It's that time of the year again and I would like to wish you and your families a very Happy Sarikamish!
Don't understand? Then please allow me to explain.
I am proudly commemorating the 99th anniversary of an epic Russo-Armenian military campaign that inflicted upwards of 100,000 casualties upon Ottoman army regulars at the battle of Sarikamish.
Imperial Russian forces reinforced by a significant number of battle-hardened Armenian volunteers from the Caucasus preempted an Ottoman strike against the Russian Empire in the south Caucasus by advancing west towards Erzerum from the Russian held Armenian city of Kars. It was late December 1914, the initial stages of the Caucasus Campaign during the First World War, when the two imperial rivals met on the wind swept, snow covered mountainous landscape at Sarikamish on the outskirts of the ancient Armenian city of Kars. When the historic battle was over some four weeks later, the entire Ottoman force under the leadership of non-other-than Enver Pasha lay decimated. Thousands-upon-thousands of frozen Ottoman corpses lay strewn across the snow clad battlefield. The Ottoman army had virtually collapsed on their eastern front. According to some accounts, out of a force of nearly 100,000 Ottoman troops about 80,000 is said to have perished during the Battle of Sarikamish alone, the rest being either wounded or taken prisoner. The following is a rare archival film footage of the battle's aftermath -
The
exact number of Ottoman casualties may be disputed by historians
today. What's not in dispute, however, is the fact that an entire
Ottoman army was decimated in Western Armenia.
The Ottoman defeat at Sarikamish had finally opened the gates to historic Armenia. The Russian-Armenian force that defeated the Ottoman army at Sarikamish was essentially the same army that went on to liberate the ancient Armenian cities of Van, Erzrum, Baiburt, Erzingan, Artvin and Trapizon from the bloody clutches of Turkish and Kurdish tyrants. The following map details the Russian advances in Western Armenia during their Caucasus Campaign between December 1914 and May 1916 -
Russian successes inside historic Armenian territories enabled a significant portion of the region's native Armenian population escape the ravages of war and the genocidal campaign of Turks. After suffering several hundred years of Turkic-Islamic oppression and periodic massacres, Armenians were finally beginning to see a light of salvation. By early 1917 the Russian-Armenian frontier stretched as far west as Erzingan, there was no Turkish army in sight and the liberation of Western Armenia seemed all but completed. Then, quite suddenly, fate struck.
Alas, the sun was not to shine on the Armenian Highlands.
The Russian Empire had suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Germany on European front at the Battle of Tannenberg early in the war. This near total defeat of Russian forces in Europe between 1914 and 1915 had began to create serious sociopolitical unrest within the vast but now increasingly ungovernable empire. This set into motion series of events that would eventually lead to a successful Bolshevik takeover of Imperial Russia in a bloody revolution that would later became known as the October Revolution of 1917.
As a result of tumultuous events leading up to the October Revolution in 1917, the Russian Czar was forced to call off his highly successful Caucasus Campaign. Consequently, Russian troops began abandoning their recently acquired positions within Western Armenia by mid 1917. The gains made at Sarikamish and thereafter would prove futile. What followed the Russian retreat from Western Armenia was the darkest page in Armenian and Russian history.
By 1918, the Russian nation had entirely descended into a darkness that it would not come out of until after the Second World War and after tens-of-millions of Russians had perished. With the unexpected abandonment of the Armenia Highlands by Czarist Russia, using the pro-Russian sentiments of Caucasian Armenians as a pretext, Turks began to intensify their genocidal campaign against their defenseless Armenian subjects. By the early 1920s, nearly two million Armenians had perished and all of Western Armenia was all but emptied of its aboriginal Armenian population and was now fully under Turkish occupation once again.
It is important to note here that the military defeat the Ottoman army suffered at the hands of the Russian Empire at Sarikamish and elsewhere between 1914 and 1917 may have contributed to the already present paranoia of Ottoman Turks towards the hapless and semi-assimilated Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire who were not under Russian protection. Let's also bare in mind that as Ottoman Minister of War, Enver Pasha, who was also one of the principle architects of the Armenian Genocide, was directly leading the ill-fated Ottoman army at Sarikamish and he is said to have barely escaped with his life. But it would be utterly false to attribute the Ottoman Turk's genocidal campaign against Ottoman Armenians living very far from the battlefields of Sarikamish to Russian actions during the First World War. Ottoman Armenians had nothing to do with Imperial Russian actions. In fact, most Ottoman Armenians were semi-assimilated and some Armenians at the time were also rebelling against the Russian Czar. It is well known that Ottoman Turks had genocidal designs for their Armenian subjects going back to the late 19th century. There were periodic massacres of Ottoman Armenian long before a single Russian soldier stepped foot into Ottoman occupied Western Armenian. Simply put, the Russian Caucasus Campaign was only the pretext, the excuse Turks found to accelerate their plans to rid themselves of the "Armenian question".
Nevertheless, had it not been for the Bolshevik revolution in Russia (a Jewish funded and led revolution in which sadly many Armenians played an important role in), I strongly believe that the western reaches of Armenia today would have at the very least included Van, Erzingan and Trabizond - and there would not have been a bloody tragedy known today as the Armenian Genocide. In my opinion, Bolsheviks were indirectly, but no less, responsible for the horrible tragedy that befell Ottoman Armenians. The Bolshevik leadership was also of course solely responsible for giving Turks and Caucasian Tatars (known today as Azerbaijanis) the Armenian territories of Kars, Ardahan, Nakhijevan and Artsakh. That Bolsheviks were the lesser of evils when fate once again came knocking on the door in Armenia in 1921 is all together another story.
How unpredictable history can be and how cruel it has been for us Armenians for the past one thousand years.
Armenians can draw many conclusions and learn many lessons from these historic events: Was it wise for Armenians to place so much trust in the United States, France and Britain, nations very far removed from Armenia? Was it wise for Armenians to join Marxist movements and rebel against the Russian Czar, at a time nonetheless when Armenians were also rebelling against Ottoman Turks?
But questioning the wisdom of Caucasian Armenians participating in Russia's Caucasus Campaign is out of the question.
To liberate one's oppressed nation, one must take calculated risks. Partaking in the Caucasus Campaign was a risk worth taking. After all, no one expected the Russian Empire to suffer a devastating defeat at the hands of Germany so early in the war and no one could predict the total collapse of the Russian Empire as a result of the Bolshevik revolution. From an Armenian perspective, a historic opportunity was presented during the early years of the First World War to free Western Armenia from the bloody clutches of Ottoman Turks and some Armenians in the Russian Empire were smart enough to take advantage of it. It would be wise to recall once more that there had already been large scale massacres of Armenians in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Therefore, when such an opportunity arises once again (and it will, sooner or later), I expect us Armenians to take advantage of it once again. Such a mindset is in fact what I try to cultivate through this blog.
Another clear lesson to be learned from the First World War is the importance of having a powerful Russia that is under Slavic, Christian rule. Russia's sociopolitical health should be a concern not only for Russians but for all Armenians as well. Armenians need to follow Russian politics just as much - if not more - than Armenian politics. Armenia needs to setup an academy of Russian studies. Armenians need to be a constant presence within the Kremlin. Russian-Armenians need to become better organized and politically active.
As I have said, the Caucasus is like a table where Turks, Persian, Azeris, Georgians, Islamists, Western energy interests, Russians and Armenians sit. Imagine this table without its Russian occupant. In other words, imagine the plight of Armenia in a Turkic-Islamic dominated political landscape without having the Russian Bear to rely on.
Nevertheless, what's important to recognize is that as a result of Russian-Armenian collaboration during the First World War, as late as 1917, Western Armenia has been liberated for the most part. We must be collectively seeking for a rematch if we want to liberate Western Armenia. But, looking at our traditional Diaspora (the off-springs of the Ottoman Armenian genocide survivors) there is much let to be desired.
Our politically shortsighted and genocide obsessed compatriots in the Diaspora are afraid of discussing these kinds of historical information simply because of fears that doing so might somehow undermine genocide recognition efforts in the West - as if the decades long, now standard modus operandi of our so-called "Հայ Դատ" has bared any fruit.
We as a nation must appropriately commemorate the Armenian Genocide on a yearly basis and always treat it as a historic fact. Having said that, the Armenian Diaspora's decades long obsession with achieving genocide recognition has only served to create several generations of terribly insecure, emotionally scarred and self-hating Armenians with serious victim mentalities and severe political ignorance.
For example: Beyond proudly and enthusiastically acknowledging that Armenians were victims of "the 2oth century's first genocide" and of course "the first Christian nation", the typical "proud" American-Armenian today knows next to nothing about Armenia's vastly rich national heritage and understands next to nothing about the political landscape within which Armenia is unfortunately located in today. Our unhealthy approach to Armenian matters, be it issues regarding the Armenian Genocide or sociopolitical matters pertaining to Armenia, has created abnormalities within our Diasporan communities.
The following is a brief look at how intellectually deficient, psychologically compromised and emotionally disconnected Armenians have become in the Diaspora today -
The voices above are not rare within Diasporan circles. We have quite a few "proud" Armenians these days that have emotionally divorced themselves from
Armenia and see themselves first-and-foremost as "Western Armenians". We have significant numbers of Armenians today that see patriotism and national preservation as backward and dangerous concepts not worthy of "righteous" Armenians. We have significant numbers of Armenians today that seek "reconciliation" with Turks. We have significant numbers of Armenians today that wants Yerevan to sever ties with Russia. We have significant numbers of Armenians today that are more worried about "gays" in Armenia than about Armenia itself.
We have significant numbers of Armenians who want nothing to do with their homeland simply because the less-than ideal realities of the Armenia we have today does not live up to their personal fantasies of what Armenia should look like.
I personally know quite a few of the aforementioned types in our society. Besides our unhealthy obsession with the genocide, for this pathetic situation, we can also thank Armenian tribalism, arrogance and egotism coupled with the Cold War era's anti-Armenia culture that is still somewhat prevalent within Middle Eastern Armenians and circles within the ARF. Nevertheless, basing an entire nation's identity on a genocide has severely damaged and deformed the Armenian spirit. And the more recent doom and gloom campaign and the information war relentlessly carried out against the fledgling Armenian state by Western operatives throughout Armenian society has only exasperated the situation.
Nations with victim mentalities, misplaced priorities and political illiteracy will always be manipulated and led astray. Insecure and politically ignorant nations that beg at the feet of others (especially at the feet of reptilian politicians in the West) can never accomplish anything in the world of realpolitik - nor will they ever be respected by the international community.
Spurred on by self-serving opportunists like Ara Papyan and subversive organizations such as Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Committee (TARC) and the Zoryan Institute, our hopelessly naive and deeply scarred compatriots still talk about "justice" and "international law" being on the side of Armenians and the need for "reconciliation" with Turk. But the same utterly fail to realize that as long as Armenia does not have strong Russian backing and the military and/or financial power to push its political weight upon the international stage, Armenia shall remain vulnerable in the eyes of Turks and worthless in the eyes on the international community.
Despite the wildest dreams of our reconciliation obsessed compatriots, Turks will never look at Armenians without hostility, nor will they ever put aside their pan-Turkist fantasies. Attempting to engage Turks in dialogue will only result in ugly situations such as this -
Neighbors like Turks and Azeris can only be talked to or negotiated with from a clear position of strength. Mind you that I am saying this as one that fully supported the "protocols" several years ago. Yes, the border between Armenia and Turkey needs to open. Yes, there needs to be dialogue between Armenian and Turkish government officials. But all this needs to happen very carefully and from a position of strength - and free of Western meddling. In recent years there has been a Western agenda to bring politically ignorant Armenians and sweet talking Turks together. This
Western-backed agenda wants Turkey to walk away with a mere apology or some other largely symbolic gesture. Needless to say, such Western-backed initiatives are counterproductive for Armenians for they only serve to make us lower our guards. It would be very advisable to look at Western and Turkish intentions with regards to Armenia within the following context -
Realizing that despite their economic blockade of a landlocked and poor Armenia - and periodic threats to finish-off what they couldn't during the First World War - Armenia's strength in the south Caucasus is increasing with each passing year largely thanks to the Russian presence inside Armenia. As a result, Turks have begun to take the advise of their Western/Jewish counterparts by attempting to convince us Armenians that Turks and Armenians can indeed live side-by-side once again... if it wasn't for them pesky Russkies!
When it comes to Armenia, there is nothing that would please Western powers and Turkey more than driving a wedge between Armenia and Russia. This is the long term geostrategic agenda Turks and their Western benefactors are currently working on.
The venomous anti-Putin protests we saw in Armenia in early December may be a troubling sign that this approach - to disarm Armenia of its Russian protection - is working to a certain degree. Here, I'd like to remind you once again that many within the Armenian community already blames Russians for the Armenian genocide, and Armenia's most beloved/psychotic "nationalist" Paruyr Hayrikian and his no-less psychotic followers think that Russians are worst than Turks.
In short, as Stratfor's George Friedman candidly put it: "Russian presence in Armenia is bad for Turkey".
And as "Barcin Yinanc" slyly advises us: "Focus on Russia rather than Turkey!"
Get the picture?
Anyway, when it comes to the Armenian Genocide, "recognition" per se is worthless and may even be counterproductive. And it is downright delusional to think that Ankara will voluntarily return historic Armenia to its rightful owners or pay the tens-of-billions of dollars in reparations as a result of "recognition", "reconciliation" and/or "international pressure". Such silly nonsense only serves to distract us from placing our pan-national emphasis on militarily, economically and politically strengthening the Armenian homeland we have today.
After all is said and done, one thing remains crystal clear to me: If Western Armenia is to get liberated someday (and I think it's a very real possibility), it wont come by the way of a Diasporan Armenian-Kurdish cooperation (what a laughable idea) as some delusional ARFers think; it wont happen as a result of the ARF collaborating with Islamized Armenians inside Turkey (another laughable idea), it will only happen as a result of Russian-Armenian troops again marching westward from the south Caucasus. Kurds and Islamized Armenians will be utilized as factors on the ground only when such a Russian-Armenian force from the Caucasus enters Western Armenia.
This is the only hypothetical reality we Armenians must learn to recognize and appreciate. And this is the long-term, pan-national and geostrategic agenda we Armenians must work on, that is if we want to see Western Armenia liberated one day.
In the meanwhile, Armenians must understand that international law is made by the powerful to control the weak. We must realize that only the strong can impose their version of history upon others. Only the strong can right the wrongs of history. Only the strong can enjoy a prominent position on the negotiation table. Only the strong are invited to lavish banquets as honored guests. We must also not forget that for thousands of years, politics has been governed by one very natural yet simple law: might makes right.
As long as we Armenians continue thinking of ourselves as victims and continue acting like victims, as long as we Armenians blindly pursue Western fairytales, as long as we Armenians are distracted from fully exploiting Armenia's close alliance with Russia - we Armenians shall forever remain victims and Armenia shall forever remain destitute!
Don't understand? Then please allow me to explain.
I am proudly commemorating the 99th anniversary of an epic Russo-Armenian military campaign that inflicted upwards of 100,000 casualties upon Ottoman army regulars at the battle of Sarikamish.
Imperial Russian forces reinforced by a significant number of battle-hardened Armenian volunteers from the Caucasus preempted an Ottoman strike against the Russian Empire in the south Caucasus by advancing west towards Erzerum from the Russian held Armenian city of Kars. It was late December 1914, the initial stages of the Caucasus Campaign during the First World War, when the two imperial rivals met on the wind swept, snow covered mountainous landscape at Sarikamish on the outskirts of the ancient Armenian city of Kars. When the historic battle was over some four weeks later, the entire Ottoman force under the leadership of non-other-than Enver Pasha lay decimated. Thousands-upon-thousands of frozen Ottoman corpses lay strewn across the snow clad battlefield. The Ottoman army had virtually collapsed on their eastern front. According to some accounts, out of a force of nearly 100,000 Ottoman troops about 80,000 is said to have perished during the Battle of Sarikamish alone, the rest being either wounded or taken prisoner. The following is a rare archival film footage of the battle's aftermath -
Road of Sarikamish after the Turkish retreat December, 1914 (video): http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=80771
The Ottoman defeat at Sarikamish had finally opened the gates to historic Armenia. The Russian-Armenian force that defeated the Ottoman army at Sarikamish was essentially the same army that went on to liberate the ancient Armenian cities of Van, Erzrum, Baiburt, Erzingan, Artvin and Trapizon from the bloody clutches of Turkish and Kurdish tyrants. The following map details the Russian advances in Western Armenia during their Caucasus Campaign between December 1914 and May 1916 -
Russian successes inside historic Armenian territories enabled a significant portion of the region's native Armenian population escape the ravages of war and the genocidal campaign of Turks. After suffering several hundred years of Turkic-Islamic oppression and periodic massacres, Armenians were finally beginning to see a light of salvation. By early 1917 the Russian-Armenian frontier stretched as far west as Erzingan, there was no Turkish army in sight and the liberation of Western Armenia seemed all but completed. Then, quite suddenly, fate struck.
Alas, the sun was not to shine on the Armenian Highlands.
The Russian Empire had suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Germany on European front at the Battle of Tannenberg early in the war. This near total defeat of Russian forces in Europe between 1914 and 1915 had began to create serious sociopolitical unrest within the vast but now increasingly ungovernable empire. This set into motion series of events that would eventually lead to a successful Bolshevik takeover of Imperial Russia in a bloody revolution that would later became known as the October Revolution of 1917.
As a result of tumultuous events leading up to the October Revolution in 1917, the Russian Czar was forced to call off his highly successful Caucasus Campaign. Consequently, Russian troops began abandoning their recently acquired positions within Western Armenia by mid 1917. The gains made at Sarikamish and thereafter would prove futile. What followed the Russian retreat from Western Armenia was the darkest page in Armenian and Russian history.
By 1918, the Russian nation had entirely descended into a darkness that it would not come out of until after the Second World War and after tens-of-millions of Russians had perished. With the unexpected abandonment of the Armenia Highlands by Czarist Russia, using the pro-Russian sentiments of Caucasian Armenians as a pretext, Turks began to intensify their genocidal campaign against their defenseless Armenian subjects. By the early 1920s, nearly two million Armenians had perished and all of Western Armenia was all but emptied of its aboriginal Armenian population and was now fully under Turkish occupation once again.
It is important to note here that the military defeat the Ottoman army suffered at the hands of the Russian Empire at Sarikamish and elsewhere between 1914 and 1917 may have contributed to the already present paranoia of Ottoman Turks towards the hapless and semi-assimilated Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire who were not under Russian protection. Let's also bare in mind that as Ottoman Minister of War, Enver Pasha, who was also one of the principle architects of the Armenian Genocide, was directly leading the ill-fated Ottoman army at Sarikamish and he is said to have barely escaped with his life. But it would be utterly false to attribute the Ottoman Turk's genocidal campaign against Ottoman Armenians living very far from the battlefields of Sarikamish to Russian actions during the First World War. Ottoman Armenians had nothing to do with Imperial Russian actions. In fact, most Ottoman Armenians were semi-assimilated and some Armenians at the time were also rebelling against the Russian Czar. It is well known that Ottoman Turks had genocidal designs for their Armenian subjects going back to the late 19th century. There were periodic massacres of Ottoman Armenian long before a single Russian soldier stepped foot into Ottoman occupied Western Armenian. Simply put, the Russian Caucasus Campaign was only the pretext, the excuse Turks found to accelerate their plans to rid themselves of the "Armenian question".
Nevertheless, had it not been for the Bolshevik revolution in Russia (a Jewish funded and led revolution in which sadly many Armenians played an important role in), I strongly believe that the western reaches of Armenia today would have at the very least included Van, Erzingan and Trabizond - and there would not have been a bloody tragedy known today as the Armenian Genocide. In my opinion, Bolsheviks were indirectly, but no less, responsible for the horrible tragedy that befell Ottoman Armenians. The Bolshevik leadership was also of course solely responsible for giving Turks and Caucasian Tatars (known today as Azerbaijanis) the Armenian territories of Kars, Ardahan, Nakhijevan and Artsakh. That Bolsheviks were the lesser of evils when fate once again came knocking on the door in Armenia in 1921 is all together another story.
How unpredictable history can be and how cruel it has been for us Armenians for the past one thousand years.
Armenians can draw many conclusions and learn many lessons from these historic events: Was it wise for Armenians to place so much trust in the United States, France and Britain, nations very far removed from Armenia? Was it wise for Armenians to join Marxist movements and rebel against the Russian Czar, at a time nonetheless when Armenians were also rebelling against Ottoman Turks?
But questioning the wisdom of Caucasian Armenians participating in Russia's Caucasus Campaign is out of the question.
To liberate one's oppressed nation, one must take calculated risks. Partaking in the Caucasus Campaign was a risk worth taking. After all, no one expected the Russian Empire to suffer a devastating defeat at the hands of Germany so early in the war and no one could predict the total collapse of the Russian Empire as a result of the Bolshevik revolution. From an Armenian perspective, a historic opportunity was presented during the early years of the First World War to free Western Armenia from the bloody clutches of Ottoman Turks and some Armenians in the Russian Empire were smart enough to take advantage of it. It would be wise to recall once more that there had already been large scale massacres of Armenians in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Therefore, when such an opportunity arises once again (and it will, sooner or later), I expect us Armenians to take advantage of it once again. Such a mindset is in fact what I try to cultivate through this blog.
Another clear lesson to be learned from the First World War is the importance of having a powerful Russia that is under Slavic, Christian rule. Russia's sociopolitical health should be a concern not only for Russians but for all Armenians as well. Armenians need to follow Russian politics just as much - if not more - than Armenian politics. Armenia needs to setup an academy of Russian studies. Armenians need to be a constant presence within the Kremlin. Russian-Armenians need to become better organized and politically active.
As I have said, the Caucasus is like a table where Turks, Persian, Azeris, Georgians, Islamists, Western energy interests, Russians and Armenians sit. Imagine this table without its Russian occupant. In other words, imagine the plight of Armenia in a Turkic-Islamic dominated political landscape without having the Russian Bear to rely on.
Nevertheless, what's important to recognize is that as a result of Russian-Armenian collaboration during the First World War, as late as 1917, Western Armenia has been liberated for the most part. We must be collectively seeking for a rematch if we want to liberate Western Armenia. But, looking at our traditional Diaspora (the off-springs of the Ottoman Armenian genocide survivors) there is much let to be desired.
Misunderstood history, misplaced priorities, misled politics
Our politically shortsighted and genocide obsessed compatriots in the Diaspora are afraid of discussing these kinds of historical information simply because of fears that doing so might somehow undermine genocide recognition efforts in the West - as if the decades long, now standard modus operandi of our so-called "Հայ Դատ" has bared any fruit.
We as a nation must appropriately commemorate the Armenian Genocide on a yearly basis and always treat it as a historic fact. Having said that, the Armenian Diaspora's decades long obsession with achieving genocide recognition has only served to create several generations of terribly insecure, emotionally scarred and self-hating Armenians with serious victim mentalities and severe political ignorance.
For example: Beyond proudly and enthusiastically acknowledging that Armenians were victims of "the 2oth century's first genocide" and of course "the first Christian nation", the typical "proud" American-Armenian today knows next to nothing about Armenia's vastly rich national heritage and understands next to nothing about the political landscape within which Armenia is unfortunately located in today. Our unhealthy approach to Armenian matters, be it issues regarding the Armenian Genocide or sociopolitical matters pertaining to Armenia, has created abnormalities within our Diasporan communities.
The following is a brief look at how intellectually deficient, psychologically compromised and emotionally disconnected Armenians have become in the Diaspora today -
Hypocrisy or ineptitude?: http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/09/28/astarjian-hypocrisy-or-ineptitude/
Diaspora Historian Argues Against "One Nation, One Homeland" Myth: http://hetq.am/eng/interviews/31938/diaspora-historian-argues-against-one-nation-one-homeland-myth.htmlI Turned My Back on Armenia: http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/12/10/i-turned-my-back-on-armenia/
Prominent Diasporans Sign Statement in Support of Homosexuality: http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/11/01/prominent-diasporans-sign-petition-in-support-of-equality-in-armenia/
We have significant numbers of Armenians who want nothing to do with their homeland simply because the less-than ideal realities of the Armenia we have today does not live up to their personal fantasies of what Armenia should look like.
I personally know quite a few of the aforementioned types in our society. Besides our unhealthy obsession with the genocide, for this pathetic situation, we can also thank Armenian tribalism, arrogance and egotism coupled with the Cold War era's anti-Armenia culture that is still somewhat prevalent within Middle Eastern Armenians and circles within the ARF. Nevertheless, basing an entire nation's identity on a genocide has severely damaged and deformed the Armenian spirit. And the more recent doom and gloom campaign and the information war relentlessly carried out against the fledgling Armenian state by Western operatives throughout Armenian society has only exasperated the situation.
Nations with victim mentalities, misplaced priorities and political illiteracy will always be manipulated and led astray. Insecure and politically ignorant nations that beg at the feet of others (especially at the feet of reptilian politicians in the West) can never accomplish anything in the world of realpolitik - nor will they ever be respected by the international community.
Spurred on by self-serving opportunists like Ara Papyan and subversive organizations such as Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Committee (TARC) and the Zoryan Institute, our hopelessly naive and deeply scarred compatriots still talk about "justice" and "international law" being on the side of Armenians and the need for "reconciliation" with Turk. But the same utterly fail to realize that as long as Armenia does not have strong Russian backing and the military and/or financial power to push its political weight upon the international stage, Armenia shall remain vulnerable in the eyes of Turks and worthless in the eyes on the international community.
Despite the wildest dreams of our reconciliation obsessed compatriots, Turks will never look at Armenians without hostility, nor will they ever put aside their pan-Turkist fantasies. Attempting to engage Turks in dialogue will only result in ugly situations such as this -
George Friedman: “Russian presence in Armenia is bad for Turkey”: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/arye-gut-israeli-jewish-expert-in.html
Turkish Advice: Armenian diaspora, focus on Russia rather than Turkey! http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/armenian-diaspora-focus-on-russia-rather-than-turkey.aspx?pageID=449&nID=59677&NewsCatID=412
Russian General Leonid Ivashov: Turkey Seeks Separation Between Russia, Armenia: http://news.am/eng/news/36696.html
Opening of Armenian-Turkish Border Should be a Russian but not a U.S. Project: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27006
USA trying to break up Armenian-Russian military relations, general says: http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/a...0005/0040.html
When it comes to Armenia, there is nothing that would please Western powers and Turkey more than driving a wedge between Armenia and Russia. This is the long term geostrategic agenda Turks and their Western benefactors are currently working on.
