,
and sports with an Armenian-American youth organization.

In high school, my closest friends were Americans of Russian, Greek,
Indian and Persian descent. Some peers called us the United Nations.
Being part of an ethnic minority naturally made me curious about the
other cultures of the world, and embracing diversity was fun and
interesting. You can say that exposure to Armenian and other cultures
contributed to my interest in foreign travel, foreign languages, world
music, folk art and international cuisine. So in truth, my Armenian
cultural immersion was a passageway into becoming the citizen of the
world that I consider myself to be today.

Can you tell us a little about your journey to becoming an author and
the books you have written?

When growing up, there were few books for children produced by
mainstream American publishers about Armenia and the Armenian culture.
Fortunately, I discovered the Armenian folk tale picture books retold
by Virginia Tashjian and Nonny Hogrogian, and two middle grade novels
– Some of Us Survived by Kerop Bedoukian and The Road From Home by
David Kherdian. Seeing Armenian history and culture validated through
these books were precious for Armenian-American youths like me who
wanted to see themselves represented in literature.

When I was growing up in the 1970s and 80s, many maps of the world did
not outline Armenia and could have led readers to think that it did
not exist.

Eastern Armenia had been a Soviet state from 1920 up until 1991 and
individual Soviet states were not always identified on maps. The Iron
Curtain (and life before the Internet) prevented people living outside
the Soviet Union from
having contact with or even reading very much about the many peoples
and cultures within it. (The term “Iron Curtain” refers to a barrier
to understanding and the exchange of information or ideas, created by
cultural, political, and military hostility between the Soviet Union
and other countries.)

Western Armenia is today part of modern Turkey and its native Armenian
population still struggles with persecution and discrimination. As a
result, not much literary information about minority groups was
available to the public, in English and for young readers, about that
part of our patrimony.

So when I became a writer, I producedArmenia: A Rugged Land, an
Enduring People to give young people something that was missing when I
was growing up: an easy, illustrated introduction to Armenia and its
people – in English and for young readers who were of Armenian
ancestry as well as for readers who weren’t but would hopefully find
it interesting.

The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale is an illustrated picture book
and a family heirloom. This folk tale was passed down verbally through
the generations of my family before I translated it for publication.
During bedtime and in his ancestral dialect, my father would recite to
me the story of an aggressive bird who travels the Armenian
countryside in his ambitions to become a minstrel.

Along the way, I’ve also written for a number of children’s
publications. The most recent contribution is in the Spring 2014 issue
of Skipping Stones Multicultural Children’s Magazine. This issue will
contain stories about Armenia and Armenians, including a photo
montage. Skipping Stones celebrates cultural and ecological diversity,
provides a meaningful exchange of ideas and experiences among young
people, and is suited for readers aged 8 and up. Each issue contains
essays, stories, poems, photos, recipes, and folktales written by both
children and adults from around the world.

Often times, folktales teach us a lesson, or show children what is
valued in a particular culture. What values or characteristics are the
folktales teaching young children in these stories?

Armenian folk tales come from an ancient oral tradition, where they,
and the values and truths found in them, were shared around the hearth
to entertain and educate. The Greedy Sparrow tells of a trickster
bird who takes advantage of everyone he meets – a baker, a shepherd, a
bride & groom, and a troubador — and in the end, receives a
comeuppance for his trickery. I think the story can touch all ages,
not only because the story conveys a message that there are
consequences to manipulation and dishonesty, but because it also
showcases native Armenians practicing traditional folkways — rendered
by the great illustrator, Maria Zaikina. To address the deeper
implications of the tale – such as refusing requests with which you
are not comfortable or using what does not belong to you, readers can
visit my study guide here.

This particular tale has great personal meaning. My survivor ancestors
did not have the luxury of hauling material possessions with them on
their death marches into the Syrian Desert. Thus, non-material
treasures, such as what was carried in their memory, become precious
links to our identity, cultural traditions and past. The Greedy
Sparrow was one of these treasures, which is why I call it a family
heirloom.

