Author: Virabian Jhanna

WASTED THREATS

The Brown Daily Herald, RI
April 9 2007

Students without ties to the Armenian Students Association or the
Turkish Cultural Society may not have even known the groups were
planning a concert for Friday night, much less that it was canceled.

But the joint effort represented the Brown student organizations’
attempt to contribute to a larger effort to reconcile historic
divisions between Turkish and Armenian communities over past
injustice. The concert’s cancellation in the face of threats and
opposition represents the loss of an opportunity to take a step
forward that would have been meaningful for the local Turkish and
Armenian communities.

We know it is naive to think this joint effort at Brown – and dialogue
alone – might help mend the rift between the two groups on a larger
scale. The heated tension, stemming from mass killings in the early
20th century that are increasingly described in this country as
the "Armenian genocide," will cool only gradually over time, if at
all. Still, despite the enormity of the global tensions, there is
hope that Armenians and Turks can come to understand each other on
an individual and local level, within their own communities.

The concert slated for Friday was just such an effort. Dedicated to
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink – who was slain by a Turkish
nationalist earlier this year, while the concert at Brown was still
in its planning stages – it was a well-intentioned endeavor to promote
dialogue between the Turkish and Armenian communities here on College
Hill and in the surrounding area. As a member of TCS told The Herald,
"I think this was an honest effort on both sides aiming at nothing
but to enjoy common music and food and make friends regardless of
views on the past."

Threatening those involved in this attempt at dialogue and,
ultimately, forcing its cancellation helps no one and merely injures
the well-intentioned efforts of students seeking to make a small
difference.

A1+

DAGESTAN’S "DIRTY" ELECTION
[04:18 pm] 07 April, 2007

An election designed to break the hold of ethnic politics is accused
of being unfair.

Opposition parties have cried foul after a parliamentary election in
the largest republic in the North Caucasus, Dagestan, delivered a
resounding victory to the pro-Kremlin party, United Russia.

The final results of the March 11 poll were only announced on March
21, following a partial recount.

As a result of the recount, two opposition parties, the Communist
Party and Patriots of Russia, which would have been denied
representation in the 72-seat parliament by the initial results, were
awarded slightly more than seven per cent of the votes, giving them
five seats each.

United Russia was declared the overwhelming winner, with more than 63
per cent of the vote and 47 seats, with two other parties, Just Russia
and the Agrarian Party also winning seats in the assembly.

The new parliament can be expected to cooperate with Dagestan’s
president, Mukhu Aliev, but will also probably try to tame his
reforming ideas, as powerful businessmen and bureaucrats are well
represented among the United Russia deputies.

The election has been a testing one for Dagestan – Russia’s most
multi-ethnic region – as new rules tried to prevent the poll being
contested on purely ethnic grounds. But the campaign was marred by
violence and the count by accusations of fraud.

Two people died and four were wounded in the Dakhadai region in an
armed clash between supporters of two parties, United Russia and the
Union of Right Forces. Another party leader was wounded in an attack,
and one candidate has vanished without trace.

The election was held under a proportional representation system based
on party lists, with deputies no longer being elected from single
constituencies.

Sociologist Zaid Abdulagatov said the new system was a positive
development as it meant voters were no longer merely casting their
ballot for a candidate from their own ethnic group, but for a party
and its programme.

"If, after the election, people will not talk about how many members
of parliament come from which nationality, we can call that progress,"
Abdulagatov said. "But I doubt we will be able to get away from that."

The Union of Right Forces also complained that the new rules were
manipulated so that they were disqualified from the election.

With the stated aim of preserving a spread of candidates from across
the republic, the lists of each party were required to contain
representatives from all 53 districts of Dagestan. Any party that did
not represent all the regions was struck from the ballot.

This is what happened to the Union of Right Forces after three of its
candidates in the Khasavyurt region unexpectedly pulled out. Some
party members said the withdrawals had been deliberately engineered to
remove their group from the election.

Most of the new deputies have an allegiance to one or other of the two
most powerful politicians in Dagestan, President Mukhu Aliev and the
mayor of the capital Makhachkala, Said Amirov.