The venomous anti-Putin protests we saw in Armenia in early December may be a troubling sign that this approach - to disarm Armenia of its Russian protection - is working to a certain degree. Here, I'd like to remind you once again that many within the Armenian community already blames Russians for the Armenian genocide, and Armenia's most beloved/psychotic "nationalist" Paruyr Hayrikian and his no-less psychotic followers think that Russians are worst than Turks.
In short, as Stratfor's George Friedman candidly put it: "Russian presence in Armenia is bad for Turkey".
And as "Barcin Yinanc" slyly advises us: "Focus on Russia rather than Turkey!"
Get the picture?
Anyway, when it comes to the Armenian Genocide, "recognition" per se is worthless and may even be counterproductive. And it is downright delusional to think that Ankara will voluntarily return historic Armenia to its rightful owners or pay the tens-of-billions of dollars in reparations as a result of "recognition", "reconciliation" and/or "international pressure". Such silly nonsense only serves to distract us from placing our pan-national emphasis on militarily, economically and politically strengthening the Armenian homeland we have today.
Russians and Turks 'will' come to blows again, will we be ready?
After all is said and done, one thing remains crystal clear to me: If Western Armenia is to get liberated someday (and I think it's a very real possibility), it wont come by the way of a Diasporan Armenian-Kurdish cooperation (what a laughable idea) as some delusional ARFers think; it wont happen as a result of the ARF collaborating with Islamized Armenians inside Turkey (another laughable idea), it will only happen as a result of Russian-Armenian troops again marching westward from the south Caucasus. Kurds and Islamized Armenians will be utilized as factors on the ground only when such a Russian-Armenian force from the Caucasus enters Western Armenia.
This is the only hypothetical reality we Armenians must learn to recognize and appreciate. And this is the long-term, pan-national and geostrategic agenda we Armenians must work on, that is if we want to see Western Armenia liberated one day.
In the meanwhile, Armenians must understand that international law is made by the powerful to control the weak. We must realize that only the strong can impose their version of history upon others. Only the strong can right the wrongs of history. Only the strong can enjoy a prominent position on the negotiation table. Only the strong are invited to lavish banquets as honored guests. We must also not forget that for thousands of years, politics has been governed by one very natural yet simple law: might makes right.
As long as we Armenians continue thinking of ourselves as victims and continue acting like victims, as long as we Armenians blindly pursue Western fairytales, as long as we Armenians are distracted from fully exploiting Armenia's close alliance with Russia - we Armenians shall forever remain victims and Armenia shall forever remain destitute!
Once again: The pursuit of Western fairytales such as "democracy" and "human rights" in Armenia are dangerous red-herrings that only serve to stagnate the fledgling nation politically and economically and prevent us Armenians from collectively pursuing more important, more strategic matters facing our embattled nation.
But I believe better times lie ahead. Despite its severe growing pains, Armenia today stands on the verge of becoming a major Russian-backed regional trade hub. Despite its self-destructive peasantry, Armenia stands poised to be a strategic point between the Eurasian Customs Union and the Middle East, Turkey and Europe. As of the historic announcement made on September 03, 2013, I finally see some light at the end of our long and dark tunnel. Thankfully, we have had some competent leaders at the helm in Yerevan. President Sargsyan's September 3 decision was a very wise geostrategic move that will begin paying enormous dividends in the future for Pax Russicana in the south Caucasus holds many promises.
Therefore, it's high time we wake-up from our EUrotic fantasies and American wet dreams and use this historic opportunity for the betterment of our sacred homeland in order to strengthen it so that when the days come to move west, it will be ready to accomplish its mission.
When remembering historic events such as the Battle of Sarikamish and the Russian Caucasus Campaign during the First World War, Armenian nationalists cant help but be reminded of the plight of Western Armenia. The Russian-Armenian advance into the Armenian Highlands during the First World War shows us all that doing so is very possible (given that it is done under the right circumstances) and it encourages us to prepare, at least mentally, for the next historic opportunity.
I have no doubt that when opportunity does come knocking once again, a renewed Caucasus Campaign will have a drastically different ending. I have no doubt that Russians and Turks will come to blows once again. And when it happens, it will be a vastly different outcome. Are we ready?
Unlike in 1914, the Russian state today does not have any major sociopolitical issues within its borders. During the early 20th century, Russia was ripe for a major sociopolitical upheaval and Marxism was a growing force. Nothing of the sort exists today. Other than some pussy rioters acting all hysterical periodically, other than some angry gay activists throwing temper tantrums now-and-then, other than suicidal Islamists blowing themselves up from time-to-time, there is no major movement brewing inside the country that can even remotely pose a threat to Russian authorities. Unlike in 1914, Russian society is not in despair. In fact, Russia has one of the fastest growing middle class in the world. If Russia did not collapse in 1990s, it certainly ain't going to do so now or in the foreseeable future. Unlike in 1914, Russia today is a massive nuclear superpower who's military capabilities are getting better with each passing year. Unlike in 1914, Europe and much of Eurasia (including Turkey) are very dependent on Russian energy for survival. More importantly, unlike in 1914, the Russian nation has learned the lessons of the 20th century all too well.
Let's also look at Armenia: Unlike in 1914, Armenia is an independent nation with a major military victory already to its credit. Unlike in 1914, Armenia has a relatively powerful military that is getting stronger. Unlike in 1914, Armenia is an established nation-state with an important strategic alliance with the Russian Federation and very warm relations with Iran. Unlike in 1914, Armenia also has a worldwide Diaspora than will come to its aid in time of need.
Nevertheless, with a land stretching virtually from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with natural resources virtually inexhaustible and with a massive nuclear armed military that is unbeatable on the battlefield, whatever serious campaign the Russian nation decides to embark upon today will be a safe bet. Having suffered the darkest period of its history during the first half of the 20th century, the Russian nation is once again on the rise and will certainly be continuing its forward momentum for the foreseeable future.
Turks and other regional Turanians have had an instinctual fear of Russia going back hundreds of years. It is essentially a natural rivalry within the human ecology that is similar to that of bears and wolves (pun intended) competing over the same feeding territory. In the 1990s we saw this rivalry between Russians and Turks play out in the Caucasus and the Balkans, and more recently we saw it take place within Syria. There may be periods of peace and cooperation between the two natural rivals but the rivalry between Russia and Turkey will never totally disappear and will at times come to blows.
It's not only me predicting this, here we see an article by George Friedman's Stratfor also acknowledging this natural order of things -
Because Russian trade makes up a very major part of the Turkish economy today, because Russia provides Turkey with more than half of its energy needs, because Russia's role is growing once again in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and the south Caucasus, the fear of the Russian Bear by Turks is as prevalent now as it has ever been. When the time is right, and if Russians decide they can afford going to war to establish a wider buffer zone around their vulnerable underbelly and perhaps obtain direct access to warm water ports for their navy, there is nothing Turkey - or its friends - can do to stop them.Shifting Geopolitics: The Rise of Russia and Turkey (August, 2010): http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2010/11/ultimately-both-russia-and-turkey-know.html
Liberation of Western Armenia
I have long maintained that sooner-or-later Armenia needs to expand - break out of its mountain prison - if it is to prosper and be taken seriously by the international community. I have always maintained that collaboration with Russia (and to a lesser extent with Iran) is the only way forward for Armenia in this regard. I have always maintained that the best route for Armenia to expand is through Georgia to the Black Sea and/or through Azerbaijan to the southern Russian border. My sentiments regarding this geostrategically important matter are reflected in the following blog entry -
The liberation of Western Armenia is also a hypothetical possibility and it should definitely be addressed. Allow me to start off by first saying that this is a very complex geopolitical matter. There are many variables involved, not the least of which is the unpredictability of tomorrow. No one but God knows when the day will come when Armenian tanks will drive into Van and reclaim Armenia's most ancient capitol. That glorious day may or may not happen within our life times. Having said that, we as a nation need to be vigilant and ready for when an opportunity to do so does arrive once more. If we are not ready to exploit such an opportunity - then obviously there is no chance whatsoever. However, if we are ready and work towards that particular goal - then there is a chance, a very good chance. Therefore, it's ultimately up to us as a people to decide what we want for our future.Can Armenia exploit Russian Actions in the Caucasus? http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2012/04/can-armenia-exploit-russias-action-plan.html
Sadly, generally speaking, Armenians today have either given up on the idea, are indifferent to it, approach it irrationally or are categorically against it. And this Armenian reality is the main obstacle we face, not Turks.
Therefore, the "enemy" is us.
The last thing I want is for us to be asleep at the wheel once again when opportunity comes knocking. Despite all the patriotic songs and stories we have heard from the period of the First World War, the reality of the matter is that most Armenians at the time were either complacent with their overall condition as semi-Turkified Ottoman subjects or simply scared into inaction.
Let's remember that the Ottoman military had been utterly decimated and Turkey was not a serious fighting force towards the end of the First World War. Moreover, when Russians retreated from Western Armenia in 1917 they left behind large stockpiles of weaponry that Armenians could have used for the war effort. Had we - as a people - rallied around the goal of liberation and had we been well organized, we would have been able to preserve significant portions of our historic lands - despite the Russian retreat in 1917 - and there would most probably not have been an Armenian Genocide to lament over.
Here, I think, we all can learn a lot from our compatriots in Artsakh.
We can learn a lot from the way they liberated Artsakh even against immense odds. Being that Armenians of Artsakh are the only major group within our nation that were not subjugated by any power at any time in history, they are the direct decedents of the warrior-aristocracy of the ancient Armenian Highlands. Therefore, it is fully understandable why a majority of the greatest Armenian men in modern times were derived from the territories of Artsakh. This speaks volumes about the importance of pedigree and what I term as biopolitics. While the rest of the Armenian nation was more-or-less reduced to subservient and semi-assimilated peasants, artizens and merchants during the course of the past one thousand years, much to the chagrin of Persians, Turks and Tatars, Armenians of Artsakh were able to preserve our people's ancient characteristics: Resourceful, resilient, stubborn, intelligent, aggressive, very patriotic and very warlike.
Needless to say, Azeris found this out the hard way during the 1990s. Artsakh reminded us all that the enemy has always been and continues to be the Turk. Artsakh showed us that the only way forward is through armed struggle. Artsakh also gave us a real lesson in genuine patriotism and realpolitik. In a certain sense, Artsakh saved Armenia and the Diaspora, not the other way around.
Getting back to the First World War: Only a miniscule percentage of Armenians actually fought for Armenia's independence in Western Armenia. Small numbers, the lack of discipline and the lack of cooperation and coordination with other Armenian groups often characterized the Armenian liberation effort at the time. Not only that, as noted above, many Armenians at the time were even rebelling against the Russian Czar and many within the Ottoman-Armenian community were actually conspiring against Armenian freedom fighters.
As much as we are inclined to blame Turks, Kurds, Germans, Brits, French and Russians for our devastating losses during the First World War, we Armenians also share equal blame. In fact, I would go as far as saying what happened to us back then was all our fault because, unlike us, all the other players at the time were merely doing what was in their best interests.
Anyway, that was then, this is now. Let's look ahead.
There are many important lessons to be learned from the First World War: The need for national unity; unconditional service to the flag; a powerful military; being a part of genuine alliances with regional powers; a heightened awareness to the political world we all live in; and geostrategic foresight.
Moreover, the need to approach Armenia's current sociopolitical issues rationally and objectively is also fundamentally important - so is the need to stop chasing our tails with dangerous Western fairytales: toxic concoctions known popularly as Democracy, Capitalism, Westernization and Globalization.
More importantly, we need to pan-nationally work towards deepening our strategic alliance with the Russian Bear. We need to use our God given talents to figure out a way of turning Russia's national interests into an extension of Armenian interests. The foundation to do just that exists today for Moscow's and Yerevan's political interests converge to a great degree. This needs to be further cultivated. This convergence of interests between our two nations needs to become institutionalized.
Armenian officials, business tycoon and activists need to be a constant presence within the Kremlin. While Armenia's increasingly powerful military is without any doubt Armenia's TACTICAL advantage on the global chessboard, Yerevan's alliance with Moscow must be fully cultivated to become Armenia's STRATEGIC advantage on the global chessboard.
Armenia's expansion is therefore mainly based upon the nature of Russo-Armenian relations, as well as various other geopolitical and socioeconomic factors. Armenian officials need to work on these various factors and the rest of us need to be patient and pray for the best. I firmly believe we will liberate our historic lands. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.
I will now briefly address some reoccurring questions and objections some Armenians have every time the topic of liberating Western Armenia is brought up in conversation.
Will Russia help once again? When the circumstances are right, in other words when the West is in no position to intervene perhaps due to a major war or economic collapse or when the Turkish state is on the verge of falling, Moscow may be very willing to participate in a military campaign inside Turkey simply to gain assess to the strategic Strait of Dardanelles or to gain a foothold in the warm water sea ports at Cilicia. Geostrategically, it would fully serve Moscow's interests if their regional rival Turkey is broken into pieces and some of the pieces given to its strategic ally Armenia (as long as Armenia remains fully within the Russian orbit).
Will Iran participate? Iran's position in such a scenario is more difficult to predict for Iran is an Islamic state and it also has a natural fear of Russians. But, with proper negotiations with Moscow and Yerevan and perhaps some incentives Tehran may very well seek the destruction of its historic rival as well.
How will Armenians defend the land when it's liberated? The lands in question can easily be protect and defended by a well armed and well trained modern military force. The land is rugged and alpine, once you acquire it and dig in, you are in total control. Artsakh is a good example. Also, if you do have a nuclear device behind you, you are virtually untouchable. North Korea is a good example. Besides, I only envision Armenia making a move into Western Armenia when the Turkish nation is weak and with Russian support. In other words, when the Turk is vulnerable and the geopolitical situation is appropriate, you stomp on its head as fast as you can and as hard as you can and you don't stop stomping until you accomplish your mission.
What about the Kurds? There is a possibility that Kurds may be willing to accept the liberation of Western Armenia if they receive sovereignty in other Kurdish populated territories in exchange. In the event, however, Kurds oppose the liberation of Western Armenia, they will be made to move to northern Iraq or south and west of Van. It's no big deal. During times of geopolitical chaos, these things occur naturally. During their 2006 war against Hezbollah, Israel was been able to displace close to one million Lebanese within two short weeks. The much less capable Artsakh army was able to do the same with Azeris in 1993. Those who decide to remain within the liberated territories will do so as Armenian citizens (just as they are Turkish citizens now, there is no reason why they cant be Armenian citizens). In the big picture, Kurds are quite disorganized and fragmented. No need to worry about them as a military or political threat. Having said that, the emphasis should be placed on convincing Kurds to accept sovereignty in territories south and/or west of Van.
What is so important about our lands? Western Armenia, also known as Armenian Highlands is the cradle of Armenian civilization as well as the cradle of human civilization. Western Armenia is where our martyred ancestors lie in unmarked graves. Moreover, the region is rich in natural resources and agricultural potential. Every Armenian wants to see a prosperous Armenia, right? Well, a prosperous Armenia will need to expand eventually. I envision the Armenian homeland growing in population within the next one hundred years. Armenians will eventually need more land, if only as living space. So, what better land than our lands to expand into? More importantly, the Armenian Highlands hold great geostrategic value to those that control it. The geostrategic value of the lands that Ankara controls today is the main reason why Turks have become major political and economic players in the region. The territory in question is an important international intersection. Those that control it automatically become major political players throughout the region and beyond. What's more, the only way we Armenians will be able to get some respect from the international community is by creating a large and powerful nation: A nation that would be able to sit on the table, as an equal, with major powers.
Let's not forget that politics is dirty business. If we Armenians want our homeland to truly prosper we need to be aggressive once in a while. Isn't this how the wealthiest and the most powerful nations on earth got their start? Isn't this how the wealthiest and the most powerful nations on earth live today?
To this effect, we need to get rid of our genocide complexes. We need to get rid our our Diasporan mentalities. Unfortunately, we Armenians think small. When one thinks small one accomplishes small. But as long as we remain small, dependent on foreign aid and politically indecisive and thus vulnerable, the international community will give us lip service at best or plot our destruction at worst. It's quite natural, for that is the natural order of international relations.
Nevertheless, whether or not we will be able to liberate our historic lands in Western Armenia is more-or-less based upon the following factors:
A settlement of the Artsakh dispute in Armenia's favor; The strength of the Armenian economy; The strength of the Armenian military; The strength of Russian-Armenian alliance; Superpower interests within the region; Strong Armenian-Iranians relations; Strong Armenian-Kurdish relations; Strong Armenian-Arab relations; Strong Armenian-Greek relations; Turkey's internal problems; Strains in Turkey's relations with the West; The readiness of the ArmenianThe above are more-or-less the main geopolitical factors that would determine whether or not Eastern Armenia will be able to see the liberation of Western Armenia. Naturally, these are all hypothetical and to some extent wishful thinking. The condition today is not yet ripe. The factors are not yet there. But, as I said: If we keep this agenda in our minds and this desire within our hearts, there is a possibility. But if we don't, there is no chance. Thus, the pivotal factor is played by nobody but us.
As we have unfortunately been seeing in recent years, throughout our history our people have been Armenia's biggest and most insurmountable obstacle. But with proper Social Engineering (political conditioning of the masses) our very talented people can potentially become Armenia's catalyst to a greater future. Despite its severe yet natural growing pains, our homeland in the south Caucasus is making good progress in many areas, but there is a lot more to accomplish.
Once again: If Western Armenia is to get liberated someday in the future, it wont come by the way of a Kurdish-ARF military contingent, it wont come by the way of Islamized Armenians of Turkey, it wont come by the way of Western support and it certainly wont come as a result of "international law". If Western Armenia is to get liberated someday, it will only happen as a result of Russian-Armenian forces again marching westward from the south Caucasus. This is the reality we Armenians must learn to recognize and appreciate. And this is the long-term, pan-national agenda we Armenians must train ourselves to work on.
At the end of the day, we must recognize that the Russian factor is the main reason why we Armenians have been able to create an Armenian homeland in a very hostile environment for the past two hundred years. Russia has given us an opportunity we have not had in one thousand years. We need to understand this, appreciate this and fully exploit this opportunity. With the following I'd like to take a brief look at the Russian factor in Armenia's rebirth.
The Russian factor in Armenia's rebirth
On its own, the Caucasus has the natural tendency to revert back into being a Turkic-Islamic cesspool, as it has been for much of the past one thousand years. It is
virtually impossible to visualize an Armenian homeland within such an Asiatic/Islamic
cesspool despite our best imaginations. The Russian factor is
the only reason why we Armenians have been able to create an Armenian
homeland in such hostile environment for the past two hundred
years. And as it has been for the past two hundred years, Armenia has
risen with Russia and she has fallen with her. Armenia's situation
today is no different. Due to historic, economic and geopolitical
circumstances prevailing within the south Caucasus, Armenia is wed to Russia
- for better or for worst. Armenians need to recognize this reality and simply work to derive the maximum benefit for Armenia.
October 12, 2013 was the two hundredth anniversary of the Treaty of Gulistan.
This treaty reached between the Russian Empire and Persia saw the
liberation of Artsakh from Islamic rule. Some fifteen years later, in
1828, the Treaty of Turkmenchay
was realized by the Russian Empire. This historic treaty established
the Arax river as the boundary between Russia, Ottoman Turks and Persia.
By the middle of the 19th century the entire Caucasus north and south
were fully under Russian rule and the Re-Armenaization of historic
Armenian territories were commenced.
Where
would Armenia be today had Czarist Russia not come down to the South
Caucasus? Would there be an Armenia today? Perhaps, but it's very hard
envisioning an Armenian nation-state anywhere below the Caucasus
mountain range had the region in question remained Turkic, Persian and/or
Islamic - which is most probably what would have happend had Russians not come down to the Arax river.
These
two hundred year old treaties also reminds us all that the south
Caucasus has historically been a Russian zone of interest. The Russian
nation has a historic obligation to the region. The Russian nation has an obligation to right the wrongs of history. I would even go as far as saying that
the Russian nation has a strong obligation towards us Armenians. While
fully acknowledging the immense importance of Russia in Armenia's life
and appreciating all that the Russian nation has directly and indirectly done for Armenia, it must also be pointed out that Armenians have sacrificed and contributed immensely for the Russian nation for the past
two hundred years. In fact, per capita, Armenians have given more to the Russian
nation than another other people. We Armenians want this sacrifice and
contribution to the great Russian nation to be fully acknowledged by Russians today. More
importantly, we want Russia to see the far-reaching potentials of working with and strengthening an independent Armenia, a Christian civilization that continues to
protect Russia's southern gate.
It is interesting that the recent commemoration of the Treaty of Gulistan has revived quite a bit of talks about the history of the Caucasus and Russia's role in it -
It is interesting that the recent commemoration of the Treaty of Gulistan has revived quite a bit of talks about the history of the Caucasus and Russia's role in it -
Experts say 200 years on, Russo-Persian peace deal still relevant: http://armenianow.com/karabakh/49499/armenia_roundtable_treaty_gulistan_russia_karabakh
Russian Expert: Nagorno Karabakh’s ties with Russia should be as strong as with Armenia: http://arka.am
For
the occasion of this anniversary political activist and intellectual
Zori
Balayan wrote a letter to Russian President
Vladimir Putin. The letter and the controversy it caused may
indeed be a sign that the dispute over Artsakh is
beginning
to take center-stage. Needless to say, the letter elicited a lot of misleading venomous reactions from
Armenia's Western-led opposition circles. The following are three such examples from Armenia -
Ռուսաստանին Հայաստանն առանց հայերի էր հարկավոր. Մարինե Պետրոսյան: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpYlc1FdckU
Պարույր Հայրիկյանը՝ Զորի Բալայանի նամակի մասին: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6WIHSy8WF0
Ավետիք Իշխանյանը՝ Զորի Բալայանի նամակի մասին: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPZJd5QoFps
Unlike his naysayers (i.e. armchair generals and nationalist nutjobs in the Diaspora and
Western funded mercenaries and opposition freaks in Armenia) Mr. Balayan is a genuine
patriot, an intellectual and a man very worthy of great respect. Mr. Balayan did not
call for turning
Artsakh over to Russia. Mr. Balayan is calling on Moscow to establish common
borders with Armenia (something all Armenian nationalists are praying
for) and he is asking Moscow to remember the
region’s political history and assume the responsibility to settle the
festering
matter in Armenia’s benefit. In other words, unbeknownst to our
opposition freaks, with the south Caucasus coming back under
the Bear's influence, farsighted and patriotic men like Mr. Balayan are
simply trying to
prepare the field of play for Armenia's benefit.
Let's now take a brief look back at some of the human factors that led to the time period in question that in turn led to the Treaties of Gulistan and Turkmenchay.
Let's now take a brief look back at some of the human factors that led to the time period in question that in turn led to the Treaties of Gulistan and Turkmenchay.
Israel Ori, Davit Bek, Mkhitar Sparapet, Valerian Madatov and Mikhail Loris-Melikov are some of the greatest names in modern Armenian history. The aforementioned individuals were unique in that they were also aristocratic men, both in demeanor and biological lineage. They were in essence remnants of Armenia's ancient military aristocracy that was still miraculously surviving in Artsakh and Zangezur in the 17th and 18th centuries.
These men exhibited traits that have all but been eradicated from modern Armenian society (thanks in large part to Bolshevism of yesterday and Westernization and Globalism of today). They were noble men of tireless action, immense courage, military prowess and great political foresight. These men ultimately became directly responsible for the creation of an Armenian nation-state in a region utterly saturated and infested with Turks and Muslims. These men laid the very foundations of the Armenian nation in the Caucasus. One other common trait found within these great men in our history was their intimate connection to Imperial Russia.
Before the Russian Empire's invasion of the south Caucasus in the early 19th century, the region in question was a very different place: The Khanate of Erevan (Persian controlled Yerevan) is said to have had dozens of Mosques and only several Armenian churches and the territories of modern day Armenia had an overwhelmingly Muslim population.
How did this Islamic face of Armenia change?
Armenia slowly began to shed it's Islamic/Turkic facade and laid the foundations of an Armenian nation-state as a result of actions taken by one great 17th century Armenian statesman Israel Ori and due to the courage of great military leaders like David Bek and Mkhitar Sparapet. These men secured military support from Imperial Russia beginning in the early 18th century and by doing so managed to defeat Persian and Ottoman forces in a series of battles throughout the south Caucasus. Their actions set the very foundations of Armenia's eventual rebirth in 1918, which became the template upon which the second republic was created in 1991. After hundreds of years of living under Islamic occupation, a segment of Armenia's native population was finally able to shed the yoke of Islam through the courage and farsighted actions of a handful of men and their followers.
I'm going to briefly deviate from the main topic of discussion for a point I would like to make by asking: How did Armenia's peasantry thank a great patriotic war hero like Mkhitar Sparapet?
Well, Armenia's peasantry at the time thanked him like how Armenia's peasantry has often thanked its leadership: They murdered Mkhitar Sparapet, cut off his head and sent it as a reconciliation gift to the Turkish Pasha of Tabriz.
Looking at our self-destructive peasantry from the Diaspora to the "opozitsia" type Western mercenaries and freaks in Armenia today, I'm afraid not much seems to have changed in Armenian society. Armenians today are ready and willing to decapitate their leadership for their personal desires. While bloodless, what Westyern led whores like Zaruhi Boztanjian did in Europe a couple of months ago was essentially the same: She figuratively beheaded her nation's leader in a public square in front of Western leaders. I'm sure that in an earlier time or under different circumstances, her beheading of the Armenian President to appease foreigners would not have been such a figurative one.
Needless to say, it was only a matter of time before puppet-masters in the West rewarded Zaruhi for her treachery.
It is now being reported that she will be sent to the US for a six-month training program at the CIA affiliated Tufts University. I'd like to remind the reader that Tufts is where American agents Raffi Hovannisian and Vartan Oskanian were also indoctrinated/trained. Washington is clearly preparing the field for a Ukrainian type uprising in Armenia. Therefore, in the coming months, expect Raffi Hovanissian's Heritage Party (in which Zaruhi is a high level official) as well as an emerging subversive group known as Nakhakhorhrdaran (Pre-Parliament) to provoke sociopolitical unrest, similar to what has been happening in Ukraine.