Given this, I hope that Kid World Citizens will think about
documenting what their own elders have passed down to them in order to
preserve and cultivate what is known about the various cultures of the
world. We have not only a right but also a responsibility to tell our
stories and speak our truths.

On a final note: Realizing how much Kid World Citizens love cuisine
and holiday traditions from around the globe, I’d like to invite
readers to visitThe Armenian Kitchen, where right now, readers can
discover some amazing Armenian vegetarian recipes for Lent, and
Armenian Holiday Traditions-an illustrated guide for kids about how to
celebrate some of the more memorable Armenian holidays throughout the
year. Enjoy!

Also, if you are looking for more on Armenian culture, check out all
of Lucine’s books and publications on her web site.

Virtually all Armenian villages defended selves during genocide – expert

April 05, 2014 | 12:52

We, Armenians, have a problem securing the genocide topic’s permanent
and significant place in world media.

Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Assistant Director Suren Manukyan
stated the aforesaid Friday, at a three-day conference in the City of
Tsaghkadzor.

Manukyan underscored that the Armenian Genocide issue should not be
discussed on every April 24 alone. In his words, constantly speaking
about and conferring on the genocide reduces the chance of recurrence
of this tragedy, and we fight against the denial of the genocide.

“The Armenian Genocide topic also contains a huge educational filling.
It is very important to include the heroic chapters alongside the
tragic events. Very few nations could have survived, fought, and
created a state after this terrible tragedy.

“In the days of the genocide, there was self-defense in almost all
Armenian villages; we need to voice this,” he specifically noted.

The speaker stressed that even though this topic is very emotional, it
should be transferred to the conscious domain, too.

Suren Manukyan also urged to refrain from the improper exploitation of
the word “genocide.”

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Armenian Genocide commemorative billboards displayed in Boston streets

15:16 05.04.2014

During the month of April, the 2014 Armenian Genocide commemorative
billboards will be displayed at the corner of Arsenal and School Streets in
Watertown; on Cambridge Street, at the Lechmere Station in Cambridge; and
on Route 1 South, 1/4 mile from the Gillette Stadium, in Foxboro.

Sponsored by Peace of Art, Inc., ,
the 2014 Armenian Genocide commemorative billboards honor the victims and
survivors of the Armenian Genocide. In this year’s message “Recognize the
Crime of the Century, the Armenian Genocide,” the word ‘genocide’ has
imbedded the number 100, and handcuffs. The number 100 refers to the
approaching 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The handcuffs refer
to a century of victimization and denial by the perpetrators of the
Armenian Genocide and their supporters. The Armenian Genocide was the crime
of the century because it was the first genocide of the 20th century. Had
the genocide been condemned by the world community, the governments that
followed most likely would not have used genocide as the means to eliminate
unwanted groups of their populations segregated by race, religion or
ethnicity.

Millions of people around the world have been killed, victims of genocide,
for political motives, and ethnic cleansing. Since the Armenian genocide
took place in the beginning of the 20th century, genocide has become an
effective tool of war, to eliminate unwanted sectors of the population
segregated by race, or religion, or ethnicity. As the Armenian people
struggle for recognition of the crime of the century, the world remains
‘blind’ to crimes against humanity perpetrated around the globe. The world
community must recognize the Armenian genocide and condemn such crimes
against humanity.

Since 2003, through the annual commemorative billboards, Peace of Art,
Inc., has been calling for the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, and it has urged the community at large, the President
of the United States, and the United Nations to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. It is time to urge Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide, and
to make amends.

“To deny the Armenian Genocide is to further victimize those who perished
and their descendants, it is an act of blaming the victims. After a century
of denial, it is time to place the ‘handcuffs’ on the criminals. For those
who think that after the last survivor dies there will be no more
witnesses, and with the passing of time the Armenian genocide will be
forgotten, know that all Armenians are survivors of the genocide, and as
long as the Armenian genocide remains unrecognized by Turkey, millions of
Armenians around the world will demand recognition and justice.” Said the
president of Peace of Art, Inc., Daniel Varoujan Hejinian.