The deputies from the Patriots of Russia, which has its electoral base
in southern Dagestan, are close to Amirov. Party leader Eduard
Khidirov was wounded in an assassination attempt during the campaign
and is still in hospital.

Patriots of Russia, the Communist Party and the Liberal Democratic
Party – which did not win any seats – all alleged fraud after the
elections, saying that the results given by the electoral commission
diverged sharply from the data collected by their own poll observers.

Fikret Rajabov, a candidate for Patriots of Russia, said that his
observers estimated that the party had won 18 per cent of the vote and
this was backed up by local electoral officials – but that the party
ended up with only seven per cent.

As an example, he said that in the Akhtyn region local electoral
records had awarded Patriots of Russia 3,500 votes, but the eventual
number of votes they were given was 1,089 votes.

Rajabov alleged that President Aliev intervened in the matter, a
recount was conducted, and the results adjusted in favour of Patriots
of Russia.

The Communist Party has traditionally done well in Dagestan and its
local officials are indignant at the final results of the elections.

A group of Moscow lawyers representing the Communist Party visited
Dagestan after the elections and concluded that 25,000 votes had been
stolen in just ten towns.

"They want to knock us out on the eve of the elections to the
[Russian] State Duma," said Mahmud Mahmudov, first secretary of the
Communist Party of Dagestan and a deputy in the Duma. "It looks as
though this was an order from Moscow, and it was carried out with
great enthusiasm in the republic."

Mahmudov said that he had evidence of stuffing of ballot boxes, voting
machines being changed shortly before the polls opened, and groups of
young men travelling the republic and voting more than once for the
governing party.

"In the Akhtyn region they sent two buses with OMON [armed police]
officers who sealed off the electoral commission building, and
representatives of opposition parties were not allowed to watch the
count," Mahmudov said. "The local electoral commissions were supposed
to bring in the voting records but they put them to one side and gave
totally different figures."

"The whole process was controlled by an official from the White House
[the Dagestani government] who made the electoral commission give the
required results."

"At the moment we are restraining our angry people, but if our lawful
demands are not met, we will hold a demonstration."

The Central Electoral Commission has declined to discuss specific
complaints – although United Russia did lose six per cent of its total
vote in a recount.

Another expert, Tagir Muslimov from Dagestan’s Centre of
Ethno-Political Research, predicted that the new parliament would try
to preserve vested interests and the status quo – in opposition to the
president’s efforts to crack down on corruption.

"Civil society is not a source of authority for us and the elite and
big business just re-elect themselves," he said.

"The president promised to battle against clan structures and
corruption, to bring in new people and to make changes. Some shifts
have taken place – some clans have moved further away [from power],
but other clans have got closer."

By Musa Musayev in Makhachkala

Musa Musayev is a correspondent for Severny Kavkaz newspaper in
Dagestan. Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Caucasus Reporting
Serv

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS KARABAKH CONFLICT OF A UNIQUE NATURE

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
April 3 2007

During today’s joint conference being held in Yerevan with the
Armenian Acting Foreign Minister, Vardan Oskanian and Russia’s
Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov has stated that the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict is unique in its nature and it is the only conflict,
where the interests of Russia, the United States and the OSCE do not
contradict one another.

The Russian Foreign Minister said that the OSCE Mink Group worked out
a document for settling the conflict that a lot of other countries
in conflict would envy, Trend reports referring to ARKA

"The country mediators not only follow united principles in this
issue, but are also absolutely united in the most concrete details
of possibilities of the settlement. No other conflict has such a
united approach from by-standers. Therefore, we hope that both Baku
and Yerevan will reach a new level of settlement in the near future
on the basis, which could fully satisfy both those who lived and
currently live in Nagorno-Karabakh," he stressed.

Mr. Lavrov particularly marked that final decisions must be made
by both the authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan. "We highly
appreciate the efforts taken both by Yerevan and Baku to further
peaceful negotiations, first of all, at a presidential level, as
well as at the level of Foreign Ministers of the two countries,"
said the Russian Foreign Minister.