Back to the main topic.
After the peace reached between Russia and Persia in 1813 with the Treaty of Gulistan, led by great Russian-Armenian military leaders like Valerian Madatov and Mikhail Loris-Melikov the Czar's imperial forces went on to conquer the rest of the south Caucasus by 1828 - which led to the Treaty of Turkmanchay. By liberating the region from Islamic rule, the Russian Empire thus became the very catalyst upon which the region's Armenian peasantry (unlike in Western Armenia where the Armenian population there had a substantial number of merchants and professionals) were eventually able to realize their genetic potential. Imperial Russia put in place various academic and military institutions that the region's Armenians would begin taking advantage of.
As a result of these changes in the region's cultural/political climate, the region's Armenian peasantry gradually began producing large numbers of scientists, intellectuals, writers, academicians, musicians, military men and statesmen. What followed was a flowering of Armenian culture at the time. It is also important to note here that Armenia's nationalistic movements was also in large part made possible by the presence of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus and by the Armenification program that had been started in the region by the famous German-Russian Czarina, Catherine the Great. Imperial Russia actively encouraged Armenian nationalism during the second half of the 19th century. This effort helped give rise to Armenia's political parties, one of which is very active to this day. What's more, Armenia's greatest war heroes of the 19th and 20th centuries were all trained by imperial Russia. Nevertheless, by the early 20th century, the numbers of Armenians had grown considerably in the present territories Armenia. When genocidal Turks began their anti-Armenian jihad in the late 19th century Armenians had a homeland to retreat to.
Therefore, next time Armenians feel that the strong, self-destructive and nauseating urge to claim that Czarist Russia wanted "Armenia without Armenians" they should instead shut their mouths, pull their heads out of their asses, take a deep breath and look at the big picture. And the following is a little snapshot from Wikipedia of the big picture I'm referring to -
After the incorporation of the [Erivan] khanate into the Russian Empire in 1828, many Muslims (Azerbaijani Tatars, Kurds, Lezgis and various nomadic tribes) migrated to Persia, and were replaced with tens of thousands of repatriated and resettled Armenians from Persia. Such migrations, albeit on a lesser scale, continued until the end of the 19th century... The Russian authorities allowed and encouraged Armenians living in Turkish and Persian territory to migrate into Russian territory - about 49,000 subsequently settled in the Armenian Oblast. Armenian captives who were moved and lived in Iran since 1804 or even as far back as 1795 were permitted to return, which permitted Armenians to regain plurality.
No
matter how one chooses to look at it, the fact is that we have an
Armenia today simply because of the Russian factor in the region's
recent history. The
Russian occupation of the southern Caucasus allowed the Armenia's merchant and
peasant classes to finally cultivate and fine tune their natural, God given talents
within all field of modern civilization. We Armenians are proud to have had great men such as Mikhail Loris-Melikov,
Valerian Matadov, Israel Ori, Davit Bek, Mkhitar Sparapet, Garegin
Njdeh, the Orbeli brothers, Aram Khachaturyan, Artem Mikoyan, Arno
Babajanian, Hovannes Tumanian, Khachatur Abovyan, Hovhannes Baghramyan,
Alikhanian brothers, Aram Hambartsumyan, Hovhannes Ayvazovsky, to
name only a few - because of the great natural talents we Armenians have been given by God, coupled with the Russian factor in our modern history.
Simply put, had the Russian not come down to the south Caucasus and Anatolia starting in the early 19th century and had Christian Russia not been a safe refuge for a great number of Armenians for several centuries - we Armenians today would in all likeliness still be living stateless in eastern Turkey and northern Iran, not much unlike Kurds and Yezdis. The Russian nation today continues to be a historic opportunity. Russia today is in fact an opportunity Armenia has not had in well over one thousand years. Armenia's national borders have not been this impregnable in well over one thousand years. Arguably, Armenia has not been this independent in well over one thousand years. With deepening of Russian-Armenian alliance and Armenia's ascension to the Customs Union, Armenia stands poised to become a major regional power.
Simply put, had the Russian not come down to the south Caucasus and Anatolia starting in the early 19th century and had Christian Russia not been a safe refuge for a great number of Armenians for several centuries - we Armenians today would in all likeliness still be living stateless in eastern Turkey and northern Iran, not much unlike Kurds and Yezdis. The Russian nation today continues to be a historic opportunity. Russia today is in fact an opportunity Armenia has not had in well over one thousand years. Armenia's national borders have not been this impregnable in well over one thousand years. Arguably, Armenia has not been this independent in well over one thousand years. With deepening of Russian-Armenian alliance and Armenia's ascension to the Customs Union, Armenia stands poised to become a major regional power.
In conclusion, we Armenians desperately need to place more emphasis on the heroic aspects of our vastly rich national history. We Armenians desperately need to better understand our national history. We Armenians desperately need to better understand ourselves. We Armenians desperately need to better understand the harsh realities of the political world we live in. We Armenians desperately need to understand the importance of deepening Armenia's ties to Russia. It's high time we collectively strengthened the Armenian homeland instead of undermining it in our pursuit of outlandish Western fantasies.
Let us therefore put aside our Washingtonian wet dreams, EUrotic fantasies, insecurities, self-pity and Disporan mentalities and let's properly salute the heroic participants of the Russo-Armenian army at the battle of Sarikamish - an epic battle where brave Armenian warriors from the Caucasus together with their Christian Orthodox Slavic brethren from the north brought the mighty Ottoman army to its knees and in doing so liberated Western Armenia!
The reader may be interested to know that the battle of Sarikamish has been turned into somewhat of a solemn holiday in Turkey in recent years. Every year, the Turkish military contemplatively commemorates the historic event that took place between December 1914 and January 1915. Therefore, in my humble opinion, I think it would be very appropriate, I would even say polite, to wish all Turks a very Happy Sarikamish!
Let's hope that the blessed memory of all those Armenians and Russians that gave their lives for the liberation of Western Armenia may inspire a new generation of brave warriors. And let's collectively pray that Sarikamish II - of course without the first one's Bolshevik ending - is not too far down the Anatolian road.
Arevordi
January, 2014
***
The Battle of Sarikamish
Russian-Armenian trenches in the forests of SarikamishRussia viewed the Caucasus Front as secondary to the Eastern Front. Eastern Front had the Russian manpower and resources. Russia had taken the fortress of Kars from the Turks during the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 and feared a campaign into the Caucasus, a Caucasus Campaign, aimed at retaking Kars and the port of Batum. The Ottoman generalship and organization were negligible compared to the Allies. A Caucasus Campaign would have a distracting effect on Russian forces. The plan found sympathy with German advisory that a success in this region would mean a diversion of Russian forces to this front from the Polish and Galician fronts. Germany supplied the missing resources and the Ottoman 3rd Army's manpower was used to achieve the desired distraction. Strategic goal of the Caucasus Campaign was set to retake Artvin, Ardahan, along Kars, and the port of Batum. For a longer term goal, Enver hoped a success would facilitate opening the route to Tbilisi and beyond with a revolt of Caucasian Muslims. The Turkish — or rather German — strategic goal was to cut off Russian access to the hydrocarbon resources around the Caspian Sea.
The long term goal made British vary. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was in the proposed path which had the exclusive rights to work petroleum deposits throughout the Persian Empire except in the provinces of Azerbaijan, Ghilan, Mazendaran, Asdrabad and Khorasan. In 1914, before the war, the British government had contracted with the company for the supply of oil-fuel for the navy. The headquarters of the 3rd Army was located in Erzurum under the command of Hasan İzzet Pasha. On October 30, 1914, the 3rd Army headquarters was informed by High Command in Istanbul about an exchange of fire during the pursuit of Goeben and Breslau in the Black Sea. High Command expected the Russian Army to cross the Ottoman border at any time. The Bergmann Offensive (November 2, 1914 - November 16, 1914) ended with the defeat of Russian troops under the command of Bergmann. The Russian success was along the southern shoulders of the offense where Armenian volunteers visible (effective) and taken Karaköse and Doğubeyazıt Hasan İzzet Pasha managed to stabilize the front by letting the Russians 25 kilometers inside the Ottoman Empire along the Erzurum-Sarikamish axis.
The war minister, Enver Pasha, devised an operation plan while he was at the Department of War in Istanbul. His strategy based on German principles copied from Napoleon. Enver's plan involved a single envelopment using three Corps. On the right flank, XI Corps would fix the Russians in place and conduct feint attacks. In the center, IX Corps would fight in the direction of Sarikamish Pass. Hafız Hakkı’s X Corps, which was to be on the left flank, would drive to Oltu, cross the Allahüekber Mountains, cut the Kars road and drive the Russians to the Aras Valley, where the Russian forces would be destroyed by all three Corps attacking in total harmony. Meanwhile a detachment unit under Stange Bey would conduct highly visible operations to distract and pin Russian units. The success depended on these troops arriving at their specified objectives at the correct moment. The Russians fulfilled the first part of this strategy with the Bergmann Offensive by Russian forces concentrating at Sarikamish and Köprüköy.
Photo said to be of the 4th battalion of the Armenian volunteers engaged at strategic Barduz Pass
Hasan İzzet Pasha was not in favor of an offensive action in the harsh winter conditions. He was planning to remain in defense. He wanted to pull the Russians to the Erzurum Fortress and launch a counter attack at the right time. Assistant Chief of Staff Colonel Hafız Hakkı Bey was sent to replace the commander of X Corps Ziya Pasha to energize the 3rd Army. After initial exchanges with Hafız Hakkı, on December 18, Hasan İzzet, whose release from the command was signed on December 14 by Enver, told to Enver: “We have to consider 8 or 9 days for a large scaled encircling manoeuvre. However, during this time the XI Corps, which will remain at the front, might be jeopardized. Even if we execute the manoeuvre with two corps, they will probably face difficulties against the enemy.” Enver Pasha wanted his plan executed through a winter offense. He decided to take in the charge. He left Istanbul with General Bronsart von Schellendorf and the head of the Operations Office Lieutenant Colonel Feldmann. They arrived in Erzurum on December 21. Senior Turkish commanders opposed the forced resignation of Hasan İzzet the Commander of the 3rd Army due to his rejection of the plan.
The total war zone was nearly 1,250-1,500 kilometers (776-932 miles) wide from Black sea to Lake Van, which made the military concentration difficult. The operation executed at a plateau averaging 1,500-2,000 meters (5,000-6,500 feet). The main difficulty about the region was the roads. The transportation infrastructure on the Ottoman side was far from adequate. Russia's main advantage was the railway up to Kars including a terminal at Sarikamish. The railway was 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the border. The only way for an army through the Caucasian heights was the high mountain passes in which were lied the cities Kars and Sarikamish. Beyond, the upper valleys of the Aras River and Euphrates extended westward. Everywhere else was the paths in tracks which were impenetrable to artillery. The forces were concentrated about 80 kilometers (50 miles) on each side of the border at the fortresses of Kars (Russian) and Erzurum (Ottoman).
The 3rd Army under the command of Enver Pasha was composed of the IX, X and XI Corps. 3rd Army's headquarters and the IX Corps were located in Erzurum. The X Corps was stationed in Sivas, whereas the XI Corps was in Elazığ (Mamuretülaziz). A detachment unit under the command of German Stange (lieutenant colonel) was established from the 3rd Infantry Division located at Erzurum Fortress to reinforce the offense and pin down the Russians. This detachment unit was originally stationed in Thrace; consisting of two battalions of the 8th Infantry Regiment and two artillery. The fighting power included 83,000 regular troops, reserves, and personnel of the Erzurum Fortress added to 118,000. The total manpower including transportation units, depot regiments, and military police was 150,000. There were 73 machine guns and 218 artillery pieces. Ottoman forces were inadequately prepared for the campaign. Two divisions of the IX Corps began a long trek with no winter clothing and only dry bread and olives for rations.
Armenian 3rd battalion cavalry and troops commanded by Hamazasp Srvandztian rallying at Etchmiadzin in 1914The Russian Caucasus Army was a well-equipped 100,000 troops. The Russians redeployed almost half of the Caucasus Army to the Prussian front due to the defeats at the Battle of Tannenberg (August 23 - September 2, 1914) and the Masurian Lakes (September 9-14, 1914), leaving behind just 65,000 troops. To remedy these troop movements Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov consulted with the Mayor of Tbilisi Alexandre Khatsian, the primate of Tbilisi Bishop Mesrop, and the prominent civic leader Dr. Hakob Zavriev about the creation of Armenian volunteer detachments. The Russian Armenian reservists had already been drafted into the regular armed forces and sent to European theatre of World War I. The volunteer units would make up of Armenians who were not citizens of the empire or not obligated to serve. Originally, there were 4 volunteer battalions created. Along the Kars Oblast, the 3rd battalion commanded by Hamazasp (Srvandztian) and 4th battalion by Keri (Arshak Gavafian) operated on the front facing Erzurum between Sarikamish and Oltu. The Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Military District (Caucasian Army) was Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov. Effective command laid on Inf. General Aleksandr Zakharevich Myshlayevsky who was originally a military historian graduated from Imperial General Staff Academy. General Nikolai Yudenich was the Chief of Staff of General Myshlayevsky.
Hafız Hakki was at the left flank. His order was to move the IX and X Corps to Sarikamish and Kars. He contemplated a two step plan. A sudden initial attack ("major offensive") and second step with both Corps proceeding at full speed towards the Oltu. He expected the assault at İd to be concluded by the afternoon of December 22. Then the Corps would march 30 kilometers a day and arrive in the Kars-Sarikamish line by December 25. For the movement on the extreme left two divisions of the Stange regiment had been sent by sea from Constantinople to Trabzon. On early December 22, Hafız Hakkı ordered his troops to move forward. They engaged in a brief skirmish against a Russian brigade commanded by General Istomin, once these divisions reached to Oltu. The skirmishes at Oltu ended the next day after 4 artillery guns, 4 machine guns, and 1000 Russian troops were taken prisoner. On December 23, Istomin abandoned his position for the general direction of Ardahan. Hafız Hakkı sent 2 divisions to pursue Istomin. At the extreme left wing, the Stange Regiment, which had landed at Trabzon, was to move up the Çoruh valley towards Ardahan and across a pass of 2,4384 kilometers (8,000 feet) high.
On December 24, Hafız Hakkı was well beyond Oltu after having marched a hard 75 kilometers in just over three days. However, they were not at Kars-Sarikamish line as it was planned. On December 25, Ottoman troops had been marching for 14 hours under heavy snow. The soldiers were exhausted, fatigued, hungry; the fear of frostbite and Russian machine guns were slowly being replaced by absolute indifference. On December 26, at the 18th hour of this march, in the early hours of the morning, the 91st Regiment of X Corps came under enemy fire. The Russians left the scene after nearly two hours of fighting. The regiment hit the road again. Soon a snow storm began. Under these conditions the 91st Regiment managed to reach Kosor in 21 hours after leaving Penek, a distance of just 8 kilometers. Other units reached their destinations at a similar rate. While Enver was ordering a night attack, elements of the X Corps were spending the night in the villages of Kosor, Arsenik and Patsik, which were 40, 35 and 30 kilometers from Sarikamish respectively. The Allahüekber Mountains were in front of these units. It would take them at least 2 more days to reach Sarikamish.
The X Corps suffered a delay of 24 hours in the Barduz Pass. This added an extra deviation from Enver's all-attack plan. In the Barduz Pass conflict 4th battalion of the Armenian volunteers lost 600 troops. The Stange regiment looked down to Ardahan. When the commander Malyshevsky arrived army headquarters in the Russian front line, he was almost in a complete panic. He gave the order for a general retreat. The process of withdrawing was to start on December 25 and 26. The Russians evacuated Sarikamish, leaving only 2 cavalry squadrons and 1,000 railwaymen to defend it. Not all Russian commanders were in a state of panic. The Russian army headquarters maintained a solid grip on the situation, the effective command and control never lost. General Yudenich, taking command of the II Turkestan Corps, decided to put up resistance. On December 28 the Russians held by the XI Corps at Khorasan. The IX Corps were at Sarikamish. The X Corps were threatening to pierce the Russian front along the Kars railway at east side. The Stange regiment was descending upon Ardahan at sixty miles north-east. The Enver's operational plan looked liked succeeded on the map. The ground situation was alarming. Ottoman forces were worn out, half starved, and short of guns and ammunition, for no transport on earth could cope with such a breakneck march. Enver Pasha thought that the Russians were retreating to Kars. In fact, it was actually an encircling movement.
On December 29, the assault took place. The IX and XI Corps, totaling 12,000 men, began to attack Sarikamish. During bitter bayonet fighting, only 300 men succeeded in breaking into the city. At end of the day, they were driven off, losing 6,000 troops. Enver's positive mood replaced with disappointment when he received information that Russians were preparing to encircle his forces with a force of five regiments. This shock enabled Enver Pasha to see the truth. On December 31, the IX Corps was stuck in woods outside Sarikamish and down to some 2,500 men and 14 artillery guns and machine guns. On the same night bad news arrived from Bardız to Enver’s headquarters. The 32nd Division abandoned his positions to the Russians. This meant that Barduz and Kızılkilise roads were now in Russian hands. The Ottoman forces were inside a semicircle. Retreat through the open mouth of the circle would be the rational decision. Enver refused to lose momentum, and ordered his units to continue with the plan. On January 1, commander of the XI Corps pressed a frontal attack on Sarikamish lasting for the next 4 days; after that the heavy fighting began to lose momentum. Snow hindered advancing forces which were supposed to bring the relief. The IX Corps melted away on the way to Sarikamish. One of the divisions lost 40% of its strength in a snowstorm. The X Corps never come to the rescue. The 90% of X Corps was left on the slopes of Allahüekber Mountains. The XI Corps was fighting at the Aras region. A regiment entered Çerkezköy, only to be taken prisoner. According to schedule but exhausted, the Stange regiment entered Ardahan. The Russians were about to encircle the remaining forces.
On January 2, Russian artillery fire caused severe casualties. Enver Pasha received two reports; one was from the chief of staff of the IX Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Şerif, and the other from Colonel Hafız Hakkı. Both reports were saying that they did not have any capacity to launch another attack. They were simply too weak. Enver responded to the units “the offensive is to go on at full strength.” This was later used as a sign of his denial. Later, Enver slowly accepted the truth and focused on securing the routes for retreat instead of insisting on new attacks to take Sarikamish. He combined the two corps there, renamed it the “Left Wing Army.” He promoted the Colonel Hafız Hakkı to Brigadier General and gave the command of the Left wing Army. On January 3, I Corps were driven out again back to the Choruk Valley, in which direction the remnants of the X Corps were also retreating. Hafız Hakkı, who was just promoted to be a Pasha, was hoping for reinforcements. He did not order his units, Left Wing Army, to retreat. He believed it could be still possible to take Sarikamish. Meanwhile, around 40 kilometres south to Sarikamish, the XI Corps led by Galip Pasha was renewing attacks on Russian lines in an attempt to relieve the pressure on the IX and X Corps positioned in front of Sarikamish. However, the Russians were advancing now. The circle was getting narrower. On January 4, Hafız Hakkı Pasha toured the front line. He said to İhsan Pasha that it is over and he was hoping that some of the troops left on Allahüekber Mountains could be still alive.
On January 6, the 3rd Army headquarters found itself under fire. The Russians captured the entire 28th Division. The 17th and 29th Divisions were taken prisoner. 8 senior officers including İhsan Pasha surrendered to the Russians. Among the captives, 108 officers and 80 soldiers transferred to Sarikamish. Hafız Hakkı Pasha managed to save himself. He safely reached the headquarters of the X Corps. He found out that the IX Corps fell to the hands of Russians. He ordered a total retreat. On January 7, the remaining forces began their march towards Erzurum. On January 11, after four days of travel Enver Pasha and the German officers reached Erzurum. They stipulated in their original plan that the same route could be taken by the 3rd Army in two days. The transports dispatched from Constantinople which attempted to land troops and provisions at Trabzon were sunk by a Russian Black Sea squadron and the warships. The escorts SMS Goeben and TCG Hamidieh chased back to the Bosporus. On January 17, the remnants of Ottoman forces in woods outside Sarikamish were collected which signaled the end of final fighting in this front. On the other side, the Russian right wing cleared the Choruk Valley. Enver's project ended in failure after three weeks of heroic struggle amid high mountains and deep snowdrifts. For a time, at least, Russia was secure from attack in the Caucasus. Hafız Hakkı Pasha expected that the Russians use this success to capture the Erzurum Fortress. The 3rd Army immediately took reconstruction measures. This proved to be nearly impossible as all the local reserves depleted. On February 12, the young and energetic Hafız Hakkı Pasha died at the helm of the Army. Otto Liman von Sanders, who was asked before, rejected the position again. Mahmut Kamil Pasha took the command of the Army. The war minister Enver Pasha never commanded troops in any other battle again.
The Ottoman 3rd Army started with 118,000 fighting power. It was reduced to 42,000 effective in January 1915. There are conflicting figures on Ottoman Casualties. Sources do not agree on what the final sum should include. The Turkish official history states; 32,000 KIA, 15,000 died sickness, 7,000 prisoners, 10,000 wounded, some 50,000 casualty. The casualties of the conflict escalated beyond the end of active period as the most immediate problem confronting the 3rd Army became the typhus epidemic. The epidemic was so bad that the commander of the Army Hafız Hakkı Pasha died of typhus just a few weeks later in Erzurum. TAF presents a round-up 60,000 throughout all the period of operation. Russians had 7,000 POW's, which includes 200 officers. These POW's were kept under confinement for the next three three years in the small town of Varnavino, east of Moscow on the Vetluga River. After the final days of the Czarist empire, these soldiers had chance to return ailing Ottoman Empire. Russian losses were 16,000 KIA and 12,000 died sickness, mostly due to frostbite. TAF sources report a rounded 30,000 without giving details on the breakdown of this number.
Enver was the strategist of the operation. Hassan Izzet was the tactician who implemented the plan and remedied the shortcomings. The failure was blamed on Enver. Beyond his faulty estimate on how the enveloped Russians would react, his failure was on not keeping operational reserves that matched the needs of the conditions. He did not have enough field service to factor the hardships faced by the soldiers, he analyzed the operational necessities theoretically rather than contextually. Carrying out a military plan in the winter was not the major failure of the operation. A valid question is if the plan could have executed better? It would be hard to exceed the performance of the Turkish soldiers. The IX and X Corps marched with the possible best effectiveness under the given conditions. The authority of the command over the units were undeniable which extended to the human limits. The majority of the units managed to move to the right positions. In many respects, the destruction of 30,000 Russian units should be credited. The communication and cooperation between the Ottoman units failed, forces functioned separate units rather than mutually supporting engagements as originally planned. There was not sufficient operational reserve established, for size of engagement. The conditions of the Ottoman forces could have been better, if Enver paused the operations on December 14, or did not moved beyond Oltu line with the artillery pieces. The decision to take heavy artillery rather than short range smaller caliber beyond the Oltu line was failure as the forces were faced detachment units with better mobility. The plan's had faulty estimate on the Russian forces. The commanders of the X and IX Corps were replaced with little or no experience at the operational level. The chief of staff of IX Corps Köprülülü Şerif Bey "..troops fought on the top of tall mountains under snowstorm against the artillery of an enemy of centuries and they were completely annihilated, but not a single Turkish soldier has ever turned his back to his nation... In Sarikamish, there was no panic.”
During the battle the light infantry was used by both sides. The detachment Armenian volunteer units on the Russian side, and the detachment I Corps unit under control of Stange Bey bey provided skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying of the enemy advance or preventing them escaping. The Ottoman detachment unit whence the Armenian volunteers operated and also those settlements left exposed by tactical withdrawals of the Russian forces and Armenian volunteer units. The Armenian detachment units are credited no small measure of the success which attended by the Russian forces, as they were natives of the region, adjusted to the climatic conditions, familiar with every road and mountain path, and had real incentive to fierce and resolute combat. The Armenian volunteers were small, mobile, and well adapted to the semi-guerrilla warfare. They did good work as scouts, though they took part in many severe engagements. Armenian detachment battalions challenged the Ottoman operations during the critical times: "the delay enabled the Russian Caucasus Army to concentrate sufficient force around Sarikamish".
Martin Gilbert in The First World War states that in search of allies against the Turks, the Tsar visited the "Caucasus front" on December 30, telling the head of the Armenian Church that "a most brilliant future awaits the Armenians". With these words, the fate of hundreds of thousands of Armenians was endangered, as Ottoman Empire saw in its own large Armenian minority a source of fifth column activity, treachery and disloyalty, and did nothing to dampen anti-Armenian feeling. The relationship between the Armenians and the Ottoman Empire had already started to deteriorate after numerous massacres in eastern Anatolia during the 1890s. The Ottoman government claimed[citation needed] that it had a legitimate defense by sovereign state—at the moment of its greatest danger—against an actual or projected Armenian uprising in favor of Russia and Western Allied invasion of Ottoman heartlands. On his return to Constantinople, Enver Pasha blamed his failure on the actions of the region's local Armenians, initiating the repressive measures against the empire's Armenian population that were an early stage of the Armenian Genocide.
Source: http://wapedia.mobi/en/Battle_of_Sarikamis
Caucasus Campaign: World War One
The Caucasus Campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, later including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Caspian Dictatorship and the British Empire as part of the Middle Eastern theatre or alternatively named as part of the Caucasus Campaign during World War I. The Caucasus Campaign extended from the Caucasus to the Eastern Asia Minor region, reaching as far as Trabzon, Bitlis, Muş and Van. The land warfare was accompanied by the Russian navy in the Black Sea Region of the Ottoman Empire.
On February 23, 1917, the Russian advance was halted following the Russian Revolution,
and later the disintegrated Russian Caucasus Army was replaced by the
forces of the newly established Armenian state, comprised from the
previous Armenian volunteer units and the Armenian irregular units.
During 1918 the region also saw the establishment of the Central Caspian
Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia and an Allied force
named Dunsterforce which was composed of elite troops drawn from the
Mesopotamian and Western Fronts. The Ottoman Empire and German Empire
had a hot conflict at Batumi with the arrival of German Caucasus
Expedition whose prime aim was to secure oil supplies.
On March 3, 1918, the campaign was terminated between the Ottoman Empire and Russia with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and on June 4, 1918, the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Batum with Armenia.