PRESIDENT HOLLANDE TO PRESS AHEAD PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 4 2014

4 April 2014, 15:13 (GMT+05:00)
By Nigar Orujova

The main purpose of the French president’s visit to Azerbaijan
is to support the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Meunier made the remark on
April 4.

President Francois Hollande’s visit to Azerbaijan is of great political
importance, the French president will visit Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Armenia, he said.

“I think that the conflict settlement will create more opportunities
for both parties. This is a sovereign region, which can shape its
future itself. We support peace and friendship between the countries
of the region,” Meunier said.

President Hollande will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan this year
at the invitation of his Azerbaijani counterpart. However, there is
no information about the exact date of the visit.

Francois Hollande confirmed his intention to visit Azerbaijan at a
meeting with Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Elchin Amirbayov.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million
Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent
of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, including
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been
largely fruitless so far.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been
enforced to this day.

FRINGE MANAGEMENT
2530 Wilshire Boulevard, 3rd Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Contact: Michael Blaha, Producer, Fringe Management
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 310-828-4847

“The Time of Our Lies” A Play About Historian Howard Zinn to Open at
the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

“The Time of Our Lies,” a play about the life and times of historian
Howard Zinn written by playwright Bianca Bagatourian, will play at the
Gilded Balloon, one of Edinburgh’s top venues, during the entire
Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland this August. Howard Zinn, author
of the best-selling and influential, A People’s History of the United
States,was a local Bostonian and wrote extensively about the civil
rights and anti-war movements and labor history of the United States
before he passed away in 2010. His memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral on a
Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn’s
life and work.

The play, The Time of Our Lies, unravels through Zinn’s personal story
as a young bombardier and goes on to depict how his life was shaped
from there as well as examining the stories of other soldiers and the
horrors of war. It speaks to Zinn’s message about how more peaceful
solutions can be sought in these turbulent times.

“A wonderfully imaginative play that uses my father’s words as the
unifying thread. Songs, nursery rhymes and tapped-out rhythms add a
playful lightness and humanness that illuminate the horrors of war,”
commented Myla Kabat-Zinn, Howard’s daughter.

“Having directed Howard before, I share his desire to connect with our
ancestry and dig deep into history,” said director Josh Chambers from
New York who has worked with Zinn previously on other projects.

Top Hollywood entertainment lawyer and principal producer from Fringe
Management, Michael Blaha, and artistic director Nigel Miles-Thomas have
been taking hit plays to the Edinburgh Festival for the past fourteen
years. For more information, you may contact them at: 310 828 4847. To
learn more about the play, watch a video, or contribute towards this
project, go to Indiegogo:

CAPTION FOR PHOTO:
Historian Howard Zinn, Reading of THE TIME OF OUR LIES, La Mama Theater,
NYC, November 2013

About the Edinburgh Fringe Festival:

PM SARGSYAN: SIX YEARS OF SERVICE LEAVES LEGACY OF ‘CONTRASTS’

ANALYSIS | 04.04.14 | 16:08

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Tigran Sargsyan, Armenia’s 11th Prime Minister, who resigned Thursday,
is one of the rare leaders of the executive who appeared in the top
echelons of power as a technocratic character espousing European
ideas and standing out for his world outlook.

The 54-year-old, appointed to the position in April 2008 after a decade
of work as Central Bank chairman, is active in online social networks,
has appeared at informal events wearing jeans and other casual attire,
enjoys playing the guitar, and had at times given advice to farmers
on how best to milk their cows, etc. In the last several months of
his tenure as prime minister, Sargsyan showed himself as a staunch
pro-Eurasian, something that perhaps rather reflected Armenia’s
overall foreign policy that took a U-turn last September.