The Head of the Russian Foreign Office also noted that the OSCE Minsk
Co-Chairs carefully treated their duties and responsibilities. "We
have an idea that we should not make decisions instead of the conflict
parties, we should just help them in this issue, and intend to render
our adequate aid and support in this conflict," said Mr. Lavrov.

For his part, Vardan Oskanian, Armenia’s Acting Foreign Minister,
expressed an opinion that each conflict has its own peculiarities.

"Today Karabakh is neatly moving to its independence through
self-determination depending on how other similar conflicts would be
resolved, particularly, the issue with Kosovo," said. Mr. Oskanian

Notably, the Head of the Russian Foreign Office arrived in Armenia
with a two-day official visit today. During the visit, Mr. Lavrov is
expected to meet Armenia’s President, Robert Kocharyan and Catholicos
of All Armenians, Garegin II.

Moreover, the delegation representing the Russian Foreign Ministry
laid a wreath at the Memorial of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide
of 1915 located on the Hill of Tsitsernakaberd.

On April 4, Mr. Lavrov will also visit Yerevan State University,
where he is expected to deliver a speech.

FINAL OF 8th ARMENIAN STUDENT SPORT GAMES STARTS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 02 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Solemn opening ceremony of final of
8th Armenian student sport games took place on March 30 on Yerevan’s
Spartak stadium.

Nine kinds of sports (cross racing, table tennis, chess,
basketball, volleyball, futsal, handball) are included in the games’
program. Razmik Stepanian, Vice-Chairman of Student Sports Republican
Federation, Honored Figure of Physical Culture and Sport, informed
Noyan Tapan correspondent that though representatives of 13 state and
non-state higher educational institutions have passed to the final,
the competitions are open for students of all universities.

The competitions are held on Saturdays and Sundays. The 8th student
sport games will finish on May 6.

Armenia the 4th best chess country

ArmRadio.am
02.04.2007 13:31

Armenia, having 60 Grand Masters and World Chess Masters occupies the
4th place in the last list of best chess countries of the world issued
by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Russia is the first with
2 720 points (has 1 694 Grand Masters and World Masters). Ukraine is
the 3rd with 2 664 points, the US comes third with 2 629
points. Hungary is the 5th with 2 624 points.

ON APRIL 2 FIRST INSTANCE COURT OF ARMAVIR MARZ TO EXAMINE LAWSUIT OF FORMER CANDIDATE FOR ARMAVIR MAYOR’S POST AGAINST DISTRICT ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Noyan Tapan
Mar 30 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The court of first instance of Armavir
marz will examine on March 2 the lawsuit of Arayik Aghababian, former
candidate for the post of mayor of the city of Armavir, head of the
Armavir structure of the "Prosperous Armenia" party, against district
electoral commission (DEC) No 21. The plaintiff told NT correspondent
that he disputes the commission’s protocol on results of the March 25
elections, and the March 26 decision on election of Ruben Khlghatian
Armavir mayor based on the data of this protocol.

As regards public claims about riggings in electoral rolls,
A. Aghababian said that these cliams make part of his complaint.

To recap, according to the summary protocol of DEC No 21, 8,322
voters voted for Ruben Khlghatian, current mayor, deputy head of
the Armavir regional structure of the Republican Party of Armenia,
and 6,844 voters – for A. Aghababian. 15,791 out of the total number
of Armavir voters of 25,884 participated in the voting.

It is noteworthy that the DEC did not receive any application-complaint
in the specified period, although A. Aghababian stated his intention
to dispute the DEC’s decision in public.

CHURCH REOPENING IN TURKEY DOES LITTLE TO REASSURE ARMENIANS

EurasiaNet, NY
March 30 2007

Turkey’s designation of a newly restored Armenian church as a museum
has prompted debate in Armenia, with many observers characterizing
the 10th century church’s reopening as an empty PR gesture.