Background
The main objective of the Ottoman Empire was the recovery of its territories in Armenian Highland. These regions were captured by Russians after the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. The strategic goals of the Caucasus Campaign for Ottoman Forces was to retake Artvin, Ardahan,
Kars, and the port of Batum. A success in this region would mean a
diversion of Russian forces to this front from the Polish and Galician
fronts. A Caucasus Campaign would have a distracting effect on Russian
forces. The plan found sympathy with German advisory.
Germany supplied the missing resources and the Ottoman 3rd Army's
manpower was used to achieve the desired distraction. War Minister Enver Pasha hoped a success would facilitate opening the route to Tbilisi and beyond with a revolt of Caucasian Muslims. The Ottoman – or rather German – strategic goal was to cut off Russian access to the hydrocarbon resources around the Caspian Sea.
Russia viewed the Caucasus front as secondary to the Eastern Front. The Eastern Front had the most Russian manpower and resources. Russia had taken the fortress of Kars from the Turks during the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 and feared a campaign into the Caucasus aimed at retaking Kars and the port of Batum. In March 1915, when the Russian foreign minister Sergey Sazonov in a meeting with British ambassador George Buchanan and French Ambassador Maurice Paléologue
stated that a lasting postwar settlement demanded full Russian
possession of the capital city of the Ottoman Empire, the straits of Bosphorus and Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, southern Thrace up to the Enos-Midia line as well as parts of the Black Sea coast of Anatolia between the Bosphorus, the Sakarya River and an undetermined point near the Bay of Izmit. The Russian Tsarist regime planned to replace the Muslim population of Northern Anatolia and Istanbul with more reliable Cossack settlers.
Armenian national liberation movement sought to establish First Republic of Armenia. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation achieved this goal with the establishment of the internationally recognized Democratic Republic of Armenia in May 1918. Also as early as 1915, the Administration for Western Armenia and later Republic of Mountainous Armenia were Armenian controlled entities, while Centrocaspian Dictatorship was established with Armenian participation. None of these entities were long lasting.
The British worked with Russian revolutionary troops to prevent
Enver Pasha's goal of establishing an independent Transcaucasia. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was in the proposed path of Ottoman ambitions, which owned the exclusive rights to work petroleum deposits throughout the Persian Empire
except in the provinces of Azerbaijan, Ghilan, Mazendaran, Asdrabad and
Khorasan. In 1914, before the war, the British government had
contracted with the company for the supply of oil-fuel for the navy.
Forces
The Ottomans had one army based in the region, the 3rd Army. In 1916
they sent reinforcements and formed the 2nd Army. The Ottoman
generalship and organization were negligible compared to the Allies. At
the beginning of the conflict, Ottoman combined forces estimate ranged
from 100,000 to 190,000 men. Many were poorly equipped.
Before the war, Russia had Russian Caucasus Army with 100,000 men
under the nominal command of the Governor General of the Caucasus
Illarion Vorontsov-Dashkov. The real commander was his chief of staff
General Nikolai Yudenich.
At the onset of the Caucasus Campaign, the Russians had to redeploy
almost half of their forces to the Prussian front due to the defeats at
the Battle of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes, leaving behind just 60,000 troops. This Army had Armenian generals Nazarbekov, Silikian,
and Pirumov who stayed in Caucasia. The Russian Caucasus Army
dissipated in 1917 as the regular Russian regiments deserted the front
line after the revolution. By 1917, when the Russian Caucasus Army
disintegrated, there were 110,000–120,000 soldiers of Armenian
ethnicity. This number approached to 150,000 for the total Armenians
(including other Allied forces) for Near East where opposing to Ottoman
forces.
In the summer of 1914, Armenian volunteer units were established
under the Russian Armed forces. As the Russian Armenian conscripts were
already send to the European Front, this force was uniquely established
from Armenians that were not Russian Armenian or the ones that were not
obligated to serve. It was initially established as detachment units
(rather than part of Russian Caucasus Command) under the Viceroyalty of
the Caucasus. These forces were commanded by Andranik Ozanian, and also Drastamat Kanayan, Arshak Gafavian, Sargis Mehrabyan. An Ottoman representative Karekin Bastermadjian
(Armen Karo) was also united to this force. Initially they had 20,000
men, but throughout the conflicts it was reported that their number
increased. At the turn of 1916, Nikolai Yudenich decided to either merge
these units under the Russian Caucasus Army or dismantle them.
Armenian national liberation movement commanded the Armenian Fedayee (Armenian: Ֆէտայի) during these conflicts. These civilian forces generally organized around famous leaders, such as Murad of Sebastia (Armenian: Սեբաստացի Մուրատ). These were generally refereed as Armenian partisian guerrilla detachments. Boghos Nubar the president of the Armenian National Assembly declared that they accompanied the main Armenian units. The line from Van to Erzincan was organized through these units.
In December 1917, The Dashnaks of Armenian national liberation movement
through the Armenian Congress of Eastern Armenians established a
military force. The corps realigned themselves under the command of
General Tovmas Nazarbekian. Drastamat Kanayan was assigned as a civilian commissioner. The frontline had three main divisions: Movses Silikyan, Andranik Ozanian and Mikhail Areshian. Another regular unit was under Colonel Korganian. The line from Van to Erzincan was organized through these units. It was mentioned that Adrianic had 150,000 men. After declaration of the Democratic Republic of Armenia Nazarbekian became the first Commander-in-chief of the whole Armenian state.
There were Kurdish militia in the region. They reportedly sided with both the Ottoman and Russian forces. Lionel Dunsterville
was appointed in 1917 to lead an Allied force of under 1,000
Australian, British, Canadian and New Zealand elite troops, accompanied
by armored cars.
Operations
During July 1914, there were negotiations between the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and Armenian intelligentsia at the Armenian congress at Erzurum. The public conclusion of this congress was "Ostensibly conducted to peaceful advance Armenian demands by legitimate means". The CUP regarded the congress as the seedbed in establishing the decisions of insurrection. Historian Erikson concluded that after this meeting the CUP was convinced on strong Armenian – Russian links with detailed plans aimed at the detachment of the region from the Ottoman Empire.
1914
On November 1, the Bergmann Offensive, Russians crossed the frontier first. They planned to capture Doğubeyazıt and Köprüköy. The official Russian declaration of war to Ottoman Empire came on November 2. The established force for this goal was 25 infantry battalions, 37 cavalry units and 120 artillery guns. It had two wings. On the right wing, the Russian I Corps crossed the border and moved from Sarıkamış toward the direction of Köprüköy. They reached Köprüköy on November 4. On the left wing, the Russian IV Corps moved from Yerevan to Pasinler Plains. The commander of 3rd Army, Hasan Izzet was not in favor of an offensive action in the harsh winter conditions. His plan to remain in defense and launch a counterattack at the right time. This was overridden by the War Minister Enver Pasha. On November 7, the 3rd Army commenced its offensive with the participation of the XI Corps and all cavalry units. This force was supported by Kurdish Tribal Regiment. The cavalry failed to execute the encircling and the Kurdish Tribal Regiment proved to be unreliable. Russians gained territory after the withdrawal of the 18th and the 30th Divisions. Ottoman forces managed to maintain their positions at Köprüköy. By November 12, the IX Corps with Ahmet Fevzi Pasha reinforce the XI Corps on the left flank. The 3rd Army began to push the Russians back with the support of the cavalry. The 3rd Infantry Regiment managed to invade Köprüköy after the Azap Offensive between November 17 to 20. By the end of November, the front had stabilized with the Russians clinging to a salient 25 kilometers into Ottoman Empire along the Erzurum-Sarıkamış axis. The Russian success was along the southern shoulders of the offensive where Armenian volunteers were effective and took Karaköse and Doğubeyazıt. Doğubeyazıt was the northern neighbor of Van Province. Ottoman casualties were high: 9000 killed, 3000 taken prisoner and 2800 deserters.
Operations
During July 1914, there were negotiations between the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and Armenian intelligentsia at the Armenian congress at Erzurum. The public conclusion of this congress was "Ostensibly conducted to peaceful advance Armenian demands by legitimate means". The CUP regarded the congress as the seedbed in establishing the decisions of insurrection. Historian Erikson concluded that after this meeting the CUP was convinced on strong Armenian – Russian links with detailed plans aimed at the detachment of the region from the Ottoman Empire.
1914
On November 1, the Bergmann Offensive, Russians crossed the frontier first. They planned to capture Doğubeyazıt and Köprüköy. The official Russian declaration of war to Ottoman Empire came on November 2. The established force for this goal was 25 infantry battalions, 37 cavalry units and 120 artillery guns. It had two wings. On the right wing, the Russian I Corps crossed the border and moved from Sarıkamış toward the direction of Köprüköy. They reached Köprüköy on November 4. On the left wing, the Russian IV Corps moved from Yerevan to Pasinler Plains. The commander of 3rd Army, Hasan Izzet was not in favor of an offensive action in the harsh winter conditions. His plan to remain in defense and launch a counterattack at the right time. This was overridden by the War Minister Enver Pasha. On November 7, the 3rd Army commenced its offensive with the participation of the XI Corps and all cavalry units. This force was supported by Kurdish Tribal Regiment. The cavalry failed to execute the encircling and the Kurdish Tribal Regiment proved to be unreliable. Russians gained territory after the withdrawal of the 18th and the 30th Divisions. Ottoman forces managed to maintain their positions at Köprüköy. By November 12, the IX Corps with Ahmet Fevzi Pasha reinforce the XI Corps on the left flank. The 3rd Army began to push the Russians back with the support of the cavalry. The 3rd Infantry Regiment managed to invade Köprüköy after the Azap Offensive between November 17 to 20. By the end of November, the front had stabilized with the Russians clinging to a salient 25 kilometers into Ottoman Empire along the Erzurum-Sarıkamış axis. The Russian success was along the southern shoulders of the offensive where Armenian volunteers were effective and took Karaköse and Doğubeyazıt. Doğubeyazıt was the northern neighbor of Van Province. Ottoman casualties were high: 9000 killed, 3000 taken prisoner and 2800 deserters.
During December, Nicholas II of Russia visited the Caucasus Campaign. The head of the Armenian Church along the president of the Armenian National Council of Tiflis in Tiflis Alexander Khatisyan received the excellence:
"From all countries Armenians are hurrying to enter the ranks of the glorious Russian Army, with their blood to serve the victory of the Russian Army... Let the Russian flag wave freely over the Dardanelles and the Bosporus, Let your will the peoples [Armenian] remaining under the Turkish yoke receive freedom. Let the Armenian people of Turkey who have suffered for the faith of Christ received resurrection for a new free life...."
On December 15, 1914, at the Battle of Ardahan
the city Ardanuch was captured. It was an operation commanded by German
Lt. Col. Stange. The mission of Stange Bey Detachment was to conduct
highly visible operations to distract and pin Russian units. Stange
Bey's initial mission was to operate in the Chorok region. The unit was
materially assisted by the rebellious Adjars of the country, who seized
the road. Later Enver modified the original plan toward supporting the
Battle of Sarikamish. It was ordered to cut the Russian support link to
Sarikamish-Kars line. On January 1, this unit was in Ardahan.
On December 22, at the Battle of Sarikamish
3rd Army received the order to advance towards Kars. In the face of the
3rd Army's advance Governor Vorontsov planned to pull the Russian
Caucasus Army back to Kars. Yudenich ignored Vorontsov's wishes to
withdraw. He stayed to defend Sarikamis. Enver Pasha assumed the
personal command of the 3rd Army and ordered it into battle against the
Russian troops.
1915
On January 6, the 3rd Army headquarters found itself under fire. Hafiz Hakki Pasha
ordered a total retreat. On January 7, the remaining forces began their
march towards Erzurum. The resulting Battle of Sarikamish became a
stunning defeat. Only 10% of the Army managed to retreat back to its
starting position. Enver gave up command. The detachment Armenian
volunteer units credited no small measure of the success which attended
by the Russian forces; they challenged the Ottoman operations during the
critical times: "the delay enabled the Russian Caucasus Army to
concentrate sufficient force around Sarikamish". Enver blamed this
defeat on Armenians living in the region actively siding with the
Russians after his return to Constantinople. On January 18, 1915, the Lt. Col. Stange's unit was recalled from
the area around Ardahan. It was to stay behind the lines in the region;
only on March 1, 1915 did it regain its initial position.
In February, General Yudenich was praised for the victory and
promoted to commander-in-chief of all Russian troops in the Caucasus.
The Allies (British and France) asked Russia to relieve the pressure on
the Western front. In return, Russia asked the Allies to relieve
pressure in the Caucasus by a naval attack. The resulting operations in
the Black Sea gave the Russians some respite to replenish their forces.
Additionally, actions at the Battle of Gallipoli
which aimed at capturing the Ottoman capital helped the Russian forces
on this front. On February 12, the commander of the 3rd Army Hafiz Hakki
Pasha died of typhus and was replaced by Brigadier General Mahmut Kamil
Pasha. Kamil faced the daunting task of putting the Ottoman army back
in order. The military planners back in Istanbul were scared of the
Russians advancing deeper into the mainland.
During March the strategic situation remained stable. The
completely devastated 3rd Army received new blood through reinforcements
from the 1st and 2nd Armies, although these supplements were not
stronger than a division. The Battle of Gallipoli was draining every
Ottoman resource. Meanwhile, the Russians were holding the towns of
Eleşkirt, Ağrı and Doğubeyazıt in the south. Military action never
escalated above small-scale skirmishes—the Ottomans simply did not have
enough forces to secure the whole East Anatolian region.
On April 20, the resistance at the city of Van
began. The Armenian defenders protecting 30,000 residents and 15,000
refugees with 1,500 able bodied riflemen who were supplied with 300
rifles and 1,000 pistols and antique weapons. The conflict lasted more
than three weeks until the General Yudenich came to rescue them. General
Yudenich began an offensive (May 6) into Ottoman territory. One wing of
this offensive headed towards Lake Van to relieve the Armenian residents of the Van Resistance. A brigade
of Trans-Baikal Cossacks under General Trukhin, and some Armenian
volunteers towards Van. On May 21, General Yudenich arrived to the city,
received the keys to the city and citadel and confirmed the Armenian
provisional government in office, with Aram Manukian as governor. The Fedayee turned over the city of Van. With Van secure, fighting shifted farther west for the rest of the summer.
On April 24, Interior minister Mehmed Talat passed the order of April 24 (known by the Armenians as the Red Sunday), claimed that the Armenians in this region organized under the leadership of Russians and rebelled against his government, as they had shown in their securing of Van for Armenian nationalists. The Armenians of the Van Resistance and others which were under the Russian occupation were spared from these arrests, since they had rebelled.
On April 24, Interior minister Mehmed Talat passed the order of April 24 (known by the Armenians as the Red Sunday), claimed that the Armenians in this region organized under the leadership of Russians and rebelled against his government, as they had shown in their securing of Van for Armenian nationalists. The Armenians of the Van Resistance and others which were under the Russian occupation were spared from these arrests, since they had rebelled.
On May 6, the Russian advance began through the Tortum Valley
towards Erzurum. The Ottoman 29th and 30th Divisions managed to stop
this assault. The Ottoman X Corps counter-attacked the Russian forces.
But on the southern part of this advance, Ottoman forces were not as
successful as they have been in the north. On May 11 town of Malazgirt
fallen. On May 17, Russian forces entered the town of Van. Ottoman
forces continued to be pushed back. Supply lines were being cut, as the
Armenian rebellions were causing additional difficulties behind Ottoman
lines. The region south of Lake Van was extremely vulnerable. The Turks
had to defend a line of more than 600 kilometers with only 50,000 men
and 130 pieces of artillery. They were clearly outnumbered by the
Russians. The region was mountainous, thus difficult to defend.
On May 27, during the Russian offensive, the interior minister of Talat Pasha ordered a forced deportation of all Armenians out of region with the Tehcir Law to the Syria and Mosul. By June 13, Russian units were back to their starting line. On June 19, the Russians launched another offensive. This time northwest to Lake Van. The Russians, under Oganovski, launched an offense into the hills west of Malazgirt. The Russians underestimated the size of the Ottoman arm, and were surprised by a large Turkish force at the counterattack. Russian forces began to march from Malazgirt towards Muş. However, they were not aware of the fact that the Turkish IX Corps, together with the 17th and 28th Divisions was moving to Muş as well. Although the conditions were extremely difficult, the Turks were executing a very efficient operation of reorganization. 1st and 5th Expeditionary Forces were positioned to the south of the Russian offensive force and a “Right Wing Group” was established under the command of Brigadier General Abdülkerim Paşa. This group was independent from the Third Army and Abdülkerim Paşa was directly reporting to Enver Paşa. The Turks were ready to face the Russian attacks.
On May 27, during the Russian offensive, the interior minister of Talat Pasha ordered a forced deportation of all Armenians out of region with the Tehcir Law to the Syria and Mosul. By June 13, Russian units were back to their starting line. On June 19, the Russians launched another offensive. This time northwest to Lake Van. The Russians, under Oganovski, launched an offense into the hills west of Malazgirt. The Russians underestimated the size of the Ottoman arm, and were surprised by a large Turkish force at the counterattack. Russian forces began to march from Malazgirt towards Muş. However, they were not aware of the fact that the Turkish IX Corps, together with the 17th and 28th Divisions was moving to Muş as well. Although the conditions were extremely difficult, the Turks were executing a very efficient operation of reorganization. 1st and 5th Expeditionary Forces were positioned to the south of the Russian offensive force and a “Right Wing Group” was established under the command of Brigadier General Abdülkerim Paşa. This group was independent from the Third Army and Abdülkerim Paşa was directly reporting to Enver Paşa. The Turks were ready to face the Russian attacks.
On September 24, Grand Duke Nicholas was promoted to being charge
of all Russian forces in the Caucasus. In reality, he was removed from
being Supreme Commander of the Russian Caucasus Army which was the
highest executive position [actual conduct of the war] for the Caucasus
Campaign. His replacement was General Yudenich. This front was quiet
from October till the end of the year. Yudenich used this period to
reorganize. Around the start of 1916, Russian forces reached a level of
200,000 men and 380 pieces of artillery. On the other side the situation
was very different; the Ottoman High Command failed to make up the
losses during this period. The war in Gallipoli was sucking all the
resources and manpower. The IX, X and XI Corps could not be reinforced
and in addition to that the 1st and 5th Expeditionary Forces were
deployed to Mesopotamia. Enver Pasha, after not achieving his ambitions
or recognizing the dire situation on other fronts, decided that the
region was of secondary importance. As of January 1916, Ottoman forces
were 126,000 men, only 50,539 being combat. There were 74,057 rifles, 77
machine guns and 180 pieces of artillery. Ottoman force in Caucasus
Campaign was big on the paper, but not on the ground. The Ottomans
assumed that the Russians would not bother to attack. This assumption
turned out to be false.
1916
In early January, Yudenich secretly left its winter quarters and marched towards the major Ottoman fort at Erzurum. The winter is not normally a time for military activity in this part of the world. The bitter cold and terrible roads contributed greatly to the annihilation of Enver Pasha's 3rd Army in the previous year. The Russian General Yudenich viewed this as an opportunity to take the Ottomans by surprise. The Russians achieved total surprise and destroyed an Ottoman division that was in winter quarters at Battle of Koprukoy (January 10–18).
On February 16, Mahmut Kamil forced to order the 3rd Army to
retreat from the city, as Yudenich had an advantage in numbers against
the Ottomans. The difference was not big enough to be decisive, so
Yudenich's plan was to attack the center of the Ottoman defenses, with
the key attack falling in a weakly held sector. While diversionary
attacks held the attention of Mahmut Kamil near Deve-Boyun ridge,
Russian forces broke through at Forts Kara-gobek and Tafet. The result
was that both rings of the cities' defenses had been penetrated.
In April, the Caucasus army moved in two directions from Erzurum, part went north and captured the ancient port city of Trabzon.
Other branch moved to Mush-Bitlis direction. These units pushed the 2nd
Army deep into Anatolia and captured Battle of Mush and Battle of Bitlis
(March 2 – August 24), driving the Ottoman army before it. Bitlis was
the last defense point for the Ottoman Army to prevent the Russians from
moving into central Anatolia and Mesopotamia.
During July, General Yudenich then countered the Ottoman attack with an offensive of his own towards Erzican with the Battle of Erzincan
(July 2–25). On July 2, Erzincan was captured; the Ottoman offensive
against Trabzon was halted as they tried to stabilize their front lines.
In August, Mustafa Kemal
recaptured Mush and Bitlis. Earlier in the year, after these towns fell
into Russian hands, the Ottoman War Ministry asked Mustafa Kemal to
organize the defense in the region. The region was controlled by the 2nd
Army. When Mustafa Kemal was assigned to his post, the enemy forces
were in constant advance. Fighting around the east side of Lake Van
continued throughout the summer but was inconclusive. In the earlier
periods of the campaign, Mustafa Kemal’s XVI Corps managed to take
Bitlis and Muş. Ahmet İzzet Paşa decided to attack one week after the
conclusion of the Russian offensive. A military force, in three
corps-sized groups, III, IV and XVI Corps, was gathered and sent
marching along the coast. The Second Army advanced on August 2. While Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich
was in the north and pushing the Ottoman 3rd Army, the Ottoman 2nd Army
was in the south facing the insurgency and the second branch of Russian
army under General Tovmas Nazarbekian and the detachment Armenian volunteer units controlled by Andranik Ozanian.
However this initial success did not bring victory. The 2nd Army
suffered from severe supply and logistics problems. However the Russians
stopped Kemal's troops at Gevaş and prevented their assault to Van.
By the late September, the Ottoman attack ended. The cost for 2nd
Army was 30,000 killed and wounded. The Russians strengthened their
lines. They were strong enough to respond with counteroffensives in two
weeks after the launch of the Ottoman offensive. The Russians held up
the advance. From September towards the Russian Revolution, the Russian Navy still dominated the Black Sea.
The rest of the year 1916 was spent by the Turks with
organizational and operational changes in the Caucasian front.
Fortunately for the Ottoman commanders, the Russians were quiet during
this period. The winter of 1916–17 was extremely harsh, which made
fighting nearly impossible.
1917
The military situation did not change during the spring of 1917. The
Russian plans for a renewed attack never substantiated. Meanwhile,
Russia was in political and social turmoil. It was also influencing the
army ranks. The chaos caused by the Russian Revolution
put a stop to all Russian military operations. The Russian forces began
to conduct withdrawals. Neither the Russian soldiers nor the Russian
people wanted to continue the war. The Russian army slowly
disintegrated. According to Fevzi Çakmak, in the winter of 1917 alone,
Russia had lost at least 100,000 soldiers, though the soldiers opposing
to Ottoman Empire numbered 250,000 at that time. Starting from the
spring of 1917, the situation was completely disadvantageous as a
renewed typhus, scurvy and similar problems resulting from hygiene and
food, became very common in the Caucasian army.
Until the Russian Revolution of 1917, Ottoman Empire's possible operation in Caucasia could not be imagined. After the Battle of Sarikamish,
the Ottoman units were "almost always" in disastrous situation trying
to hold on the left over regions in the occupied Ottoman lands.
Source: http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Caucasus_Campaign_%28Central_Victory%29
1915 ГОД. МОГЛО ЛИ БЫТЬ ИНАЧЕ?
Николай Николаевич ЮДЕНИЧ (18 (30).07.1862 - 05.10.1933гг.) - русский военный деятель. Один из самых успешных генералов России во время Первой мировой войны, "носитель русской славы, не потерпевший ни одного поражения".
Генерал от инфантерии Юденич мог не только стяжать лавры
"второго Суворова", но и славу лучшего русского полководца ХХ века. Этот
человек должен был стать кавалером ордена Св.Георгия всех 4 степеней.
Таких в истории русской армии было всего лишь четверо: фельдмаршалы
Кутузов, Барклай-де-Толли, Дибич и Паскевич. Генерал Юденич командовал в
Первую мировую Кавказской армией, а затем Кавказским фронтом -
единственным, где русская армия не узнала горечи поражения или
отступления.
Победы на Кавказском фронте сделали Юденича к 1917 году героем
России. Но о нем в советское время писали только с уничижительными
эпитетами, а о его славе и полководческом таланте молчали вовсе. По
советским учебникам и монографиям получалась полная ахинея - что
Кавказская армия сражалась без военачальников и при этом побеждала! Это
замалчивание сделало свое черное дело. Сегодня мало кто знает, что
именно благодаря Юденичу Российская империя должна была обрести проливы
Босфор, Дарданеллы и Константинополь - Царьград, колыбель Православия,
осуществить свою вековую мечту и великую миссию. До освобождения
Константинополя от чужой и чуждой ему турецко-мусульманской оккупации
оставались считанные дни. Судьба Турции была уже предрешена русским
штыком - она должна была исчезнуть с Армянского нагорья и полуострова
Малая Азия как чужеродный элемент, принесший коренным обитателям -
армянам, грекам только лишь рабство, османское иго.
Но...
Антигосударственный переворот в России сделал ее из защитника и оплота
Православия его гонителем, из противника Турции она в одночасье, по
химерическим устремлениям большевиков, стала ее союзником и другом,
более того, она уступила ей не только ПРАКТИЧЕСКИ ВСЕ территории,
завоеванные русским солдатом, но даже и те, которые НИКОГДА ей не
принадлежали - часть территории Восточной Армении, перешедшей к России
по Туркманчайскому договору с Персией. И более того - она создала на
землях, также НИКОГДА Турции не принадлежавших, второе турецкое
государство - Азербайджан, ставший сейчас головной болью и для нас, и
для самой России. А сам Н.Н. Юденич, впрочем, как и П.Н.Врангель, как и
А.И.Деникин, как и А.В. Колчак, были объявлены ее врагами.
События, происходившие на Кавказском фронте, по времени и месту, а
также по составу участников имеют непосредственное отношение к Геноциду
армян в Османской империи. Эти события, несомненно, прямо или косвенно
повлияли на решение (нерешение) Армянского вопроса и сегодня нуждаются в
новой актуализации ввиду необходимости прояснить военно-политическую
обстановку, на фоне которой совершалось одно из самых кровавых
преступлений прошлого века.