Tigran Sargsyan (no relation to President Serzh Sargsyan) could be
described as a “prime minister of contrast”. It was during his term in
office that in 2009, amid the global economic crisis, Armenia recorded
the second worst rate of recession in the world. By contrast, a small
nation like Armenia managed to become producer of its own tablets
and smartphones only a few years later and that success was also
largely ascribed to the Sargsyan government known to have encouraged
the development of the IT sector.

It was during Sargsyan’s time in office in 2011 that Forbes ranked
Armenia as the world’s second worst economy, next to Madagascar. But
two years later, another prestigious international report, Doing
Business, placed Armenia among leaders of post-Soviet space by the
ease of doing business.

Sargsyan’s resignation follows very acrimonious exchange of barbs
with former President Robert Kocharyan over major policy issues at
the beginning of this year. It started with PM Sargsyan’s accusing
Kocharyan of inflating a “construction bubble” that later burst
with negative consequences for the economy. Ex-president Kocharyan
responded: “A worthless prime minister is a luxury for the country to
keep”. Sargsyan’s opponents also criticized him for trying to find
the roots of his ‘failures’ in the economic and social policies of
the preceding governments.

Sargsyan, who found himself at the center of an offshore scandal
following allegations made by a local publication last spring and is
also known to have been criticized for “selling out” Armenia’s gold
reserves, did not avoid appearing in awkward situations as well.

During one public event organized by the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) Sargsyan acted “strangely” and sounded “odd” in making
a public speech, which led observers to conclude he was drunk.

He later denied having used any alcohol. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t
drunk,” he said, blaming the technical equipment for the ‘odd’
sound effect.

Of all the controversial statements made or said to have been
made by Prime Minister Sargsyan one appears to stand out for his
critics. In one media interview, asked why nothing is being done to
curb out-migration, Sargsyan, reportedly, said: “But what shall we do,
let people stay and make a revolution?”

Migration as well as other problems like poverty, social polarization,
low incomes, inflation, etc. will now be for the next prime minister
and government to tackle. Meanwhile, it is not known yet what Sargsyan,
a member of the RPA, will do next. Few observers doubt, however, that
with an impressive CV like his, the father of three and grandfather
of one will have any difficulty whatsoever in finding a new job. One
local newspaper wrote today that Sargsyan may continue his career at
a leading international financial institution.

ARMENIAN LAW ON PENSIONS WILL BE IMPROVED, NOT SCRAPPED

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
April 3 2014

3 April 2014 – 12:31pm

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan ordered the government to fix
the law on pensions with account of flaws found by the Constitutional
Court yesterday, 1in.am reports.

The PM announced formation of a working group that will present the
package of amendments. He emphasized that the law will not be scrapped
and will remain in force after implementation of amendments.

Justice Minister Grayr Tovmasyan confirmed that the law will stay,
referring to point 15 of article 68 of the law on the Constitutional
Court of Armenia.

ARMENIA’S PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
April 3 2014

3 April 2014 – 8:21pm

Armenian prime minister Tigran Sargsyan resigned.

This was announced, according to ITAR-TASS, after a meeting of
leadership of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia.

His resignation was accepted.

On his Facebook page Sargsyan wrote that he appealed to President Serzh
Sargsyan with a request to meet resignation in February of this year.

” My decision was ripe and deeply conscious. Process agreed to postpone
retirement, based on the need for a number of important state events
Economic Forum and the Republican Party. Thank all those with whom
I worked in the first place , the president of the republic for the
trust the high post of prime Minister “- wrote former Prime Minister .

On his Facebook page Sargsyan wrote that he asked President Serzh
Sargsyan for resignation back in February.

” My decision was ripe and deeply conscious. It was agreed to
postpone my resignation because ofseveral important state events
and the Economic Forum of the Republican Party. I want to thank all
those with whom I worked and in the first place the president of the
republic for the trust in me,” wrote Tigran Sargsyan.