The Surb Khach (Holy Cross) Church on Akhtamar Island in eastern
Turkey’s Lake Van is the first Armenian church on Turkish territory
that the Turkish government has restored. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. Many Armenians welcomed the two-year $1.9
million project, which preserved one of the most outstanding examples
of medieval Armenian architecture. Others, however, have qualified
Turkey’s decision not to place a cross atop the church, and to maintain
the church as a museum, as an insult to Armenia’s Christian heritage.

"It’s a slap in the face for us to have our church hung with Turkish
flags, and, even more, with [first Turkish President Mustafa Kemal]
Ataturk’s portrait," Hayk Demoyan, director of the National Academy
of Sciences’ Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, said about the March
29 reopening ceremony. "The restoration of the church is purely a
political calculation by Turkey. It is obvious Turkey clearly aims
at changing international public opinion in its favor." [For details,
see the Eurasia Insight archive].

A governmental delegation from Armenia took part in the reopening
ceremony, but ecclesiastical leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church
declined an invitation, protesting the decision to turn the church
into a museum. "The reconstruction is a positive fact, but turning the
church into a museum is an act targeted against the pious Christian
feelings of the Armenian nation by Turkey’s authorities, and can’t be
perceived as a positive step toward the rapprochement of the Armenian
and Turkish people," said Father Vahram, spokesperson for the Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Atilla Koc has stated that the
absence of a cross from the church may be only temporary. "If it is
proven that there was a cross atop of its dome, then the reconstructed
[church] will also have a cross," the Turkish Daily News website
reported Koc as saying. Reconstruction project coordinator Cahid
Zeydanlini has said that a cross was not put on top of the church
for fear of attracting a lightning strike, according to the website.

Koc earlier said that the Turkish government intends to restore
eight mosques and eight Armenian churches in the vicinity of Kars,
which was once the center of an ancient Armenian kingdom.

But the statements so far have done little to reassure Armenians.

Officials in Yerevan have backed away from publicly presenting the
church’s reconstruction as a positive step in Armenian-Turkish
relations. Foreign Affairs Minister Vartan Oskanian said that a
positive move would be the reopening of the border between the two
states, closed since 1993 in response to Armenia’s support for the
separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, territory claimed by Turkish
ally Azerbaijan. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"The opening of the monument remains a separate fact and can’t
facilitate the improvement of the situation in the larger sense,
contrary to their [Turkey’s] attempts to represent it in that light,"
the foreign minister said at a recent press conference in Yerevan.

The fact that Armenia’s government delegation had to travel 16 hours
via Georgia to reach Van illustrates the "absurdity" of Turkish policy,
he added. With an open border, the delegation could have made the
trip in four hours from Yerevan.

Meanwhile, on the day of the church’s reopening, a large-scale photo
exhibition on Armenian churches that have been destroyed or turned into
mosques in Turkey and Azerbaijan opened in Yerevan’s State University.

Despite officials’ harsh assessments, Samvel Karapetian, head of
the non-governmental organization Research on Armenian Architecture
said he was happy to see the church saved from decay. According to
Karapetian, the church’s reconstruction was done with a high degree
of professionalism and in accordance with European standards. The
church’s popularity with tourists, a key income source for Turkey,
was probably a motivating factor in the Turkish government’s decision
to undertake the restoration project, he added.

Manuel, a bishop and one of the most talented Armenian architects of
his time, built the church in 915-921 A.D. at the order of Armenian
King Gagik Artsruni. The exterior church is decorated with bas-reliefs
made up of six friezes that depict stories from the Old and New
Testaments, and also include pictures from secular life and rich
floral and animal ornamentation.

Other Armenian churches on Turkish territory are in need of similar
restoration, Karapetian said. "Unfortunately, preservation is not a
usual practice in Turkey," said Karapetian. "Nothing has been left of
[the monastery] Narekavank that was some five kilometers from Surb
Khach, while some of the churches on the neighboring islands have
been blown up."

A 1913 report by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople stated
that there were nearly 2,500 churches on the territory of the Ottoman
Empire. Today, 2,000 are believed to have survived, many often
half-ruined, or turned into mosques, storehouses and cattle sheds.

Editor’s Note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for the English-language
weekly Armenia Now in Yerevan.