Одержанные Юденичем на Кавказском фронте победы над превосходящими
силами турок в Сарыкамышской, Евфратской, Эрзерумской, Трапезундской и
других операциях в 1914-1916 годах каждый раз с восторгом встречались
союзниками по Антанте. В Сарыкамышской операции (9-25 декабря 1914
года), открывшей боевые действия на Кавказском фронте, русские войска
неожиданным контрударом разгромили наступавшую 3-ю турецкую армию под
командованием военного министра Энвера-паши (начальник штаба германский
генерал Ф.Бронзарт фон Шеллендорф). Энвер тогда чудом унес ноги; по
иронии судьбы от плена его спасли армяне - солдаты турецкой армии. Бои
шли на высоте более 2000м в условиях суровой горной зимы,
непрекращающегося бурана, когда видимость ограничивалась буквально двумя
шагами. Турки потеряли более 70 тысяч человек. К 23 января 1914 года у
Энвера в армии осталось всего 12 тысяч боеспособных солдат. За
Сарыкамышское сражение Юденич был награжден орденом св. Георгия IV
степени и назначен командующим Кавказской армии в чине генерала от
инфантерии.
По
мнению некоторых историков, турецкие власти организовали массовое
уничтожение армян в качестве мести за поражение турецкой армии при
Сарыкамыше, что не соответствует истине: события 1915г. были лишь пиком
Геноцида армян, длившегося, с приливами и отливами, с 1870-х гг. до
1923г. и даже до 1936г. (резня армян, алевитов и курдов в Дерсиме
(Тунджели).
Летом 1915 года великий князь Николай Николаевич (командующий
Кавказским фронтом) и генерал Юденич (командующий Кавказской армией)
предприняли экстренные меры по предотвращению вступления нейтральной
Персии в войну на стороне центральных держав (Германии, Турции и др.).
На ее территорию из Закавказья был переброшен 8-тысячный кавалерийский
корпус, а из Туркестанского военного округа выдвинут сводный казачий
отряд. Эти превентивные акции русских сорвали германо-турецкие попытки
склонить Тегеран и Кабул к войне против Антанты. За разгром "правого
крыла" 3-й турецкой армии (около 90 батальонов) в Евфратской операции,
закончившейся 30 июля 1915г., Н.Н.Юденич получил орден Св.Георгия III
степени.
Вершиной же воинской славы Юденича стала беспримерная в истории
русского военного искусства времен Первой мировой операция - взятие
крепости Эрзерум в 1916г., за которую Юденич был награжден Георгием II
степени. В плен попали более 13 тысяч турецких военнослужащих.
Крепость Эрзерум являлась единственным и сильно укрепленным районом
на Армянском нагорье и в Малой Азии; 11 фортов, подготовленных к
долговременной круговой обороне: многоярусные башни с крепостными
орудиями до 50 стволов в каждом, окруженные глубокими рвами, и все это
на высоте 2400 метров над уровнем моря. Один вид этой твердыни мог
привести в уныние кого угодно, но не русских, для которых это было
повторением пройденного. Наступление началось 28 декабря 1915 года.
После месяца тяжелых боев русские войска 3 февраля 1916 года во второй
раз овладели Эрзерумской крепостью.
Этот успех, который в военной истории сравнивается со штурмом Измаила
Суворовым, вызвал настоящий фурор. Перед русской армией открывался
оперативный простор на Армянское нагорье и в Анатолию - центральные
области Турции. Кавказская армия генерала Юденича продвинулись на 150
км. Турецкая 3-я армия была разгромлена полностью и потеряла больше
половины своего состава: 66 тыс. человек убитыми и ранеными, 13 тыс. -
пленными. Было взято 9 знамен и 323 орудия. Русская армия потеряла 2339
убитыми и 6 тыс. ранеными. Общие потери турок за кампанию составили 350
тыс. человек, из них 100 тыс. попали в плен. Взятие Эрзерума открыло
путь на Трапезунд, который был взят в апреле, а позже, в июле, был взят
Эрзинджан (Ерзнка). Русская армия глубоко продвинулась на территорию
Западной Армении, практически всю ее освободив от турецкого присутствия.
ИЗ ИЛЛЮСТРИРОВАННОГО ЖУРНАЛА "ИСКРЫ ВОСКРЕСЕНЬЕ" ОТ 3 АПРЕЛЯ 1916 ГОДА:
"От Эрзерума к Трапезунду. Наши доблестные кавказские войска,
заняв Эрзерум и оставив его далеко позади себя, победоносно
продвигаются вперед. Заняв 15 марта город Офь и форсировав реку
Огене-дере, они вступили на плацдарм, изрезанный параллельно текущими в
глубоких долинах реками и ручьями. Приходится вести атаки в очень
глубоком снегу, преодолевая при этом большое количество горных расщелин.
На этом плацдарме, прикрывающем подступы к Трапезунду, турки оказывают
упорное сопротивление, но наши, сбивая врага, уже 24 марта перешли
вторую реку - Кара-дере. Отбросив неприятеля за реку Каре-дере, наши
войска подошли почти к самому городу Сюрмене и теперь находятся на
расстоянии всего 28 верст от Трапезунда".
Перед Черноморским флотом была поставлена задача оказать содействие
приморскому флангу Кавказской армии в овладении Трапезундом. 23 и 24
января 1916г. корабли Батумского отряда ЧФ капитана I ранга М.
М.Римского-Корсакова подавили турецкие батареи у р. Архаве, что
позволило Приморскому отряду Кавказской армии (15 тыс. человек, 38
орудий) генерал-лейтенанта В.Н.Ляхова перейти в наступление. При
содействии морских десантов 1 апреля отряд вышел к позициям турок на р.
Кара-дере.
25-26 марта в Ризе и Хамургяне были высажены две пластунские бригады
(18 тыс. человек, 12 орудий), переброшенные из Новороссийска на 22
транспортах под охраной отряда кораблей. Бригады высаживались под
прикрытием кораблей Батумского отряда и авиации. 2 апреля Приморский
отряд, усиленный пластунскими бригадами, овладел сильно укрепленными
позициями турок на р. Кара-дере, а уже 5-го занял оставленный
противником Трапезунд.
В результате успеха Трапезундской операции была прервана кратчайшая
связь 3-й турецкой армии с Константинополем. Организованные русским
командованием в Трапезунде база легких сил ЧФ и база снабжения
значительно упрочили положение Кавказской армии.
Насколько продуманными были операции против Турции русских войск,
настолько же неудачно действовали против нее союзники. С 19 февраля
1915г. англо-французская армада (18 линкоров, 12 крейсеров, 40 эсминцев)
стала бомбардировать турецкие форты, начав Дарданельскую операцию с
главной целью десантироваться на Галлипольский полуостров, овладеть
Дарданеллами, Босфором и Константинополем. Несмотря на то что союзная
армия в 550 тыс. человек имела двукратное преимущество, союзники
потерпели сокрушительное поражение и вынужденно эвакуировали
экспедиционные силы из Турции в Грецию, на Салоникский фронт. Не лучше
обстояли дела и на Месопотамском фронте. 22 ноября 1915 года под
Багдадом турецкая группировка нанесла сокрушительный удар по британским
войскам, и те, осажденные в крепости Кут-Эль-Амар, в апреле 1916 года
капитулировали.
В итоге спустя некоторое время в Лондоне (май 1916 года) было
заключено секретное соглашение (договор Сайкса-Пико), по которому
союзники дали обещание России выполнить Англо-франко-русское соглашение
1915 года о проливах: присоединить к России Константинополь, проливы
Босфор и Дарданеллы и примыкающие к ним районы европейской и азиатской
части Турции, а также передать России области Эрзерума, Трапезунда,
Вана, Битлиса (т.е. практически всю территорию Армении по Севрскому
договору) и часть Курдистана.
МИНИСТР ИНОСТРАННЫХ ДЕЛ САЗОНОВ ТАК ОПИСЫВАЕТ ДОСТИГНУТУЮ ДОГОВОРЕННОСТЬ:
"В числе упомянутых в английском меморандуме пожеланий были еще
следующие: устройство в Константинополе вольного порта для склада и
провоза товаров, имевших назначение в страны Малой Азии и Юго-Восточной
Европы, кроме России; оставление Аравии и мусульманских святых мест под
независимой мусульманской властью; подчинение нейтральной зоны в Персии
английскому влиянию путем пересмотра русско-английского соглашения 1907
года. На все эти пожелания лондонского кабинета, как и на те, которые
были нам выражены г-ном Палеологом относительно уступки Франции Сирии и
Киликии, русское правительство выразило свое согласие. Дальнейшая
разработка и уточнение территориальных приобретений наших союзников за
счет Оттоманской империи были произведены позже, в личных переговорах
между мной и их особыми уполномоченными - сэром Марком Сайксом и г-ном
Пико. В апреле 1916 года, по окончании этих переговоров и выяснении
пожеланий каждого из членов Тройственного согласия, я сообщил в письме к
союзным представителям в Петрограде о согласии императорского
правительства на предъявленные ими требования о присоединении Англией
Месопотамии и Францией - Сирии и Киликии под условием приобретения
Россией в Малой Азии Эрзерума, Трапезунда, Вана и Битлиса вплоть до
пункта на Черноморском побережье, который должен был быть определен при
проведении новых границ. Часть Курдистана, лежащая к югу от Вана и
Битлиса, должна была равным образом отойти к России, взамен чего Франция
приобретала в Малой Азии значительную территорию с городом Харпутом.
Вот в общих чертах соглашение, к которому пришло русское правительство с
уполномоченными Англии и Франции в 1916 году".
Ясно, что данное соглашение в части, касающейся России, не было
выполнено, поскольку после октября 1917 года она из члена Антанты
превратилась в ее врага. Россия не приняла участия также в разделе сфер
влияния по итогам Первой мировой войны, зато, уже в большевистском
статусе, заключила в 1921 году бесславные Московский и Карсский договоры
с Турцией и тем самым не только утратила завоевания российской армии в
Первой мировой войне, но и уступила геополитическому противнику
территории, отвоеванные в течение всего XIX века.
В этом контексте уместно заметить, что сегодня в российской прессе
порой появляются опусы с экскурсом в 1918-1920 годы с намеком и упреком в
адрес армян и лидеров Первой Армянской республики за их приверженность
Антанте. При этом нарочито умалчивается (в расчете на неосведомленность
читателя), что Российская империя сама была в числе стран Антанты. На
чьей стороне тогда должны были быть армяне, если не на стороне
доблестных генералов Деникина, Юденича, Краснова, Врангеля и других?
(Вполне возможно, что среди причин, по которым большевики донельзя
обкорнали Армению, отрезав от нее в пользу Турции, Грузии и Азербайджана
(фактически - той же Турции) все возможное, не последнее место занимало
и это обстоятельство: они не могли и не простили Армении союзничество с
Белым движением и Антантой). И это в то время, когда большевики и эсеры
в ожесточенных перестрелках выясняли, кто из них больше предан "мировой
революции" и на каких условиях следует заключать Брестский мир. До сих
пор турки оправдывают учиненную кровавую бойню в Западной Армении,
называя ее "вынужденной депортацией" за приверженность армян Российской
империи.
Приведенные исторические события в контексте Армянского вопроса
вызывают обоснованное чувство досады, поскольку вынуждают оценивать
трагическое прошлое в сослагательном наклонении (если бы...), что
считается некорректным. Однако с точки зрения постулатов геополитики
устремления России в регионе Малой Азии остались прежними. Тенденции
России по освоению "Византийского наследства" совместно с
восточнохристианскими народами, а также восстановлению своего влияния на
Евразийском пространстве по всем признакам сохранились. Более того, эти
тенденции не могут угаснуть, поскольку геополитические тенденции нации и
государства обусловлены совокупностью объективных и постоянно
действующих внешних и внутренних факторов; временами они могут не
совпадать с программными установками отдельных партий, лоббирующих
группировок, политических доктрин и деятелей, однако результирующий
вектор поляризации, как правило, сохраняет свою прежнюю направленность
геополитических устремлений.
ПОСЛЕСЛОВИЕ. Данная статья компилятивная, составленная по
материалам русской прессы и российских аналитиков, в частности,
ВН-Аналитик. Мои добавления и отдельные комментарии не меняют общей
картины. Мы часто рассматриваем Армянский вопрос в отрыве от
геополитической и военной ситуации на Армянском нагорье, между тем как
при таком рассмотрении многое видится под другим углом. Материалы эти
интересны еще и тем, что свидетельствуют об идущей сегодня в России
серьезной "работе над ошибками", что неизбежно должно привести к
переосмыслению роли и места России в Закавказье, ее отношений с Турцией и
соседями по Закавказью.
И еще: не нам указывать, кого самим русским считать героями,
но для нас имена генералов Н.Н.Юденича, А.Н.Деникина, Врангеля должны
стоять рядом с именами их боевых соратников - генералов все той же
победоносной Кавказской армии М.Б.Силикяна, Т.О.Назарбекяна и других.
Для всех них понятия "честь" и "Родина" совпадали и были превыше всего.
Source: http://www.golosarmenii.am/ru/20405/society/26816/
Russian-Turkish Wars
Russo-Turkish wars, series of wars between Russia and the Ottoman Empire
in the 17th–19th century. The wars reflected the decline of the Ottoman
Empire and resulted in the gradual southward extension of Russia’s
frontier and influence into Ottoman territory. The wars took place in
1676–81, 1687, 1689, 1695–96, 1710–12 (part of the Great Northern War),
1735–39, 1768–74, 1787–91, 1806–12, 1828–29, 1853–56 (part of the
Crimean War), and 1877–78. As a result of these wars, Russia was able to
extend its European frontiers southward to the Black Sea, southwestward to the Prut River, and south of the Caucasus Mountains in Asia.
The early Russo-Turkish Wars were mostly sparked by Russia’s attempts to establish a warm-water port on the Black Sea, which lay in Turkish hands. The first war (1676–81) was fought without success in Ukraine west of the Dnieper River by Russia, which renewed the war with failed invasions of the Crimea in 1687 and 1689. In the war of 1695–96, the Russian tsar Peter I the Great’s forces succeeded in capturing the fortress of Azov. In 1710 Turkey entered the Northern War against Russia, and after Peter the Great’s attempt to liberate the Balkans from Ottoman rule ended in defeat at the Prut River (1711), he was forced to return Azov to Turkey. War again broke out in 1735, with Russia and Austria in alliance against Turkey. The Russians successfully invaded Turkish-held Moldavia, but their Austrian allies were defeated in the field, and as a result the Russians obtained almost nothing in the Treaty of Belgrade (Sept. 18, 1739).
The first major Russo-Turkish War (1768–74) began after Turkey demanded that Russia’s ruler, Catherine II the Great, abstain from interfering in Poland’s internal affairs. The Russians went on to win impressive victories over the Turks. They captured Azov, the Crimea, and Bessarabia, and under Field Marshal P.A. Rumyantsev they overran Moldavia and also defeated the Turks in Bulgaria. The Turks were compelled to seek peace, which was concluded in the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (July 21, 1774). This treaty made the Crimean khanate independent of the Turkish sultan; advanced the Russian frontier southward to the Southern (Pivdennyy) Buh River; gave Russia the right to maintain a fleet on the Black Sea; and assigned Russia vague rights of protection over the Ottoman sultan’s Christian subjects throughout the Balkans.
Russia was now in a much stronger position to expand, and in 1783 Catherine annexed the Crimean Peninsula outright. War broke out in 1787, with Austria again on the side of Russia (until 1791). Under General A.V. Suvorov, the Russians won several victories that gave them control of the lower Dniester and Danube rivers, and further Russian successes compelled the Turks to sign the Treaty of Jassy (Iaşi) on Jan. 9, 1792. By this treaty Turkey ceded the entire western Ukrainian Black Sea coast (from the Kerch Strait westward to the mouth of the Dniester) to Russia.
When Turkey deposed the Russophile governors of Moldavia and Walachia in 1806, war broke out again, though in a desultory fashion, since Russia was reluctant to concentrate large forces against Turkey while its relations with Napoleonic France were so uncertain. But in 1811, with the prospect of a Franco-Russian war in sight, Russia sought a quick decision on its southern frontier. The Russian field marshal M.I. Kutuzov’s victorious campaign of 1811–12 forced the Turks to cede Bessarabia to Russia by the Treaty of Bucharest (May 28, 1812).
Russia had by now secured the entire northern coast of the Black Sea. Its subsequent wars with Turkey were fought to gain influence in the Ottoman Balkans, win control of the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits, and expand into the Caucasus. The Greeks’ struggle for independence sparked the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29, in which Russian forces advanced into Bulgaria, the Caucasus, and northeastern Anatolia itself before the Turks sued for peace. The resulting Treaty of Edirne (Sept. 14, 1829) gave Russia most of the eastern shore of the Black Sea, and Turkey recognized Russian sovereignty over Georgia and parts of present-day Armenia.
The war of 1853–56, known as the Crimean War, began after the Russian emperor Nicholas I tried to obtain further concessions from Turkey. Great Britain and France entered the conflict on Turkey’s side in 1854, however, and the Treaty of Paris (March 30, 1856) that ended the war was a serious diplomatic setback for Russia, though involving few territorial concessions.
The last Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) was also the most important one. In 1877 Russia and its ally Serbia came to the aid of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria in their rebellions against Turkish rule. The Russians attacked through Bulgaria, and after successfully concluding the Siege of Pleven they advanced into Thrace, taking Adrianople (now Edirne, Tur.) in January 1878. In March of that year Russia concluded the Treaty of San Stefano with Turkey. This treaty freed Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro from Turkish rule, gave autonomy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and created a huge autonomous Bulgaria under Russian protection. Britain and Austria-Hungary, alarmed by the Russian gains contained in the treaty, compelled Russia to accept the Treaty of Berlin (July 1878), whereby Russia’s military-political gains from the war were severely restricted.
The early Russo-Turkish Wars were mostly sparked by Russia’s attempts to establish a warm-water port on the Black Sea, which lay in Turkish hands. The first war (1676–81) was fought without success in Ukraine west of the Dnieper River by Russia, which renewed the war with failed invasions of the Crimea in 1687 and 1689. In the war of 1695–96, the Russian tsar Peter I the Great’s forces succeeded in capturing the fortress of Azov. In 1710 Turkey entered the Northern War against Russia, and after Peter the Great’s attempt to liberate the Balkans from Ottoman rule ended in defeat at the Prut River (1711), he was forced to return Azov to Turkey. War again broke out in 1735, with Russia and Austria in alliance against Turkey. The Russians successfully invaded Turkish-held Moldavia, but their Austrian allies were defeated in the field, and as a result the Russians obtained almost nothing in the Treaty of Belgrade (Sept. 18, 1739).
The first major Russo-Turkish War (1768–74) began after Turkey demanded that Russia’s ruler, Catherine II the Great, abstain from interfering in Poland’s internal affairs. The Russians went on to win impressive victories over the Turks. They captured Azov, the Crimea, and Bessarabia, and under Field Marshal P.A. Rumyantsev they overran Moldavia and also defeated the Turks in Bulgaria. The Turks were compelled to seek peace, which was concluded in the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (July 21, 1774). This treaty made the Crimean khanate independent of the Turkish sultan; advanced the Russian frontier southward to the Southern (Pivdennyy) Buh River; gave Russia the right to maintain a fleet on the Black Sea; and assigned Russia vague rights of protection over the Ottoman sultan’s Christian subjects throughout the Balkans.
Russia was now in a much stronger position to expand, and in 1783 Catherine annexed the Crimean Peninsula outright. War broke out in 1787, with Austria again on the side of Russia (until 1791). Under General A.V. Suvorov, the Russians won several victories that gave them control of the lower Dniester and Danube rivers, and further Russian successes compelled the Turks to sign the Treaty of Jassy (Iaşi) on Jan. 9, 1792. By this treaty Turkey ceded the entire western Ukrainian Black Sea coast (from the Kerch Strait westward to the mouth of the Dniester) to Russia.
When Turkey deposed the Russophile governors of Moldavia and Walachia in 1806, war broke out again, though in a desultory fashion, since Russia was reluctant to concentrate large forces against Turkey while its relations with Napoleonic France were so uncertain. But in 1811, with the prospect of a Franco-Russian war in sight, Russia sought a quick decision on its southern frontier. The Russian field marshal M.I. Kutuzov’s victorious campaign of 1811–12 forced the Turks to cede Bessarabia to Russia by the Treaty of Bucharest (May 28, 1812).
Russia had by now secured the entire northern coast of the Black Sea. Its subsequent wars with Turkey were fought to gain influence in the Ottoman Balkans, win control of the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits, and expand into the Caucasus. The Greeks’ struggle for independence sparked the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29, in which Russian forces advanced into Bulgaria, the Caucasus, and northeastern Anatolia itself before the Turks sued for peace. The resulting Treaty of Edirne (Sept. 14, 1829) gave Russia most of the eastern shore of the Black Sea, and Turkey recognized Russian sovereignty over Georgia and parts of present-day Armenia.
The war of 1853–56, known as the Crimean War, began after the Russian emperor Nicholas I tried to obtain further concessions from Turkey. Great Britain and France entered the conflict on Turkey’s side in 1854, however, and the Treaty of Paris (March 30, 1856) that ended the war was a serious diplomatic setback for Russia, though involving few territorial concessions.
The last Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) was also the most important one. In 1877 Russia and its ally Serbia came to the aid of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria in their rebellions against Turkish rule. The Russians attacked through Bulgaria, and after successfully concluding the Siege of Pleven they advanced into Thrace, taking Adrianople (now Edirne, Tur.) in January 1878. In March of that year Russia concluded the Treaty of San Stefano with Turkey. This treaty freed Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro from Turkish rule, gave autonomy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and created a huge autonomous Bulgaria under Russian protection. Britain and Austria-Hungary, alarmed by the Russian gains contained in the treaty, compelled Russia to accept the Treaty of Berlin (July 1878), whereby Russia’s military-political gains from the war were severely restricted.
Source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/514064/Russo-Turkish-wars
Russian-Persian War
Disputes over territories along the southwestern coast of the Caspian
Sea and in the eastern Transcaucasus led to war between Russia and
Persia from 1804 to 1813 and again from 1826 to 1828. The military
conflict between the two empires was nothing new, but it entered a more
decisive stage with the dawning of the nineteenth century. At the root
of the first Russo-Persian War was the desire of Shah Fath Ali to secure
his northwestern territories in the name of the Qajar dynasty. At the
time, Persia's claims to Karabakh, Shirvan, Talesh, and Shakki seemed
precarious in the wake of Russia's annexation in 1801 of the former
kingdom of Georgia, also claimed by Persia. Meanwhile, Russia
consolidated this acquisition and resumed its military penetration of
border territories constituting parts of modern Azerbaijan and Armenia,
with the objective of extending its imperial frontiers to the Aras and
Kura rivers.
War broke out when Prince Paul Tsitsianov marched to Echmiadzin at the head of a column of Russian, Georgian, and Armenian troops. The outnumbered Russian army was unable to overcome the town's stubborn defense and several weeks later also unsuccessfully besieged Yerevan. Throughout the war, the Russians generally had the strategic initiative but lacked the strength to crush the Persian resistance. Able to commit only about ten thousand troops, a fraction of their total force in the Caucasus, the Russian commanders relied on superior tactics and weapons to overcome a numerical disadvantage of as much as five to one. Overlapping wars with Napoleonic France, Turkey (1806–1812), and Sweden (1808–1809), as well as sporadic tribal uprisings in the Caucasus, distracted the tsar's attention. Yet state-supported, centralized military organization provided Russian columns with considerable combat power. In contrast, the Persian forces were largely irregular cavalry raised and organized on a tribal basis. Abbas Mirza, heir to the throne, sought French and British instructors to modernize his army, and resorted to a guerrilla strategy that delayed the Persian defeat.
In 1810, the Persians proclaimed a holy war, but this had little effect on the eventual outcome. The Russian victories at Aslandaz in 1812 and Lankarin in 1813 sealed the verdict in Russia's favor. Under the Treaty of Golestan, Russia obtained most of the disputed territories, including Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan, and reduced the local khans to the status of vassals.
Another war between Russia and Persia broke out in 1826 following the death of Alexander I and the subsequent Decembrist revolt. Sensing opportunity, the Persians invaded in July at the instigation of Abbas Mirza, and even won some early victories against the outnumbered forces of General Alexei Yermolov, whose appeals to St. Petersburg for reinforcements went unfulfilled. With only twelve regular battalions, the Russians effectively delayed the Persian advance. A contingent of about eighteen hundred, for instance, held the strategic fortress at Shusha against a greatly superior force. On September 12, a Persian army under the personal command of Abbas Mirza was defeated at Yelizabetpol. In the spring of 1827, the Russian command passed to General Ivan Paskevich. He captured Yerevan at the end of September and crossed the Aras River to seize Tabriz. In November, Abbas Mirza reluctantly submitted. Under the Treaty of Torkamanchay (February 1828), Persia ceded Yerevan and all the territory up to the Aras River and paid a twenty million ruble indemnity.
Source: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404101165.html
War broke out when Prince Paul Tsitsianov marched to Echmiadzin at the head of a column of Russian, Georgian, and Armenian troops. The outnumbered Russian army was unable to overcome the town's stubborn defense and several weeks later also unsuccessfully besieged Yerevan. Throughout the war, the Russians generally had the strategic initiative but lacked the strength to crush the Persian resistance. Able to commit only about ten thousand troops, a fraction of their total force in the Caucasus, the Russian commanders relied on superior tactics and weapons to overcome a numerical disadvantage of as much as five to one. Overlapping wars with Napoleonic France, Turkey (1806–1812), and Sweden (1808–1809), as well as sporadic tribal uprisings in the Caucasus, distracted the tsar's attention. Yet state-supported, centralized military organization provided Russian columns with considerable combat power. In contrast, the Persian forces were largely irregular cavalry raised and organized on a tribal basis. Abbas Mirza, heir to the throne, sought French and British instructors to modernize his army, and resorted to a guerrilla strategy that delayed the Persian defeat.
In 1810, the Persians proclaimed a holy war, but this had little effect on the eventual outcome. The Russian victories at Aslandaz in 1812 and Lankarin in 1813 sealed the verdict in Russia's favor. Under the Treaty of Golestan, Russia obtained most of the disputed territories, including Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan, and reduced the local khans to the status of vassals.