EITHER APOLOGY OR RESIGNATION

A1+
[05:32 pm] 30 March, 2007

"Hasmik Poghosyan, RA Minister of Culture, must apologise in front of
all Armenians for sending a delegation to the opening ceremony of the
Surb Khach (St. Cross); otherwise we shall demand her resignation,"
Narek Galstyan, member of "Sargis Tkhruny" Youth Union announced today.

"Mr. Gyurginyan, didn’t you feel ashamed on seeing the picture of
Ataturk on the wall of the church, while cuting the red ribbon. Was the
church built by the Turks?" Narek Galstyan addressed to Mr. Gyurginyan,
deputy head of the ministry.

"People must have a chance to pray and burn incense inside the
church. Mr. Mutafyan, Archbishop of Polis, and Gagik Gyurginyan, deputy
minister of Culture are top blame for this farse. They cognized that
Surb Khach is a Turkish cathedral. They must have taken a cross to the
opening ceremony and present it to the church," Sahak Manoukyan says.

In his words the renovation of the church has political motivation as
Turkey wants to obscure the historical facts and to show how civilized
the country has become towards Armenia.

The rehabilitation of the Armenian single church in the territory is
not only inadmissible but also disgraceful.

Members of "Sargis Tkhrouni" will organise a protest action opposite
the Government premises and demand Hasmik Poghosyan’s resignation in
case the latter doesn’t apologise before public.

March 30, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Website: <;

PRELATE’S EASTER MESSAGE
THE GLORIOUS RESSURECTION IS THE TRIUMPH
OF LIGHT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

".And the women who came to anoint the body of the Lord heard from the angel
that the eternal living had risen from the dead"
(Hymn)

It is Easter once again and a time when Christians worldwide
celebrate the Glorious Resurrection of Christ with unsurpassed spiritual
joy. Once more, we recall the everlasting message of the angels who
centuries ago proclaimed,

"Why do you seek the living among the dead,
He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24: 5-6)

Each aspect of the earthly mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
especially His Glorious Resurrection, epitomize everlasting messages which
do not diminish over time but rather continue to illuminate our lives and
guide us towards eternity.

Let us return for a moment to that marvelous occurrence. Let us
remember the last days of the earthly mission of our Lord, which lead to the
crowning moment, His Resurrection.

The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem leading up to his
betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and Resurrection, comprise a series of
events that together wholly express the infinite love of God toward man.
The Lord had sent His only begotten Son not to condemn mankind, but to take
on the burden of man’s sin and to make the ultimate sacrifice, to shed His
blood for the expiation of those sins and for man to be worthy of eternal
life. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

God promised salvation to mankind through His Son, our Savior. Had the
mission and teachings of Christ ended with His crucifixion, the promise of
the salvation of God would not have been fulfilled. However, the mission of
our Lord Jesus Christ did not end on the cross. His commandments do not
apply solely to our earthly lives, but rather are intended to prepare us for
eternal life. Therefore, he who abides by the commandments of our Lord on
earth will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he
who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and
shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John
5:24).

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly" (John 10:10).

The glorious Resurrection was the ultimate triumph of good over
evil, the final triumph over death and the greatest expression of this
message. Armed with the spirit of the Resurrection, man can truly face
death without fear, for "We know that we have passed from death to life" (1
John 3:14).

The messages of our Lord Jesus Christ were those of light and
righteousness, which advised man, and still advise us, to defeat evil and
injustice. They advise us to steer clear of sin and all practices that will
deprive us of the graces of eternal life and lead us to obliteration.

* * *

Centuries later, the enduring message of the Resurrection
continues to resonate throughout the world, and especially throughout the
Armenian nation. The Armenian people survived and thrived amid adversity due
to our loyalty and adherence to the light of righteousness. Indeed the
light of the Resurrection, which was brought to the Armenian people by the
apostles Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew, quickly spread through the hearts
and minds of the people and resulted in the adopting of Christianity as the
state religion, the first ever nation to do so. Moreover, the aspirations of
our illuminators to spread the Gospel lead to the invention of the Armenian
alphabet and the subsequent development of Armenian culture with the
translation of the Bible, the "Queen of Translations".

The culture that we inherited from our forefathers, which
originated from the Armenian language, has been enriched over the centuries
and has become a source of inspiration for the Armenian musician, writer,
and artist, and the basis of our existence. It is with this same
inspiration that we have heeded the call of H.H. Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, over the past few years to celebrate the victory of
the Armenian Culture, School, and Language.

Dear Faithful,

The events and experiences our history is built upon exemplify our victory
over evil and the threat of annihilation. There have been countless
attempts to take our faith away but each time the ideals shaped on the field
of Avarayr reinforced and reminded us that no one can take away our faith
for we believe in and follow Christ and the Lord assures us, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he
shall live" (John 11:25).

Many have tried repeatedly to massacre us and obliterate us from
the pages of history. However, our faith and strength have always guided us
on the path toward justice, truth and righteousness.

With our past experiences we, the Armenian people, became the
most faithful adherers of "conquering death by death", and transformed the
message of the Resurrection to a national value and ideal. Today and
always, we will continue on this righteous path, which will grant us eternal
life.

With this spirit of the Resurrection, we extend our best wishes
to our clergy, Executive Council members, parish representatives,
educational institutions, sister organizations, and our faithful
parishioners. May this glorious feast reinvigorate us all, whether in
Armenia or the Diaspora, and may our Savior grace us with the faith and hope
to triumphantly continue on our righteous path.

Christ is risen from the dead

Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.

Prayerfully,

Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate

Western United States

Easter, 2007

SPIEGEL ONLINE – March 29, 2007, 12:27 PM

URL: ,1518 ,474636,00.html <, 1518,474636,00.html>

OPINION

Evil Americans, Poor Mullahs

By Claus Christian Malzahn

Forty-eight percent of Germans think the United States is more
dangerous than Iran, a new survey shows, with only 31 percent
believing the opposite. Germans’ fundamental hypocrisy about the US
suggests that it’s high time for a new bout of re-education.

The Germans have believed in many things in the course of their recent
history. They’ve believed in colonies in Africa and in the Kaiser.
They even believed in the Kaiser when he told them that there would be
no more political parties, only soldiers on the front.

Not too long afterwards, they believed that Jews should be placed into
ghettos and concentration camps because they were the enemies of the
people. Then they believed in the autobahn and that the Third Reich
would ultimately be victorious. A few years later, they believed in
the Deutsche mark. They believed that the Berlin Wall would be there
forever and that their pensions were safe. They believed in recycling
as well as in cheap jet travel. They even believed in a German victory
at the soccer World Cup.

Now they believe that the United States is a greater threat to world
peace than Iran. This was the by-no-means-surprising result of a Forsa
opinion poll commissioned by Stern magazine. Young Germans in
particular — 57 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds, to be precise — said
they considered the United States more dangerous than the religious
regime in Iran.

The German political establishment, which will no doubt loudly lament
the result of the poll, is largely responsible for this wave of
anti-Americanism. For years the country’s foreign ministers fed the
Germans the fairy tale of what they called a "critical dialogue"
between Europe and Iran. It went something like this: If we are nice
to the ayatollahs, cuddle up to them a bit and occasionally wag our
fingers at them when they’ve been naughty, they’ll stop condemning
their women to death for "unchaste behavior" and they’ll stop building
the atom bomb.

That plan failed at some point — an outcome, incidentally, that
Washington had long anticipated. Iran continues to work away
unhindered on its nuclear program, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
reacts to UN demands with an ostentatious show of ignorance. The UN
gets upset and drafts a resolution.

Another item on the Iranian president’s wish list is the annihilation
of Israel. But that will take a bit longer. In the meantime, just to
make sure it doesn’t get out of practice, the regime had 15 British
soldiers kidnapped a few days ago. But it’s still all the Americans’
fault — that much is obvious.