Another war between Russia and Persia broke out in 1826 following the death of Alexander I and the subsequent Decembrist revolt. Sensing opportunity, the Persians invaded in July at the instigation of Abbas Mirza, and even won some early victories against the outnumbered forces of General Alexei Yermolov, whose appeals to St. Petersburg for reinforcements went unfulfilled. With only twelve regular battalions, the Russians effectively delayed the Persian advance. A contingent of about eighteen hundred, for instance, held the strategic fortress at Shusha against a greatly superior force. On September 12, a Persian army under the personal command of Abbas Mirza was defeated at Yelizabetpol. In the spring of 1827, the Russian command passed to General Ivan Paskevich. He captured Yerevan at the end of September and crossed the Aras River to seize Tabriz. In November, Abbas Mirza reluctantly submitted. Under the Treaty of Torkamanchay (February 1828), Persia ceded Yerevan and all the territory up to the Aras River and paid a twenty million ruble indemnity.
Source: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404101165.html
Armenian, Russian Presidents open Hill of Honor
After the Armenian and Russian national anthems were performed, the Presidents welcomed the guests and the Gyumri residents. The Presidents’ speeches were followed by a pray for the repose of the Russian servicemen’s souls. The Hill of Honor is a cemetery founded on the order of Commander of the Caucasus corps, General Nikolay Muravyev in 1856. An orthodox church was later built there. Consecrated in 1886, the church has been preserved. The Russian President and his wife arrived in Armenia on August 19. On arriving in Yerevan, the Russian leader headed for the Memorial to Armenian Genocide victims. He laid flowers at the monument. On August 20, Armenian-Russian negotiations were held. The CSTO’s informal summit has opened in Yerevan. An opening ceremony of the Hill of Honor was held in Gyumri. The memorial was opened on the burial place of 156 officers of the Russian army killed during the Russian-Turkish wars in the 19th century. Participating in the ceremony were the Armenian and Russian Presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev. The Armenian and Russian leaders laid a wreath at the memorial, a NEWS.am correspondent reported. It is a sculpture is a soldier mourning for his killed comrades-in-arms and an eagle over the soldier’s head with the Turkish flag in its talons.
Source: http://news.am/eng/news/28359.html
Russia, Our Best Friend
For centuries Armenians dreamed of having their
own state and after each national tragedy and slaughter hoped it would
be the last time. My paternal grandparents dreamed of an independent
Armenia but didn’t see its birth. I consider myself a lucky Armenian: I
saw the emergence of an independent Armenia; what my ancestors hoped for centuries became true in my time.
My father, who doesn’t speak Armenian, says to me
after each visit to the motherland: "Son, I feel that my soul is
nourished and I can’t live without this feeling.” Despite the negative
narrative among many Diaspora Armenians who turn their back to their
ancestral land and the non-stop propaganda that Armenia is ruled by
oligarchs, that depopulation will mark the end of the country, that the
president is a crook, etc, I feel Armenia is intelligently managed in
the turbulent Caucasus, a buffer zone and an extension of the Middle
East.
One of the latest arguments in the Diaspora is
that Russia is a threat to Armenia and that Moscow plans an Armenia
without Armenians. I hear these arguments from Diaspora Armenians who
live in the West and most of whom haven't visited their homeland, lack
solid information about Armenia and cannot understand that there is an
Armenia because Armenians are considered by Russians as loyal friends,
an ancient Christian people who are Russophile and have contributed to
Russia in many fields and still continue to do so. Those who want
Armenia destroyed hope Armenia becomes anti-Russian. Thus they spread
their anti-Russian propaganda.
In 2008 Russia didn’t abandon South Ossetia--one
of the tiniest nations anywhere, with no oil or other natural
ressources. Their only asset is their loyalty to Russia. In 2008, during
the August War with Russia, Georgia received arms from many Western
countries. Western private militias fought side by side the Georgian
army. At the end Russian tanks were closing in on Tbilisi, the capital
of Georgia. It was only through President Sarkozy's intercession that
the life of Georgian President Miheil Saakashvili was saved. The
Georgian leader had been called ‘son’ by U.S Secretary of State Colin
Powell while Georgia was praised as a 'model' country by the Europeans
and Americans for its intention to join the EU or NATO. At the end of
the war, Georgia was once again humiliated and as a result of the war
Georgia lost Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
In recent centuries Georgia has survived thanks to
Russian protection. But this fact is no immaterial to Georgians.
Millions of Georgians live in Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan's family originated in Georgia. Georgians who live in Turkey are
Islamized and only a few can speak a sprinkling of Georgian. If a
conflict emerges between Turkey and Georgia these Georgians will side
with Turkey because their Sunni faith keeps them loyal to Turkey.
Samuel Huntington stated that religious or ethnic
affiliation shape peoples’ perception of different conflicts. Why, for
example, was NATO member Greece unenthusiastic about the bombing of the
Serbs by NATO forces in 1999? The reason is simple: Serbs, like the
Greeks, are Orthodox Christians and have an affinity to the Byzantine
Empire just, like the Greeks. To which civilizational group does Armenia belong?
Are we western like the British or Islamic like the Libyans? As Eastern
Christians we belong to the Orthodox world headed by Russia. Russia is
the only superpower which cares about the fate of Eastern Christians,
just as it cares for the wellbeing of Syrian Christians.
International relations are, in general, based on
interests. States have long-term agendas; they follow them right or
wrong. But what if states also have a subconscience and memory? Syria is
home to a Russian naval base in Tartus, a city on the Mediterranean.
People can say that it's because of the base and arms sale that Russia
doesn’t abandon Syria. I agree. But let’s look back to the 1990s when
the Soviet Union broke apart. People mocked "Evil Empire" Russia. People
said it was "Bangladesh with nuclear weapons". Even the tiny Chechens
defeated them and created their own independent state. Even "Slavic
Orthodox Brother" Bulgaria, which also owes Russia its independence from
the Ottomans, declared Russians were no more welcome. Sofia joined NATO
and became a member of the European Union. Experts predicted that
following the Chechens' victory more secessionist nations would emerge
within the multinational Russian state and that Russia was doomed to
collapse.
What was the Syrian approach to Russia in those
years? They kept the Russian naval base in their country and continued
their warm relations with Mosow. I propose Syria is so dear to the
‘’Russian state memory” that Moscow will not abandon it just like
Damascus didn’t abandon Russia in the latter's vulnerable years.
Propositions to transfer the base to Cyprus (the Greek part) or the
multi-billion Saudi bribe to bring down Assad didn’t influence Russia.
It didn't compromise its friendship and rejected the ‘Libyan scenario’.
In Istanbul some years ago an Ossetian official
told me that President Yeltsin of Russia was so embarrassed by the
negative attitude of Western leaders toward Russia that he stated: "I
will find such a man [as my successor] that nobody among will ever dare
laugh at us.’’ Myth or reality? President Yeltsin, the sad image of
Russia during that country's years of vulnerability, selected Vladimir
Vladimirovich Putin to replace him in 1999. Under Putin Russia recovered
and found its place in the world. He stopped the looting of his
country, re-organized the economy, boosted the military power and
reasserted its territorial integrity. Russia rose from the ashes like
the phoenix and refound its glory. It is once again a respected
superpower. The Bear is back.
But Russia is an enigma to Armenians living in the
West. We are mostly ignorant about Russia's history and what it is
today. We know about the evil Communists, the gulags, the state atheism
of Soviet times. Most of us don't know that Moscow is the Third Rome:
after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks Russia became the
main center of Eastern Christianity. The coat of arms of the Russian
state is the double-headed Byzantine Eagle. (Some Armenologists say that
the symbol was imported by Byzantium from Armenia). Russia is the
continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, aka the Byzantine Empire. It
was the Byzantines (Armeno-Greek missionaries Cyril and Methodius) who
converted the Russians to Orthodox Christianity in 988. It is a country
where the cathedrals are more majestic than those of Italy.
Communist rule was a rupture in Russian
spirituality. Tsar Nicholas II wanted to reconquer Constantinople and
save the Armenians and other persecuted Christian subjects of the
Ottoman Empire. Earlier on, when the Russian army reached (1878) Hagia
Stephanos, a province of today’s Istanbul called Yesilkoy, Western
Powers such as Britain, France and Germany interfered and convinced the
Russians that the Ottomans would no longer persecute their Christian
subjects. The Russian army withdrew. We know what Sultan Abdul Hamid II,
the Young Turks, and Ataturk did following the withdrawal of the
Russians. For more than 200 years the West has protected the Ottomans
when Russia defeated them over and over. Even today no Western state
cares for the plight of Christians in the Middle East.
Saddam Hussein was an irrational and brutal leader
but Iraqi-Christians, including the Armenians, lived a comfortable life
and were not oppressed. Before the American invasion, Saddam Hussein
sent his Chaldean Foreign Minister Tarek Aziz to the Vatican. Aziz met
Pope Paul John II and begged him to act as an intermediary. The pope
tried to convince the U.S and the other members of the Western coalition
to find a peaceful solution. His efforts were in vain. Only a shadow of
Christianity remains in Iraq. Around 15,000 Armenians still live in the
country.
How can one forget the mass slaughter (1922) of
the Greeks and Armenians of Smyrna (now Izmir) by the Kemalist forces as
British and French navies, docked at the city, idly watching?
Armenians remember the French rescuing one part of
Musa Dagh’s Armenians and taking them to Port Said in Egypt. That was
the only help that we got. We were betrayed over and over by the West
and our blood fed rivers. Some Armenians would say "the Russians
betrayed us, too. They retreated from Van in 1915.’’ It was the Soviets
who retreated, not the Russians. When civil war broke out (1917) in
Russia, the Tsarist army was urged to retreat to defend the regime. The
Tsarist army lost and the Bolsheviks succeeded. If there was no
Bolshevik Revolution, Armenians would have been saved by the Russian
army and the Ottomans wouldn't have dared launch the Genocide. The
Bolsheviks killed millions of people and the majority of their victims
were ethnic Russians. Despite Lenin’s treachery, Soviet rule saved
Eastern Armenia and Armenians later acquired high positions in the
Soviet state. Nothing remained of Western Armenia.
Russian Communism is gone. Russia has a Patriarch
named Kiril who can tell to Putin during a tete-a-tete: "If you abandon
the Christians in Syria, we won’t support you anymore.” And Putin heeds
the patriarch’s advice. There's no way a Western leader would take into
consideration the opinion of a Christian spiritual leader in defense of
the Middle East's Christians.
For me, as an Armenian, Russia is the bearer of
light. The great Russian people have always defeated warrior tribes
surrounding their country and managed to create a great civilization.
They defeated the Mongols, Napoleon, the Turks, and with the help of
other Soviet republics beat the Nazis. Russians have kept the secret of
survival which the Byzantines forgot. Russia has the best missile
technology and more nuclear warheads than the United States. Russia is
the saviour of many nations (Serbs, Bulgarians, Ossetians) who suffered
from tyranny. It was the Russians who saved the Jews from Aushwitz in
1945. As an Armenian, I am thankful to this great nation.
Do Armenians of the West know of the strongest Armenian Diaspora? The strongest Armenian Diaspora is not in the Unites States or in France but in Russia. Its members are ministers, generals, billionaire businessmen, scientists, media personalities, university professors. Did the one-million strong California Armenians have a Secretary of State of Armenian origin? They had Governor Deukmejian or House Member Pashayan but they never had a cabinet minister. Russia’s current foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is half-Armenian. Russia is the talisman "kismet" of Armenians just as the United States is for Israel. I thank the Armenian government for erecting the United Cross Monument in Yerevan, symbolizing the Russian-Armenian brotherly relations which was unveiled during President Putin’s December visit to Armenia.
Do Armenians of the West know of the strongest Armenian Diaspora? The strongest Armenian Diaspora is not in the Unites States or in France but in Russia. Its members are ministers, generals, billionaire businessmen, scientists, media personalities, university professors. Did the one-million strong California Armenians have a Secretary of State of Armenian origin? They had Governor Deukmejian or House Member Pashayan but they never had a cabinet minister. Russia’s current foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is half-Armenian. Russia is the talisman "kismet" of Armenians just as the United States is for Israel. I thank the Armenian government for erecting the United Cross Monument in Yerevan, symbolizing the Russian-Armenian brotherly relations which was unveiled during President Putin’s December visit to Armenia.
Armenia has no bigger friend than Russia. Despite
Russia's selling of weapons to Azerbaijan, I have confidence in Russia's
friendship--a friendship based on self-interest, knowledge, and
sentiment. America also armed Saddam. The West sold chemical weapons to
Iraq. Americans promoted him as the leader of the Arab World. Where is
Saddam now?
Regarding the little known Russian military involvement during Armenia's 1918 war of liberation:
Shoulder to Shoulder in Armenia during May 1918
The contribution of Russian officers to the Armenian independenceBy Hrant Sarkisov
May
26, 1918 marked a New Era for the Armenian people, era of
Independence after more than five hundred years of subservient stateless
existence. That day, the day of Battle of Sardarapat is the real
Independence Day for Armenians. Therefore for us the words INDEPENDENCE
and SARDARAPAT are nearly synonymous. Sardarapat is a small spot on
the map of Armenia, spot that would have remained unnoticed if it
hadn't become the symbol of the great victory, symbol of the glorious
hour for Armenian nation, turning point in the modern Armenian
history when we proved that we regain our capability to fight and win
the battle. Sardarapat, village called in the name of wall built by
the governor of a Persian province. Sardarapat… Sa – Ardar – Pat.
This is a fair wall. So it sounds in translation from Armenian into
English. Probably it was not just a coincidence that this battle took
place exactly here. There is truth in it. Here people rose as a wall
in the name of eternal truth, the freedom, in the name of life and
independence. People remember their heroes. People remember everyone
who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Armenians not sparing their
life in the name of truth, and brotherhood. Speaking about Sardarapat
let us first look at the theatre of operations where the miracle of
Sardarapat became possible.
During the first world war Russia waged successful military campaign against Turkey on the Caucasian front. Before ceasefire concluded in December of 1916 many cities of Western Armenia, such as Van, Sarikamish, Erzerum, Trapizond, Artvin, Bayazet were liberated. A little more and the Turks would have surrendered. But the destiny disposed differently. After the October revolution bolsheviks who came to power signed the Brest-Litovsk separate treaty with Triple Alliance states according to which the Russian armies were withdrawn from Caucasus. Territories liberated by the Russian army were to be given back to Turkey.
Withdrawal of Russian troops from the Caucasian front (because of revolution more resembling exodus) began in December of 1917. That was putting Armenians in terrible situation when extended frontline got defenceless. The Armenian army corps had been urgently formed with the active assistance and participation of Russian officers and soldiers. Many of them stayed in Armenia helping to defend the country. For example, during the period of Erzinjan fights and the battle of Erzerum the command over the first Armenian infantry brigade was carried out by Russian army colonel Morel.
Despite the intense fights in the Western Armenia between Armenian forces and Turkish army Turks were rapidly advancing. Erzinjan fell on February 12, then followed Baiburt, and Erzerum. On February 24 Turks occupied Trapizond and Mamakhatun. The threat of Turkish invasion in Transcaucasia, beyond the line agreed in Brest-Litovsk Treaty, became very real. At that time Chicherin, Minister of foreign affairs of Russia, sent a telegram addressed to the German ambassador in Tiflis of the following content: "The Turkish army is advancing towards Batum, Kars, Ardahan, ravaging and killing the civilians. The responsibility for the further destiny of the Armenians is assigned to Germany, for the Russian armies were withdrawn from the Armenian areas at Germany's request. Now constraining the Turkish armies from usual excesses is up to Germany."
Policies of Transcaucasian Federation's government resulted in loss of Kars. The chairman of Transcaucasian Federative Democratic Republic's government Mr. Chkhenkeli ordered Lieutenant-General Nazarbekov, commander of the Armenian corps, hand over the city to the Turks without fight for all that the general himself was categorically against that decision as his armies had a real opportunity to repel Turks' attack and to keep Kars fortress area for more than a month. The objections of the commander of the corps were rejected, and the city and the fortress of Kars that had all resources to stand against the enemy at least for a month was given up with almost no resistance.
Then Turks occupied Alexandropol (Gyumri), and were advancing their large forces towards Karakilis and Erivan (Yerevan). The historical battle took place in the environs of Sardarapat, on the approaches to Erivan, where the Turks were stopped and defeated. The Russians, Greeks, Yezidis fought together with Armenians. The hastily formed First special horse regiment under the command of Sergeant-Major Zolotarev fought with a special courage. (In Cossack formations the rank of sergeant-major was equal to the rank of lieutenant-colonel). A famous Soviet commander Marshal Baghramian fought under Zolotarev's command who made Baghramian non-commissioned officer in the first squadron of the regiment. "He was an efficient, exigent and skilled commander", the marshal would write later about Zolotarev in his memoirs.
Under his command in the battle of Sardarapat the regiment successfully attacked the Turks from the limits of the Kerpalu (Arshaluis) and Kerdukli (Armavir) villages, and destroying Turkish detachments advanced to the Kamishlu (Eghegnut) railway station and liberated the village and Sardarapat railway station. Partisan infantry regiment that consisted of the Cossacks and Armenians under the command of Colonel Perekrestov distinguished in the battle of Sardarapat. The Cossacks caught the Turks by surprise suddenly appearing before them. Captain Shneur was appointed the Chief of staff of Sardarapat detachment. Together with the commander of detachment, General Daniel Bek-Pirumov, he directly participated in the battle.
One of the heroes of the campaign was General Movses Silikov, cadre general of tsarist army, and commander in chief of the Erivan group of the Armenian forces. Besides concentrating the main forces of the group in Sardarapat detachment he properly deployed them and ensured success of the whole campaign. Silikov, udin by origin, appealed to the Armenian nation calling all men and women to stand up for protection of their country. Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Baghramian in his memoirs wrote about Silikov: "I can not pass over in silence the outstanding merits of Major-General Silikov in routing Turks in the environs of Sardarapat in the spring of 1918. I am strongly convinced that Silikov was the most gifted commander among the Armenian generals of that time. As other generals and the majority of senior Armenian officers, he did not know the Armenian language, and had no sufficient notion of the people, its fighting traditions and specific traits of the personnel in national army." Thanks to General Silikov the Sardarapat operation was carried out successfully.
Three hundred yezid horsemen led by Jahangir agha also contributed to the victory, as did two squadrons of Russians who participated in the battle of Sardarapat under the command of Zemliak. Captain Bort headed the Armenian detached shock regiment created in Alexandropol. General Baratov, Lieutenant-Colonels Spitsin, Kafiev, Efremovich, Khmelnitskiy, Khelminskiy, Kablitskiy, artilleryman Ensign Klich, Captain Sakellary and many other Russian officers also participated in the battle of Sardarapat. Groups of volunteers were formed not only in Armenia, but also in Russia. A regiment of 500-600 bayonets under the command of Colonel Samartsev, part of Andranik's division operating on Karakilis line, was sent to Khnus front.
Among those who arrived from Russia to fight against Turkish aggressors, there was also Siberian Armenian company. In March, 1918 in Tiflis Andranik took command over the company which later became a part of the Armenian detached shock regiment. Three brilliant Russian officers were among the staff of the company. Lieutenant Kolmakov, one of its commanders, wrote in detail about this company in the series of articles titled the "Historical Armenian company." Articles were published in 1919 in several issues of "Nashe Vremia" Baku newspaper. "It was a company of 210 Armenian prisoners of war, - writes Kolmakov,- voluntarily surrendered to us in fights with Turks and for unknown reasons evacuated by our government to Siberia, as if in gratitude for their sympathies to Russia." Kolmakov, a Russian patriot fond of the Armenian people and appreciating its fidelity to Russia voluntarily joined the company and arriving in Tiflis joined the formed regiment. Later he joined Andranik's detachment.
Kolmakov participated in many battles, he was fighting side by side with Andranik. He wrote: "Andranik's detachment was encircled, Turks had captured the railway station. It was extremely dangerous situation but someone had to stop Turkish attack and ensure the evacuation of civilians from Kazanchi, Shnshtap, Chiftali, Guyullibulakh and other villages where fierce fights were going. Andranik himself on a lathery horse headed the fight with a naked sabre. Having slightly reined in the horse, the general commanded: "Forward! Follow me! Hurrah!" And he galloped forward fearless as always. We followed him. The Turks rained bullets and shells, but that could not stop us: Andranik was with us. There was Turkish cavalry. It couldn't endure our raid and ran away in panic. Turks were defeated. But Andranik didn't pursue them for a horde of Turks still approached us both from the front and flanks. He ordered all villages to evacuate for our group of three thousand fighters had to occupy a part of the front several thousand versts wide".
The days of the battle of Sardarapat, Andranik's division took up the main thrust of the Turkish army protecting a part of Karakilis-Tiflis road. He held the forces of Vekhib pasha who was intending to transfer the forces to Sardarapat. The Armenian army had to repulse also newly formed Azerbaijan Republic attacks that hankered after the Armenian lands. It is necessary to note here the outstanding role of General Denikin. Azerbaijan and Georgia on June 16, 1919 concluded a treaty against Denikin's Voluntary army and Armenia. In reply Denikin concluded a secret military pact with Armenia. The Republic of Armenia with its forces formed the 7th corps of Denikin's army. On September 9, 1919 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia issued an order: "In view of hostile attitude of the Azerbaijan authorities to the Russian army and in view of perfidious encroachment of the Azerbaijan armies upon Armenia's lands I command all officers of the Russian service in the Azerbaijan Army to leave the ranks of that army."
In 1919 Armenia was supported practically only by the Voluntary army. Denikin sent to Erivan some arms from his poor stocks. The hope for restoration of united Russia didn't abandon the Armenians and the Dashnak government did its best to help Denikin's army. After gaining independence Armenia didn't receive the expected support from England, thus the idea of American support came to the fore. President Woodrow Wilson promised to help but the Senate counted up the possible expenses and decided that supporting Armenia would cost American tax-payers 151,2 mln pounds within 5 years. That was too costly, and in reply to Wilson's appeal to their humanism the senators answered: "We don't want to get involved in European affairs even for humanitarian reasons".
In 1920 after the defeat of the main forces of Denikin Army Armenia again remained face to face with the Turks. The indifference of the Entente states to the destiny of Armenia amazed Russian emigres. "Even Bolshevik Russia is a better protection for Armenia than their official patrons from the Entente", wrote Miliukov. History repeats and teaches us time and again. At the beginning of the century we were unable to reap the fruits of our victory. The events of 1917-1920 should make many our politicians look on current events with a different perspective. Similarities are striking. Those who fought and shed their blood for the Armenian independence forever will remain in the memories and the hearts of grateful Armenians. From generation to generation their names will exemplify the heroism, humanism, true brotherhood, and genuine internationalism.
Source: http://armenia.ru/
Israel Ori
Israel Ori: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Ori
Hovsep Emin
Hovsep Emin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Emin
Mkhitar Sparapet
Mkhitar Sparapet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mkhitar_Sparapet
Davit Bek
Davit Bek: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bek
Valerian Madatov
Valerian Madatov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_Madatov
Mikhail Loris-Melikov
Valerian Madatov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_Madatov
Mikhail Loris-Melikov
Mikhail Loris-Melikov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Loris-Melikov
Ivan Aivazovsky
Ivan Ayvazovsky: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Aivazovsky
Orbeli Brothers
Joseph Orbeli: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Orbeli
Levon Orbeli: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Orbeli
Alikhanian Brothers
Marshal Ivan Baghramyan
Marshal Ivan Baghramyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovhannes_Bagramyan
Aram Khachaturyan
Aram Khachaturyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aram_Khachaturian
Victor Hambartsumyan
Victor Hambartsuamyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Ambartsumian
Artem Mikoyan
Artem Mikoyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artem_Mikoyan
Arthur Chilingarov
Arthur Chilingarov:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artur_Chilingarov
Sergei Lavrov
Sergei Lavrov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Lavrov
Artyom Alikhanian: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artyom_Alikhanian
Abraham Alikhanian: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Alikhanov
Marshal Ivan Baghramyan
Marshal Ivan Baghramyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovhannes_Bagramyan
Aram Khachaturyan
Aram Khachaturyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aram_Khachaturian
Victor Hambartsumyan
Victor Hambartsuamyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Ambartsumian
Artem Mikoyan
Artem Mikoyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artem_Mikoyan
Arthur Chilingarov
Arthur Chilingarov:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artur_Chilingarov
Sergei Lavrov
Sergei Lavrov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Lavrov
Happy day indeed!
ReplyDeleteI just want everyone who reads this blog to know that there is a film called 'Garegin Nzhdeh' that was produced in Armenia last year. It will light a fire in your heart and is available a the Sardarabad shop online and at the store in Glendale. Every word in that film is relevant to Armenia's current condition and it should be mandatory viewing for anyone who consider s themselves to be a patriot. Here is a clip...
ReplyDeletehttp://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dl097uvKM1n0&cd=8&ved=0CDkQtwIwBw&usg=AFQjCNFsYLVWOFEG1B6Va2auYDf6qUz01g
Thank you for the reminder Armen. I did see the film and I do agree with you that it should be mandatory viewing for all Armenians. It was very interesting to see how the film was ridiculed and attacked by many of Armenia's Western assets.
DeleteArevordi jan, I really like how you write about the Battle of Sarikamish every year.
ReplyDeleteWe Armenians however would rather commemorate our defeats and tragedies instead of such victories.
Let's face it. Many of our compatriots are cowards. We are afraid of expressing characteristics of strength.
But the warrior-nobleman gene is already returning to many Armenians, starting from those serving in the armed forces.
However, the main factor that can accelerate this change of mindset is education (or as they like to call it, "social engineering").
The ideal Armenian man should be physically strong and robust, mentally tough and smart, and spiritually nationalistic and devoted. He should, while growing up, learn that minor bruises or even some injuries should not affect him, he should not whine and cry about it. He should get out of his comfort zone more often. The ideal Armenian man should become a male role model for his children.
The ideal Armenian woman/mother should know that it is important to raise such men. She must do her part by nurturing/caring them, and must not turn him into a «մամայի բալա».
Slowly with time, these changes will eventually bring back the Armenian warrior-nobleman gene out, which will in its turn resurrect the real Armenian, the one that has been lost for over a thousand years.
If we can build a nation that has such men, we can compete the world on the cultural level (we're already doing good in that, but it's time to get organized), and we can build an Army that will crush any enemy in its path. Such kind of an army has the potential to make Sarikamish 2.0 possible, with more effectiveness.
Combine this army with the military support of Russia = Western Armenia.
"From all countries Armenians are hurrying to enter the ranks of the glorious Russian Army, with their blood to serve the victory of the Russian Army... Let the Russian flag wave freely over the Dardanelles and the Bosporus, Let your will the peoples remaining under the Turkish yoke receive freedom. Let the Armenian people of Turkey who have suffered for the faith of Christ received resurrection for a new free life....
—Nicholas II of Russia"
The following is meant to be a supplement to your excellent comment:
DeleteThe modern Armenian is a far cry from his or her ancestors. The fundamental problem I see is Armenian parents. Armenian parents need to stop worshiping/pampering their beloved 'sons' and realize that their brats need to grow up, get self-reliant and serve in the military. Armenian parents should also realize that in the process, some of their sons might get hurt or die, but that is the nature of the beast. For their part, Armenian men need to learn that being a man has nothing to do with wearing fancy black clothing, shiny shoes, chasing whores, marrying virgins, doing "bizness", smoking cigarets all day, driving a "Benz" or growing a "chalaghaj" belly. Armenian men need to realize that being a man means working hard; understanding the world he lives in; being politically active; truly respecting women; being patriotic; obeying laws; acknowledging authority; having discipline; and developing a healthy mind and body... and when the time comes, protecting the homeland from enemies both foreign and domestic.
PS: Armenians of Artsakh are the unadulterated off-springs of the warrior aristocracy of the ancient Armenian Highlands. Armenians of Artsakh are the only major group within our nation that was not subjugated by any power at any time in its history. Artsakh Armenians are thus a good example of how we once were as a people: Resourceful, resilient, stubborn, intelligent, patriotic and very warlike. In a certain sense, Artsakh saved Armenia and the Diaspora, not the other way around.
Arevordi
DeleteAs you have emphasized in your commentary, it was 100 years ago when we did not recognize that we had a historical chance to deliver a blow to turks. it was a country defeated in several fronts. Yet we let them to slaughter us. if 200k were to rise up from 2mil killed we would have drove them out of Armenian Highlands.
I hope when next opportunity comes around we will be united and not sleeping to take the chance and return western Armenia to it's rightful owners.
T.K.
Arevordi
DeleteI also agree that our society's hungover about putting family above national interests have resulted in what we have today.
I can tell from my personal experience that when i was 20 1st groups were forming to go to karabagh but my mom and dad said only if i want them to die i will go as i am the only son. fast forward 25 years i have sons, and i love them more than anything but if the call comes and my sons decide that they have to serve their nation, i will be worried but also proud and supportive.
If we want to be the warriors we were, we need to change that family first mentality to nation first. that is a must, as much as it is hard and emotional, that is the only way we can bring back what we lost.
T.K.
Just finished reading your newest entry. It was a bit shorter than your usual blog entries it seems, but one of the best pieces I've read on this blog yet. You covered many relevant points Arevordi and I thank you for it. Sometimes reading your posts I feel as though you are reading my mind in terms of what truly I hope for in terms of our people's future.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to simply cut out the fluff and say that while the death of any fellow Armenian is especially tragic, the jack-off that died clenching his fist up in the air in Kiev deserved no less for exhibiting a typical pathological Armenian flaw that seems to haunt us for millennia, namely being "odaramol", that is, "foreign soil worshippers".
Somehow, in the bowels of my soul, I have a feeling that if we dig into this miscreant's background, if he was a recent migrant, ironically it is likely we will find he had bought his way out of not serving in the Armenian military just so that he could run off to greener pastures in Kiev only to become a pawn for a foreign purpose which on top of being none his business, in the long run is detrimental to his people's interests.
I wish I could tell you Arovedi that we are learning from dick wads like this at a rapid pace, but unfortunately, the same stubbornness that may have served our warrior ways in centuries past, is acting as a double edged sword in today's peasantry's reluctance to change their ways. It's going to be a slow and grueling process to mold and re-engineer our communities, I have seen hints of positive change, but the wheel turns ever so slowly. But at least it's turning, which is a huge plus.
You are also precisely right in Artsakh saving both Armenia AND the Diaspora. In the heat of the battle, Arstakh's population was gaining ground through blood, sweat, and sacrifice while MANY of the same jack-off, cock sucking, traitors on the streets last month disrespecting a foreign dignitary (Putin) were sitting in coffee shops in Yerevan in the 90's again casting the doom/gloom of "we can't win this campaign, we should just settle", "we will never take Keljabar", etc.
After the war, the Karabagh Armenians after having secured Arstakh's and Armenian proper's future, came into town and cleaned house. Today, you hear a lot of those turds that were sitting in those cafes during the war rather than serving claim, "Karabaghcis have taken over the government, they only put their own people in key positions".
What these peasants in Armenia and their counter-part jack-offs in the Diaspora could never comprehend is that "to the victor, GO THE SPOILS", those that bleed are the ones that get to run things afterwards. This is the very reason the ARFers today walk around with a stick up their ass, they figured with their seniority in being a political party, they should have been the natural airs to the reigns of Armenia and Arstakh after the war/independence. It simply infuriates them that they are becoming washed up with each passing year, that is why you see on Asbarez the constant 1 step forward and 1 step back dribble being published. In one article they support the Sargsyan administration, in the next they are saying "President spends $186,000 in rejuvenation therapy" in an attempt to discredit our current President.
Bravo one more time Arevordi. This is a timely gem. I dont know how you do it my friend but I look forward to reading this stuff every month. I know this work is old but this is my first time reading it. I think this is one of them articles to contemplate and just think about it and reflect on. I know you know what I mean. As well pieced together this work is it will make you a lot of enemies with Turks AND Armenians who want peace with Turks, you know like the ones that killed Mxitar and gave his head to the Turkish pasha as a peace gift.
ReplyDeleteArto1
This bozkurt cock sucker was protesting in disguise against Putin.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=274617176027245&set=pb.229698963852400.-2207520000.1390674137.&type=3&theater
Why am I not surprised? What have I been saying for years? As disgusting as this street whore is, she is not an anomaly. She is a good example of the so-called "political opposition" in Armenia. There are many Armenians today that see Russians as more of a danger than Turks. "Nationalist" Paruyr Hayrikian is one of the more prominent ones. This particular whore's antics, however, is very timely for it brings together the entire essence of what I have been warning against for many years. In a sense, this whore is much smarter and more capable than I am, for with only two picture is has said more than what I have been saying for several years.
DeleteAnd regarding the Armenian asshole that was was killed in Kiev: Fuck him, he deserved it. It would be true justice if it was proven someday that his killing was indeed a provocation by ultra-nationalist Ukrainians. Nevertheless, if this asshole was indeed concerned about justice or political activism he would have been on the front lines in Artsakh or on the border with Turkey, where real Armenians belong. In the big picture, the asshole that died "fighting Putin" in Kiev and this Turk-loving whore using his death to protest Putin in Yerevan are the embodiment of all those that have kept Armenia on the very verge of annihilation for over one thousand years. These lowlifes bring shame on us and are enemies of the Armenian people.
The link didn't work for me. Who is in the photo?
DeleteLG
Excellent post as always, thank you. And a happy Sarikamish everyone!
ReplyDeleteLernakan
Very well stated! I feel absolutely nothing for that dead Armenian in Ukraine. I strongly suspect he would be a "barevolutionary" or one of LTP's "death to the Karabakh clan" imbeciles had he remained in Yerevan. Or one of the protestors who disgraced our nation during President Putin's recent visit... If he had been in LA he would have been one of the Armenians who at every conceivable opportunity would belittle Armenia and say "երկիրը երկիր չի"; one of those "progressive" Armenian immigrants here who specifically look for turkish brands, and would have mainly turkish, jewish and other degenerate Armenian friends. I can only imagine what type of low-class parents this corpse had that he turned out such a failure; perhaps his mother was one of those "desperate" Armenians who felt she had no choice but to become a prostitute on the streets of turkish cities in the 1990s that hetq.am likes to remind us about.
ReplyDeleteGood riddance to him. I wish the same "success" to the rest of our opposition.
Ps the facebook picture is not loading, please describe what it was about. And always remember to save these interesting and controversial pictures when you come across them because things on the internet have a way of disappearing.
Note: Edited for spelling.
I agree with Sarkis regarding touchy content, if you come across it, the FIRST thing you need to do is snap a screen shot capture of it so that it does not "disappear". There are tons of great software for doing this. If you are a Mac user, there is a great must have widget call "screenshot plus-1", you mount it your dashboard and take screenshots.
DeleteThanks SasounciDavit.
DeleteIn case anyone needs instructions on taking screenshots on a Windows PC, here are the steps:
1) Press the "Print Screen" key on your keyboard. Sometimes this is labeled "Prt Sc". On a standard keyboard, the Print Screen key is located at the top, just right of the F12 key. On laptops you may have to do some digging.
2) After pressing the Print Screen key, Windows will copy a screenshot to the Clipboard. All you need to do is simply paste this image into an Imaging program. So go to Run (or just hold the Windows Key between "Ctrl" and "Alt" on the bottom letf of your keyboard and then press "R").
3) Type Mspaint into the Run dialog box and click OK.
4) Go to edit and click paste, or alternatively just hold the "Ctrl" key and press "V".
5) Save your screenshot as a file (like JPEG) by going to File and Save As, or alternatively hold "Ctrl" and press "S"
LG, I mistakenly deleted our last two posts. I apologize. Please post your reply again.
ReplyDeleteIn the meanwhile:
Socially engineering the masses is an absolute must, but it will take a lot of time and a lot of enlightened thinking on the part of Armenia's leaders before it is achieved. I don't see this happening anytime within in the near future. But if we want a healthy stable homeland, it has to happen sooner or later. Between now and then, those Armenians you are hoping to see become socially engineered can lay waste to your country if you tolerate them long enough or if give them any say in political matters. Following your advise will only result in having a Ukrainian-like situation in Armenia. I think we made a similar mistake back in early 2008. What good did that uprising do?
It's bad enough we have gluttonous chobans in positions of power. We simply can't afford to give the country's Western led political opposition and their psychologically disturbed and emotionally unstable followers any credit or legitimacy. Until we get to the point of raising proper Armenians, we need to be very selective in who we call an Armenian.
You can do whatever you want with your life, for me, not all Armenians are my kin. The moron that got himself killed in Kiyev is not my kin. Paruyr Hayrikian, Raffi Hovanissian, Jirayr Sefilina, Richard Giragosian, Ara Manoogian, Zaruhi Postanjian are not my kin. The assholes that protested Putin's state visit to Armenia are not my kin. The PFA, Sardarapat, Pre-Parliment do not represent me. The aforementioned are more of a danger to Armenia than any of Armenia's oligarchs. Those who who pose a serious danger to my homeland cannot be my kin.
And please stop with the Western style scare tactics, Armenians will not disappear from Armenia - unless that is, those in the political opposition who you are so eagerly hoping to socially engineer come to power.
PS: With the failures of Vartan Oskanian and Raffi Hovanissian, a subversive group known as Pre-Parliament (closely associated with PFA and Armenian Renaissance) has risen and is now taking centerstage in Armenia with its apocalyptic message. Expect them to get more active this year. Their intention clearly seems to be to foment a Ukrainian-type unrest in Armenia. They are preaching revolution, uprising and some of their supporters are also calling for assassinations. Moreover, they are reaching out to the Diasporas in the US, Canada, France and Russia. This is their latest goom@gloom psy-ops: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXYcPtZBO8k
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI don't remember enough of my post to re-post it, so I will reply to your latest comment.
DeleteFirst, genetically these people are your kin. Psychologically, and culturally perhaps not. What we need to emphasize is cultural nationalism, with its roots in Armenia's primordial, Zoroastrian, and Christian traditions. Ethno-nationalism won't work because we have too many morons, and because we should assimilate other ethnic groups not scare them away.
Second, I never said we should give political voices to the chronic opposition (if it were up to me Armenia would be a theocracy/liberal monarchy), nor did I imply Armenia was going to be de-populated. What I said was what good is an Armenia without Armenians, meaning Armenia is Armenians, and vice versa. What we need to do is bridge the disconnect that exists currently. This is where patriotism and social engineering come to the fore. If the government can not or will not do this than sooner or later they will have to be replaced. The notion that they are the lesser of two evils, while true, can not sustain them for much longer. In the meantime nationalist individuals, particularly wealthy ones, ought to take the initiative. We have seen a little of this but not enough.
As for pre parliament, it is a joke and not taken seriously. If the Armenian government and NSS do their jobs, that is work on improving the economy and their efficiency in the case of the former, and monitoring and undercutting subversive entities within the Republic for the latter then Armenia will be fine.
If the current government is too ignorant to do these basic things then the law of nature dictates that they do not deserve to have power and something else will replace them. I do not want to see the chronic opposition come to power, and as things stand that is a long shot. At the same time I am not pleased with the nonchalant Sargsyan administration. I had hopes Sargsyan would begin to tackle the oligarch problem during his 2nd term, so far that is not happening and it is to the detriment of his party, nation, and his essence. His foreign policy has been wishy-washy as well, and we all know that it was due to Russian insistence more than Armenian farsightedness that brought Armenia into the CU.
With that said I remain cautiously optimistic about Armenia's future.
LG
Arevordi
ReplyDeletesomeone (karin) left this at my blog, I cannot get the translate to work (google)
can you be of assistance?
http://adevarul.ro/locale/suceava/ucraina-herta-1_52e3aafec7b855ff56c8f85d/index.html#
The comment that accompanies the link
And u should see this too from Romania should they protect Romanians if Ukraine goes to civil war ?
I am lost?
thanks in advance Arevordi
Penny, the article is in Romanian not Armenian. I will pass it on to a Romania-Armenian to have it translated.
DeleteThanks Arevordi
DeleteI didn't know if there were similarities in the languages?
But, I will take any help I can get in being able to read what is being said in that piece
karin is a good participant
an american gal- quite a lovely person
she hadn't got it through translate either
that is the sad thing about being in North America, were very uni-linugal
It's not a good thing- IMO
hinders conversation
of course we can't know all the languages, but, it would be good to know more then one language
anyway-....
Ukraine is looking ugly. And sad, very sad.
Of course our PM just came back from arse kissing excursion in Israel and is very concerned about the situation in Ukraine
suuuurrreeeeee........
Here is a rough google translation:
DeleteUkraine, on the verge of civil war . We are prepared to defend the Romanians in Bukovina , Herta and Northern and Southern Bessarabia ?
Ukraine is on the verge of civil war . Splitting the country between pro- Western and pro-Russian east is not excluded. Romania is ready to step in and defend the Romanians in Chernivtsi region and southern Bessarabia ?
Artificial state , emerged from the ruins of the USSR , inhomogeneous , with a history of less than 24 years , to which Romania has the largest territorial claims , Ukraine might break in two in a not distant future . Yanukovych administration Managed violent conflict with pro-European opposition slowly slid toward a civil war .
This week , the violence in the capital Kiev expanded to the western regions of Ukraine. State of regional offices were occupied by the opposition in many regional capitals .
In Chernivtsi , about a thousand people stormed Friday the state regional administration headquarters . President Michael Găiniceru was hit on the head during the conflict. Governor Michael Papiev was evacuated as shields Militia .
Protesters took over the Chernivtsi region and set up a " National Council of Bukovina " , consists of opposition politicians and representatives of civil society and NGOs .
President Viktor Yanukovych said it would reshuffle the government will repeal the special laws against protests. Opposition abandoning the main demand : Yanukovych 's resignation and free elections.
How to reconcile the two camps seems almost impossible specialists worldwide geopolitical breaking two do not exclude a neighboring state . This will not happen but peacefully .
In such a situation , in case of violent demonstrations , should not Romanian State to intervene to protect the Romanians living in the present state Ukraine? Russia will defend its ethnic sure . As it does in the Caucasus for 20 years. Romanian State should not exclude even have to prepare carefully for the situation would become imminent and needed an intervention , including military , northern Bukovina Hertza , northern and southern Bessarabia and , why not , Transnistria when the Ukrainian state would not be able to maintain public order in the Romanian territories .
Residents of these areas should be given the right to self finally .
As surely Russia will protect ethnic Russians , is it at this time the Romanian government ready to intervene to protect the Romanians in Chernivtsi region and southern Bessarabia ?
BTW Penny, Armenian and Romanian are not mutually intelligible. Armenian is generally classified as its own, isolated branch of the Indo-European language group. Romanian is classified as part of the Romance/Latin languages of the Indo-European group, similar to Italian, Spanish, French and others. Also the Moldavian language is more or less a dialect or Romanian.
DeleteFrom what my Romanian friend tells me, he can understand some of Spanish, Italian and Latin when he hears it. By contrast, an Armenian speaker would not be able to understand any language beside Armenian unless he took the time to learn that language.
And finally, the two languages are written in different alphabets. Romanian uses a modified version of the Latin alphabet, which is the alphabet I am currently typing in. Armenian uses its own unique alphabet that looks something like this: Ուկրաինա, եզրին քաղաքացիական պատերազմի. Մենք պատրաստ ենք պաշտպանել Ռումինացիները է Վոլինի, Herta եւ Հյուսիսային եւ Հարավային Բեսարաբիայի .(This is that Romanian article translated into Armenian by google.)
***
As for North Americans being unilingual, Arevordi has written about English being long been weaponized and politicized and used as the medium to transmit globalist filth known as "pop culture" to nations all over the world.
Penny, the following translation is from my Romanian-Armenian contact:
DeleteWORD BY WORD TRANSLATION
Ukraine On the Verge of Civil War. We are ready to defend the Romanians from North Bucovina, Herza and North and South Besarabia
(Note: North Bucovina and Herza formerly part of Austro Hungarian Empire until 1919 given to Romania and after WWII given to Ukraine. Besarabia was conquered by Romanians during WWII and Taken back by USSR after WWII. Now Republic of Moldova)
Ukraine is on the verge of civil war. Division of the country between pro European West and pro Russian East is not excluded. Is Romania ready to intervine and to defend the Romanians in the Chernovets region and in the South of Bsarabia (Rep of Moldova)? This (Moldova) is an artificial state with a history of only 24 years born on the ruins of the Soviet Union on which Romanian has territorial claims.
Ukraine might break in two in the near future. Led with violence by Yanukovich Administration it is in conflict with the opposition and is sliding towards the civil war.
This week, the violence in the capital spread towards the West,. The local administrations centers have been occupied by the opposition in many regional centers. Friday, in Chernovets 1000 people attacked the regional administration . The president, Mihai Gainicheru, was hit in the head during the conflict. The Governor, Mihail Papiev was evacuated by the police.
The protesters took the power at the local level in Chernovets and created the” National Council of Bucovina”, composed of the members of the opposition and NGOs. The President Victor Yanucovich, announced a restructuring of the Government and announced special laws against protesters.
The opposition does no give up its request that Yanucovoch resign and institute free elections. As appears, the reconcilement between the two blocks is almost impossible but the geopolitical specialists eliminate the possibility of breaking the country in two. But this will not occur peacefully.
But in a situation like this isn’t that the Romanian Government should interfere to defend the Romanians leaving in Ukraine? Russia is for sure is going to defend its ethnic population. As they are doing in Caucasus for 20 years.
The Romanian Government should not exclude (the possibility) , on the contrary to get ready for the possibility in case the situation becomes imminent and intervention becomes necessary, inclusive a military one in the North Bucovina (present Ukraine) region of Herza,North and South od Basarabia (Rep of Moldova and why not the Transilvania (North West of Romania a territory claimed by Hungary ) when the Ukrainan state would not be able to maintain the public order in the territories populated by Romanians.
The population of these territories would benefit from auto determination. As Russia is going to defend its ethnic population is the Romanian Government ready to intervine to defend the Romanians for Cheranutsi and South Basarabia?
Thanks Arevordi and Sarkis86, for the translate and for the clarification of the languages
Delete"As for North Americans being unilingual, Arevordi has written about English being long been weaponized and politicized and used as the medium to transmit globalist filth known as "pop culture" to nations all over the world"
Makes sense- very one world government with their monoculture farming and their monopolization of everything- I can see where multilingualism would make things more difficult for the ptsb
In NA the elites classes won't even have to worry about english being spoken what with all the texting
lots of the kids here talk as if they are texting and writing is a thing of the past
so is math really-
Arevordi which post was that you wrote about the English language being used in that manner? I will have to read that one.
Penny,
DeleteAround the time when the Soviet Union was collapsing in the late 1980s, a high level military official from Washington asked soldiers who were present at a talk he was giving: What is the most powerful weapon in our inventory? One soldier raised his hand and enthusiastically answered: Aircraft carriers. The official said, no. Another soldier raised his hand and confidently answered: Nuclear bombs! The official said, no. Another soldier thought he had finally found the answer jumped in to yell: Ballistic missile submarines!!! The general said, no. Another soldier, looking clearly perplexed, raised his hand and answered: The most powerful weapon we have is the... US soldier?
The official, once more, said no.
When the soldiers gave up, the officials went on to answer the question he has posed: "The most powerful weapons in our arsenal are: Hollywood, MTV, Jeans, McDonalds, CNN, US Dollar and the English language. With these we can invade every single nation on earth and the natives will never know they were being invaded." He went on to add: "If they want to speak our language, sing our songs, dance to our music, watch our films, live in our lands, get their information from our sources, learn in our universities and trade with our currency - how can they ever be able to recognize us as their enemy?"
I address the weaponization of English and the menace of Globalism in the following two commentaries:
Russia, the menace of Globalism, Democracy and the Political West: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-menace-of-western-globaism-western.html
Armenia Joins Russian Led Customs Union: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2013/10/armenia-joins-russian-led-customs-union.html
An ominous sign indeed: Pope’s doves of peace for Ukraine attacked by angry birds: http://rt.com/news/pope-doves-omen-ukraine-222/
ReplyDeletesaw that one
Deletehubby showed it to me
yikes!
Anyone notice that the "oppositions" the world over are all the of the same breed. Always the most loathsome and despicable creatures who always call for "western intervention". Its quite telling that Ukrain's main "opposition" leader called on the "west" to resolve their crisis. And its also interesting that he is using anarchists and western seperatisists/radicals to do their bidding. Just like Syria's "opposition" is using the wahabist scum to do theirs.
ReplyDeleteI am so god-dammed sick of the sheeple on this planet. How many more examples do all these Syrian, Ukranian, Armenian.... idiots need? They are satisfied only when their actions lead to their countries being ruined?
There are similarities simply because those that are behind these uprisings and civil wars are the same group of people. For example: A group known as "Pre-Parliament" in Armenia (a group that has established a parallel government) has a counterpart of the same name and same intention in Ukraine. Is this by chance or by design? Go to my previous blog commentary and carefully read the section about "Ideal Illusions". The West funds these groups. The template they use for their activism will therefore be similar all around the world. In the big picture, this is not a Syrian, Armenian or Ukrainian problem, this a problem we have with humanity. The more I experience humans, the more I appreciate animals.
DeletePS: I'd even add that destiny (what is preordained) has a role to play in these events. We are living through the preliminary stages of historic changes in the world. The current order of things is changing. A new world is being born. A new, unknown future awaits us all. The events we are witnessing are merely catalysts to get us there.
The topic covered in this blog entry needs to become discussed on a national level. I am going to leave this blog entry up for the next month or so. In the meanwhile, I ask you to read its contents in full (including the supporting articles) and ask your friends and acquaintances to do so as well. Don't hesitate to share your ideas be it for or against what is being presented. I did my best to keep the work as concise as possible. I have also tried to cover several important angles. Nevertheless, if we Armenians want Armenia to truly prosper and be taken seriously as a nation-state in the future, than the discussion of Armenian expansion is fundamentally important because Armenia's most pressing problem has been and will continue being its small, remote and landlocked geography. Therefore, like a religious ritual, I think this topic needs to be resurrected every year around this time - until the day when its goals are realized. The liberation of Western Armenia, the establishment of a common border with Russia and/or gaining a direct access to the Black Sea needs to be kept alive in our minds and our hearts. But also expect to be attacked for such ideas, not by Turks but by our own people. Expect to be called warmongers, haters, Russophiles, Putin's ass kissers, fascists and extremists. But don't fret. Recognize that not all Armenians are our kin nor do they deserve being called an Armenian. Appeasing such people will only dilute our work and divert us from our sacred task. Recognize that traits that have helped Armenians succeed in foreign lands are some of the same traits that cause serious sociopolitical problems inside Armenia. Recognize that Armenians can be very intelligent, strong, resourceful, adaptive, creative, faithful, family oriented, strong willed and compassionate - but also recognize that Armenians can very jealous (especially towards other Armenians), competitive (especially towards other Armenians), clannish, materialistic, ostentatious, overly emotional, overly stubborn, egotistical, otaramol, arrogant and politically ignorant. In our attempts to create a better Armenia, the biggest obstacle we will encounter is the Armenian. Therefore, when it comes to our very colorful people, learn to appreciate quality over quantity. More importantly, learn to always place Armenia's interests above that of the Armenian - for only with a powerful Armenia will the always-otaramol, never-satisfied and always-complaining Armenian find a reason to say in his or her homeland.
ReplyDeleteAs I have said: Even if all of Armenia's nastiest oligarchs miraculously turned into sweet angles overnight and gave away all their money and possessions, Armenia will still have severe sociopolitical and economic problems merely because of being a small, remote, desolate, blockaded and landlocked nation surrounded by hostile neighbors. Armenia's most pressing problem today is its location and the political climate of the south Caucasus..
DeleteAs I have said: Had Armenia's corrupt leadership been in the pockets of Western officials, they would do no wrong in Western eyes and we today would not be bombarded with the current anti-Armenia doom&gloom campaign by Western assets throughout Armenian society. But recognize that had Armenia been in Western pockets - or under Western boots - Armenians would have at the very least lost Artsakh and Armenia today would be a filthy playground for Western oil interests and Pan-Turkists. The information war we have been experiencing against Armenia (going back to the Soviet era) is simply because of Armenia's close alliance with Russia. Had it not been for Armenia's nasty oligarchs, Armenia would be suffering today at the hands of even nastier oligarchs from New York, London, Tel Aviv and Istanbul.
As I have said: Prosperity, political stability and Democracy are not interrelated: Never has been, never will be. Ask yourselves, what has Democracy, as preached by Western powers, brought to nations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Serbia and Ukraine? The answer is, utter chaos, civil war and destruction! What has Western Democracy brought to Europe? The answer is, economic instability for some, economic collapse for others, decadence, the lose of national identity and the very decline of western and European civilization! What about Western countries? Well, Western nations are ruled by an elite-based political/financial system where top level military leaders, government officials and financial executives make major decisions independent of the "voters" wishes. There is no Democracy in the West: They are not that stupid. The West acquired its immense wealth and global influence through centuries of genocide, slavery, grand theft and imperial wars - not because of Democracy, civil society, multiculturalism, free and fair elections, freedom of speech or gay rights.