Inherently evil

We’ve known just what they’re like for a long time. The 19th-century
German author Karl May taught us about the American Wild West, and
Karl Marx warned us about unbridled capitalism. Besides, we’ve all
been there at least once — on vacation, of course. Be it in
California or Florida (that’s where you get the best deals on rental
cars, you know), we can see right through the Americans.

For us Germans, the Americans are either too fat or too obsessed with
exercise, too prudish or too pornographic, too religious or too
nihilistic. In terms of history and foreign policy, the Americans have
either been too isolationist or too imperialistic. They simply go
ahead and invade foreign countries (something we Germans, of course,
would never do) and then abandon them, the way they did in Vietnam and
will soon do in Iraq.

Worst of all, the Americans won the war in 1945. (Well, with German
help, of course — from Einstein and his ilk.) There are some Germans
who will never forgive the Americans for VE Day, when they defeated
Hitler. After all, Nazism was just an accident, whereas Americans are
inherently evil. Just look at President Bush, the man who, as some of
SPIEGEL ONLINE’s readers steadfastly believe, "is worse than Hitler."
Now that gives us a chance to kill two birds with one stone. If Bush
is the new Hitler, then we Germans have finally unloaded the Führer on
to someone else. In fact, we won’t even have to posthumously revoke
his German citizenship, as politicians in Lower Saxony recently
proposed. No one can hold a candle to our talent for symbolism!

Anti-Americanism is the wonder drug of German politics. If no one
believes what you’re saying, take a swing at the Yanks and you’ll be
shooting your way back up to the top of the opinion polls in no
time. And on the practical side, you can be the head of the Social
Democratic Party and endear yourself to the party’s hardcore with a
load of anti-American nonsense, and still get invited back to
Washington — just look at Gerhard Schröder. In fact, you could, like
leading German politicians in the debate over the planned American
missile shield in Europe, be accused of having "an almost unbelievable
lack of knowledge" by a former NATO general, and even that wouldn’t
matter. It’s all about what you believe, not what you know.

Anti-Americanism is hypocrisy at its finest. You can spend your
evening catching the latest episode of "24" and then complain about
Guantanamo the next morning. You can claim that the Americans have
themselves to blame for terrorism, while at the same time calling for
tougher restrictions on Muslim immigration to Germany. You can call
the American president a mass murderer and book a flight to New York
the next day. You can lament the average American’s supposed lack of
culture and savvy and meanwhile send off for the documents for the
Green Card lottery.

Not a day passes in Germany when someone isn’t making the wildest
claims, hurling the vilest insults or spreading the most outlandish
conspiracy theories about the United States. But there’s no risk
involved and it all serves mainly to boost the German feeling of
self-righteousness.

Not so safe

Iran is a different story. The last time someone made a joke on German
TV about an Iranian leader, the outcome was not pleasant. Exactly 20
years ago, Dutch entertainer Rudi Carell produced a short TV sketch
portraying Ayatollah Khomeini dressed in women’s underwear. Carell
received death threats. The piece, which lasted all of a few seconds,
led to flights being cancelled and German diplomats being expelled
from Tehran. Carell apologized. Jokes about fat Americans are just
safer.

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, the American historian who in his 1996 book
"Hitler’s Willing Executioners" deprived the Germans of the belief
that they didn’t know what was going on back in the day, is currently
studying the history of genocides in the 20th century. One of the
things he has noticed is that the politicians or military leaders who
planned genocides and had them carried out rarely concealed their
intentions in advance. Whether the victims were Hereros, Armenians,
kulaks, Jews or later Bosnians, the perpetrators generally believed
that they were justified and had no reason to hide their murderous
intentions.

Today, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talks about a world
without Israel while dreaming of an atom bomb, it seems obvious that
we — as Germans of all people — should be putting two and two
together. Why shouldn’t Ahmadinejad mean what he says? But we Germans
only know what we believe.

The Americans are more dangerous than the ayatollahs? Perhaps the
Americans should take the Germans at their word for a change. It’s
high time for a new round of re-education. The last one obviously
didn’t do the job.

Claus Christian Malzahn is SPIEGEL ONLINE’s Berlin bureau chief.

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