As I have said: As bad as Armenia seems sometimes, it is going through very natural growing pains, stuff all nations, include the best in the West, have gone through. Armenia's internal matters are being exploited by Western assets and used against Armenia. This is eroding the Armenian spirit. This is causing demoralization and panic. There are two fundamental reasons why large numbers of Armenians have fled Armenia in recent years and a large number of those remaining is prone to fleeing: 1) The constant information war and doom&gloom campaign being carried out against Armenia by Western assets throughout Armenian society. 2) Because a large segment of Armenian society today is Gypsy-like by nature and for these people their personal whims are more important than their well-being of the land they were born in. At the end of the day, this is why Armenian want out while Uzbeks and Nigerians, two nations that are amongst the most unstable, most backward and most corrupt in the world, have very complacent populations that want to stay put in their homelands.
I would also like to add the following.
ReplyDeleteArmenia is a thousand times better than many of other wealthier nations.
Armenia is NOT that kind of country where one would die of starvation.
It is slowly but surely developing. Sure, salaries are not perfect(where are they perfect?), but how that salary is being spent is a factor of why many Armenians complain that "pox chka". Most of them, as soon as they get their money at the end of the month, spend on stuff they don't need and in less than 24 hours they're broke once again.
Villagers (especially from the older generation) are not hard-working, a habit that they earned from the Soviet days. Instead of actually working on their fields in order to better their lives, many Armenians sit around do nothing, smoke and drink all day and complain that they don't have affordable jobs. While the villagers have the right to ask some necessary tools from the government to help them harvest, nevertheless they can still do a lot on their own.
Also, regarding the propaganda. Many middle-class Armenians have sold all they have and migrated to Glendale to work as taxi drivers and barely make a living. They would rather do that than live in Armenia because they believe they have arrived in the "land of opportunity".
Finally, I believe that a huge ներհոսք/ներգաղթ towards Armenia is predictable once western economy falls. Many people are already realizing this. I personally know families from the US and France that are either planning to or have already repatriated to Armenia.
http://www.carnegie.ru/eurasiaoutlook/?fa=54244
ReplyDeleteGood read.
LG
Nigerians do not stay put in their countries. They pour ou of their hell hole in their hundreds of thousands.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see statics on Nigeria regarding this matter. So, whoever you are, please be kind enough to find it and bring it to my attention. However, when I mentioned Nigeria, I had this Gallup study in mind: http://www.focus-fen.net/news/0000/00/00/320026/
DeleteAsk yourself: Are Nigerians - and Somalians - living that much better than Armenians, or is it a simple matter of perception?
'Perception' created by all the negative propaganda being waged against Armenia by Western assets coupled with bad aspects of Armenian folk culture are the real reasons why Armenians are "suffering" today.
@Svediatsi
ReplyDeleteAgreeing 100% on your comment.
@Arevordi
Excellent words regarding the BS scare tactics that Armenians are going to dissappear from Armenia.
My opinion on this, the ongoing population shrinkage of Armenian is a necessity.
We have to trim out the population segments that melt away by the sight of a hamburger or a mercedes on facebook. Those do not have neither the mental or physical characteristics to live in Armenian. It is much better they leave Armenia rather than infect the rest of the population with their mental poison. Armenia must be a rough place to live, the population should depend on oneself for sustenance, one should think for himself how to secure a living, how to self-medicate, in other words, using words from ex-Catholicos Vazgen I, Armenian should know how to make bread from rocks, deep philosophy, soil is nothing but eroded rocks, from which you get wheat, and then bread, using all natural elements (sun,earth,water,air)
Breaking genetic news:
One to three men fathered most western Europeans!!
http://dienekes.blogspot.be/2013/11/one-to-three-men-fathered-most-western.html
PS: R1b is the largest haplogroup in the male Armenian population (25 to 30% of all Armenian men and up to 40% in Armenian men from Karabakh and Syunik.
I personally have met one such man in Artsakh, who confessed to me that he is fathering a number of boys (from different women) to become future soldiers. He has the financial means, so good for him, wish we had more.
For us, diaspora Armenians, we should dedicate AT LEAST a quarter of our income to support the homeland. A quarter of our income should flow to Armenia, either to support the economy through tourism, real estate, or simply by directly supporting families. The 50 USD donation once a year via telethon does not justify to sit idle the rest of the year.
Every cent we transfer to Armenia is an investment not a charity, it is an investment for our children and grand children to claim they have an Armenian homeland.
Sometimes your investment fails, you get ripped off, shit happens. But never give up, pour your money to either Artsakh, or border villages in Armenia. Get involved. When in Armenia you will find that most locals will dream up some projects and ask for your support. Use your brain and your sound judgment to identify if the idea is high risk, or low. Go for low risk.
One farmer might need some little help to be able to boost his harvest yield. An extra tool, a storage facility, a plastic green house, a milling device or a mini tractor are some examples how one can improve their living.
For the craftsman, one who is master of jewelry arts, a simple workshop table with some few tools would enable them to produce jewels that they can sell in the market.
A few cages that cost no more than 500 USD would enable a family to grow rabbits and live off the meat they sell.
When you travel to Armenia, DO NOT go to big hotels, but knock on doors and stay at poor people's houses, if the toilet stink, go take a dump in the fields, anyway squatting is much healthier. When you leave, usually they refuse taking money, specially in Artsakh, kindly tell them than it is important they take it because you are aware of the economic hardships, and that money is not important, but should be seen as a way to help each other. Don't look down on them, instead, kneel down and worship them, for they are the ones who deserve credit for protecting our homeland.
AJ
Good post A.J.
DeleteCompletely agree that Diasporan Armenians could and should be much more willing to invest in Armenia. Apart from the positive morale such acts would raise, and the antidote role such acts would play against the poison of doom-and-gloom black propaganda, even relatively small amounts would make an impact in the poorer regions of Armenia, particularly in infrastructure and in subsidizing farm equipment for villagers.
On a related note, here are some good responses by myself, Avetis and T.K. to an idiotic call by Harut Sassounian for Armenians to sink their money into further lobbying the reptiles known as American politicians, supposedly for the sake of "Հայ Դատ" struggling onward in the US.
http://asbarez.com/118384/armenians-should-counteract-countless-congressional-trips-to-turkey/#comment-6837046
AJ, very impressive words. Thank you.
DeleteI have made quite a few enemies by saying that Armenia can afford to shed a few hundred thousand more of its non-productive, otaramol and hysterically paranoid citizens.
Guantanamo must be ‘shut down’ while Obama is in office, says Russian Foreign Ministry
ReplyDeletehttp://rt.com/news/guantanamo-closure-russia-dolgov-245/
Good to see the Russians playing the Human Rights game after all of the bullshit America tries to dump on Armenia through its fictitious "State Department Annual Human Rights Report." The US complaining about any other country's record is like the kettle calling the pot black... Actually it's more like a genocidal superpower that uses drones to kill civilians, has hundreds of military bases and occupation troops around the world, is closely allied with terrorists, and has the dubious distinction of being the only state evil enough to use weapons of mass destruction on civilians, twice, talking out of its ass.
Every diasporan that has the honor, opportunity and privilege to visit the homeland must, must ,take a trip to Artsakh. From the first moment you cross the " border" the high mountains of Artsakh grow on you and will never abandon you, nor you will abandon her. Three times , at a garage, bus stop and a road stall in Artsakh I left my wallet behind ( with a substantial amount of foreign currency, credit cards, etc) on a seat, table ,or chair, and was heading to get into the car and drive away, three times I had a boy, a middle aged man and a woman, ran after me calling me to stop because I had forgotten my wallet behind. Maybe I was lucky, but I certainly will tell you that you shall find no such luck in any other country should you experience a similar incidence incidence ( maybe in Japan) . Anyway I am not saying that Artsakh grows on you because of this particular experience. There is a spiritual well in that mountainous land that mesmerizes the visitor. The people, the landscape, is immanent in the hye soul. Every diasporan must be made to pay a tithe toward the homeland and double the tide for Artsakh. We do not need the diasporan's philosophies, nor human rights culture, nor the soporific dosage of democracy, multiculturalism , nor the anectdotes and quotes from Martin LK to inspire the homeland and serve as examples. There is a particular lady Mary titzian, or something like that , a Canadian diasporan dwelling in Erevan who writes for Asbarez and she is so fond of rhapsodizing about human rights culture, democracy, rule of law ( gangster law) tolerance, and quoting the pearls of wisdom of Martin ???? and well will do Armenians to heed and internalize thes codes. Who the hell is Martin, and what has he got to do with armenia ? . We have our own fountain of knowledge, experience and wisdom to draw upon as spiritual nourishments and role models , instead of eulogizing and pontificating about a lecherous whoring swine, and plagiarist, declared an american saint. The diaspora needs to pour their wealth into Hayastan, to make it strong, no strings attached , nor questions asked. Help the fatherland, and refrain from importing the toxins and decadent contemporary philosophies that are destroying western civilization. We need your cash, not your foreign ideas and worldviews. Hayarpi
ReplyDeleteHayarpi,
DeleteThank you very much for your wonderful words of wisdom. It gives me hope to see that Diasporans like you still exist. Sadly, most of the Diaspora (particularity those in the western world and in the Middle East) has become in fact a very bad/corrosive influence on Armenia and is actually a fundamental part of the reason why many people there want out. The American-Armenian Diaspora in particular is fast becoming a serious liability for Armenia. All of the most toxic ideas and movements in the country is coming via the US. I regularly monitor all Western funded organizations that cover Armenian news and American-Armenian news publications, as well as Mary Titizian's nonsense - simply to keep reminding myself of how dangerous Western-led Armenians have become for Armenia.
Thank you for reading this blog and thank you even more for your comment.
MLK is one of the patron saints of the American religion. He was the Barack Obama of his day, a phoney hyped up incessantly by the jewish media. And he fit the role perfectly: a self-righteous, holier-than-thou black agitator who the useless White idiots followed like a messiah. The perfect tool to throw in the face of White people, break traditional bounds to race and family and replace them with the blind worship of raceless ideals... And he was "assassinated", a sob story the establishment could exploit for decades and use time and again to prove that all nationalists must be evil.... nevermind tha
Deletet this black reverend had a habit for prostitutes, White of course, and occasionally was known for "fucking for God tonight" from FBI records. One can only speculate the media magic that could have taken place had MLK and Kim Kardashian been around in the same era.
There are many reasons why maria titizian would could reference this made for TV idol. Primarily she is at the core NOT an Armenian, ideologically or spiritually, rather she can only be identified as a left-wing odar/American whore and agent of the new globalist religion of America. She thinks in globalese, so every concept in her head is automatically twisted and politicized against Nationalism. How could a bitch like that quote anyone other than a piece of shit like MLK; don't expect her to quote actual Armenian patriots who fought or died for Armenia, like Njteh or Dro or even Zori Balayan.... Of course unlike her psychologically damaged followers, a large portion of whom I suspect are dim-witted females in the Armenian Diaspora, maria titizian is not kind hearted, rather she is a hired mercenary with zero moral credibility and who knows exactly what she is doing. Maria is a political prostitute.
Needless to say this slut is the ARF's representative to Socialist International, reminding us once again that the ARF in Armenia is a trojan horse disguised behind the name of (arguably) a once respectable party. Needless to say she is a raving Russophobe, a demented "war of liberation for Armenian women" provacatuer, and a participated visibly in past attempts at denigrating and demoralizing the noble Armenian Army, as well as a supported many "opposition" pretenders to the Armenian throne.
Her elimination from Armenia would be a most welcome development.
As far as the commentary by Anonymous regarding Nigerians, I fully endorse his statement. I have lived in Africa for many years. The African, regardless of his background, swahili,zulu,suthu tchonga etc, always will follow the european wherever the european happens to go. The african can not live without the european., hence the cognitive dissonance of the realism we face today; the african having expelled the european from the continent and having inherited the bountiness left behind by the european it managed in a mere decade to sink the countries into rack and ruin. What do they do ? Invade Europe, follow the european wherever he goes. Nigeria has a population of 150-180m; it is a huge landmass, riven by a myriad of ethnicities and religions. There are Nigerian immigrant associations everywhere in Europe. Greece is flooded with them, their profession is organized pimping, running drug networks, white slave trading ,criminality--- the large Nigerian contingent is augmented by ghanahians, senegalese,somalies etc, anywhere from Africa. In Japan, a recent phenomenom is to find Africans as bouncers in night spots of dubious repute, these bouncers are Nigerians. In South Africa there were no foreign African population during the European rule. South Africa upon becoming africanized was quickly invaded by a hurricane of nigerians. Hillbrough , a pretty central suburb in Johannesburg has been wholly Nigerianized, you walk the streets of hillbrough with the help of your guardian angel ; 750000 Nigerians live illegally in SA. You shall not find this information in any main stream media. Anyway, this is my input based on experience; I do not want to take anything away from Anonymous reply to the question, he might have another source of information. Take it for what it is worth. This an armenian blog and I don't want to bore the readers with tedious stories about Africa. Were Armenia by a remote possibility of sheer lunacy and madness to allow foreign immigration from africa, the first and largest contingent from the dark continent to make its way to our homeland would stem from Nigeria. Hayarpi
ReplyDeleteHayarpi, I hear you and I totally agree with you. I have had business dealings with Nigerians in the US and I know what you are saying. But we are seriously diverting from the intent of my comment.
DeleteOnce more: According to the poll in question, Nigerians and Somalians are amongst the happiest people in the world despite the fact that their nations are indeed hell on earth. And Armenians and Bulgarians are amongst the unhappiest in the world even though Armenia and Bulgaria are light years ahead of Nigeria and Somalia in terms of civilization and living standards.
Incidentally, another poll about a year or so ago suggested that something around 5% of Uzbeks wanted to leave their homeland whereas 40% of Armenians want to do the same.
Moreover, relatively speaking, wouldn't you think that the percentage of Armenians that want to live outside of Armenia would be much-much-much higher than the percentage of Nigerian wanting to do the same? Is half of Nigeria's 180 million population seeking to leave? No. From what I can tell, Nigeria is overflowing - whereas Armenians are fleeing. There is an intrinsic difference between the two.
Even if only 10% of Nigerians left their homeland they would be "flooding" all of Europe and the US.
Anyway, I think this topic was somewhat derailed by Anonymous' nitpicking. Please respect the spirit of my comment and don't place my words under a microscope. Let's stop discussing particulars of Africa. Let's please bring this topic back on track and recognize that unlike peoples that live in very bad conditions but stay within their homelands, Armenians who relatively speaking live in much better conditions than most peoples on earth are constantly ready to flee their homeland.
The intent of this observation is to get people to understand that 'perception' created by Western propaganda, the Diaspora and bad traits within Armenian folk culture is behind it all.
Really wonderful comments by Hayarpi and AJ. Like Arevordi always says its all really a matter of perception or actually MIS-perception. Take as example bimbos like Titizian (there are oh so many of her type in our communities). These good hearted but also simple minded people look at their countries where they reside and see how wonderful they are how efficiently they work and think that by importing those countries "values" into Armenia they will also transform Armenia in a positive way. These people never taking a moment to stop and really think about HOW those western countries that are rich and powerful today got that way. I total agree with Arevordi when he says that those wonderful countries got rich and powerful not because of democracy but because of world wars, centuries of colonization and exploitation and that now they are using their money and power to tell other how they should live and enslave smaller nations. Is what I said really that hard to understand? Also what's with this new PreParliament group. I was checking out their website, that sriyahay bubblehead yeghia is with them LOL But seriously where the hell did they all of a sudden come out of, who is paying the costs for their international travels and domestic operations? Setting up a alternative government, guys isn't what they are doing actually illegal?
ReplyDeleteArto1
Very depressing reading if I may say so. If this is the kind of future that awaits Armenia than I want no part of it. When is the cycle of violence going to stop? NEVER trust any power and that includes Russia. They are all in it for themselves and they will sacrifice us once again like they did one hundred years ago. If you are Armenians you should be ashamed of yourselves for celebrating war and death. Of all peoples in this world we Armenians must be the ones spreading the light of peace and coexistence to mankind.
ReplyDeleteKharpertsi
You must either be very young and naive or a bleeding heart, Western educated, uber liberal. Or you're making a joke at our expense.
DeleteNo one here is saying Armenia should be friends with other states and rely on them. The gist is that Armenia shares a number of geopolitical interests with Russia. So long as this remains the case Armenians need to do everything possible to reap the benefits from this convergence of interests and encourage the Kremlin to identify with even more issues important to the Armenian state; like liberating Western Armenia.
So long as turks occupy our primordial homeland, deny their role in the killing of 1/3 of the world's Armenian population almost 100 years ago, and continue their support of azerbaijan, and economic embargo of Armenia, then the saying that the only good turk is a dead turk is accurate. What is being celebrated here is an important campaign where Russian soldiers with the aid of Armenian fedayins annihilated a menacing turkish army and in the process saved countless Armenian lives. We have a few veterans on this forum and they would be the first to tell you that war is not something to look forward to nor celebrate.
Anyway, if there is one book you ought to read it should be 'On Justice, Power, and Human Nature: The Essence of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War'
Perhaps then you will understand how the world system works, and how it is a manifestation of human nature; has not changed since ancient times.
LG
Kharpertsi,
DeleteI normally thank people for reading this blog when they leave comments but clearly you have either not read or not understood what's written here. Therefore, please do not take any of my words out of context and don't accuse me warmongering or celebrating death. The real warmongers are those you have served your entire life in the US. The real warmongers are those in Turkey you are desperately trying to kiss up to with your utopian plea. I know you mean well. I also feel that are a decent person. But I also know that like most of your American-Armenian kin you are totally oblivious to the realities of the real world and you do not understand anything about the geopolitical landscape within which Armenia finds itself in. American-Armenians tend to be like zombies and only concern themselves with "feel good" fluff. They do not understand natural order, they do not understand politics, they do not understand Armenian history. Anyway, in the big picture, it was utopian, pacifist, semi-assilimated and politically ignorant Armenians like you that quietly went to their graves one hundred years ago. Ironically, if only we had a few more "warmongers" as you put it, your grandparents in Kharpert and elsewhere would not have been slaughtered like sheep. By the way, you have enjoyed the fruits of the US because American warmongering for over one hundred years. Think about that for a while. Anyway, don't try to scare us with your "if this is the future that awaits Armenia then I want nothing to do with it" because you weren't actually going to have anything to do with Armenia's future to begin with.
Kharpertsi jan,
DeleteI'm going to answer your comment with a video. In it you'll find the answer to your questions and worries. I just hope you'll be able to find it...
Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKEa25CZVEE
Not so much shame, but I do feel a great deal of embarrassment for you after reading your comment. You're taking that "turn the other cheek" adage to a suicidal extreme. You need to understand that Armenia is on the rise for the first time after a thousand years, and after nearly being exterminated merely a century ago. I question any "Armenian" who claims to find this to be "depressing".
DeleteEducate yourself on history and politics instead of spreading the western lies of "Russia sacrificing Armenia." Arevordi has written a very long, detailed and thorough piece on why Russia is important for Armenia in a geopolitical sense, and all you come up with is a straw-man argument about "don't trust Russia". You seem to speak English well enough, so I can only conclude that there was no problems in comprehension; you just did not bother to read Arevordi's brilliant analysis of Armenian geopolitics and history.
But don't worry too much about not wanting to have a part of Armenia's future, because it is clear you are a lost-cause western Armenian. I always tell lamenting Armenians such as yourself to just give it up, change your last name and assimilate into the American mainstream. Because in all honesty you have ZERO connection to the Republic of Armenia today and ZERO possibility of ever making a connection to Armenia anyway... Frankly Armenia is better off without demoralizing Armenians such as yourself.
And no one here "celebrates war and death", that is strictly the prerogative of the western neocon warmongers and western liberal "humanitarian interventionists", and their buddies the turks, the sunni terrorists and the kikes. There is a profound difference between celebrating imperialism and barbaric war crimes committed by Armed Forces such as America's, Turkey's and Israel's; as opposed to celebrating heroic young men and women in the Armenian Armed Forces keeping the barbaric and genocidal bandits from turkey and azerbaijan out of Armenia. And for all this holier-than-thou criticism of Armenia engaging in successful self-defense, I sincerely doubt the words "I don't want anything to do with America because of the myriad of war crimes it has committed over the last few years/decades/centuries" ever come out of your mouth.
And please save the banter about being "a light unto the world" for the synagogue.
Kharpertsi
Delete"spreading the light of peace"
Haven't we done that for 1000s of years? haven't we been peaceful and trustful to all the wrong people? What was the result? near extermination as a nation. I hope you do realize that if not the victory in Sardarapat me, you and this blog would have not been alive and communicating.
T.K..
I'm all for a strong homeland defense. God bless our boys in the army. But what you youngsters are failing to see is that we are only a few million and they are over a hundred million and growing. In such a mismatched fight you don't ask for a fight, you look for other ways to get things done. Use your heads. Dialogue never hurt! There are so many Turks that hate their leaders. Seek them out and talk. Win them over to our side. Make the new generation of Turks aware of what their ancestors did to us. Turks wont go back to mongolia. We have to learn to live next to them without war because that's what you do when your numbers are small. From what I see many of you are living in the past and one guy is living in ancient times. Step into the modern world and see that the old way is not always the best way. America is not perfect but at least every four years we can try to correct our mistakes. I will now leave you to play your war games.
DeleteProud Kharpertsi
Kharpetsi
Deletewhy are you taking things out of context? i haven't read any calls to arms and march to turkey. a lot of youngsters here as you mentioned are calm, educated and equipped with facts on the ground and current geopolitic affairs.
I don't see any of previous usa sponsored attempts for turko-armenian diolog bringing anything tangible results and i will be surprised if it would. turks want us forget about genocide and return lands to Azeris. Are you ready as proud Kharbertsi to make that sacrifice?
what this blog is about and what Arevordi writes about is Russo-Armenian alliance as the only way to counter our geostrategic weaknesses. We all need to contribute to maximize gains from this alliance. instead you are preaching to win over turks on our side. haven't you figured that those won over turks may one day get the call of allah as wolves and come after lamb again.
i am just amazed that there are armenians in this day and age who think that we may one day be brothers with turks. look what they are doing in Syria. how many examples we need for our naive lamb to understand this simple reality.
T.K.
"There are so many Turks that hate their leaders. Seek them out and talk. Win them over to our side."
DeleteThat's EXACTLY what the ARF did as early as 1907 when it moved to ally itself with the Committee of Union and Progress and decided to run joint election tickets with them. The ittihadists and young turks also "hated their leaders". Still the turks have never been so blinded by utopian ideals as to spread a demoralizing sense of inferiority and subservience among their own people.
"you youngsters"
-Honestly from your juvenile posts I had assumed you were a teenager.
"America is not perfect but at least every four years we can try to correct our mistakes."
-Spoken like a true sheep. Armenians and Russians also hold elections every five years, they don't keep electing war criminals.
"one guy is living in ancient times"
-So says the proud "Kharpetsi".
At the risk of upsetting our "peace and coexistence" comrade Kharpertsi above, I'd like to take a moment and celebrate the fact that Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian tacit confirmed that Armenia's acquisition of Iskander-M missiles is imminent. The benefits of Customs Union and CSTO membership are really starting to roll in... I find it remarkable that people on this blog were able to accurately call these events before they took place.
ReplyDeleteOhanian Signals Russian Missile Supplies
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/25241647.html
Sarkis jan today is Army day here in Armenia. we can be proud of our heroes, starting from soldiers on the front line to chiefs. they spent many sleepless nights to protect our borders and when need be kill and throw out the enemies. We have to recognize today that we have at least one professional and truly Armenian branch in our government. that is our Armies in Armenia and Artsakh with it's leaders (Seyran Ohanyan, Yuri Khachaturov, Movses Hakobyan, Kamo Vardanyan).
DeleteMay god be with them and wish them safe service.
T.K.
Very well stated T.K.
DeleteIt's a fundamental fact that every Armenian needs to understand: Armenia's noble Armed Forces enable our Republic to exist and progress in the South Caucasus region. The sacrafices our soldiers make to ensure Armenia's survival is heroic and inspirational. And it's truly remarkable how much our soldiers accompish with such a low budget even in the face of petrostates.
And I agree, not only do our Armed Forces get the job done, but they look good doing it. On other blogs and forums, even the anti-government crowd almost always aknowledge the Army and Defense Minister Ohanian as a true professional.
Arevordi has done a good job highlighting how the western doom-and-gloom press has for years been trying to cast the Armenian Army in a bad light, exploiting every tragedy that occurs in the Army, and trying to demoralize the people against the Armenia. The fact that the Army is almost universally supported by all but the sickest Armenians attests to its high level of professionalism.
According to a Global Voices Online report (see link following this comment), Russian bloggers are claiming that Gene Sharp is in Kiev and may have had something to do with Sergiy Nigoyan's murder. Gene Sharp is the author of From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation. His work has been translated into several dozen languages. He travels the world and holds seminars about how to topple oppressive governments (in other words, governments not in Western pockets or under Western boots). I mention him and his book in my previous blog entry about Ukraine. If I am not mistaken, the idea of Pre-Parliament (setting up of parallel governments by activists) is also one of his creations. Nevertheless, if true, him being in Kiev is very symbolic as well as troubling.
ReplyDeleteRussian Conspiracy Theories about Maidan's First Blood: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/01/27/russian-conspiracy-theories-about-maidans-first-blood/
I just got around to reading this. It's very interesting, the Russian bloggers make a good point about western intelligence linked agitprop reporters being close to the scene of the first killed out of that mass of protesters; of the fact that the bullet types did not match up to those used by Ukrainian security; and the ever-present cockroach gene sharp. Western games never stop. And as others pointed out above, sacraficing a pawn like this Armenian would serve many purposes, from inciting the deluded ultranationalists in Ukraine with which the west has formed a temporary alliance, to possibliy galvanizing the currently weak and directionless opposition in Armenia.
DeleteIt's a disgrace to see these trashy individuals dragging the Armenian flag into a cesspool like the mosh pits of the Ukranian opposition.
2 initial deaths in Kiev, one being an armenian and another belorussian were organized assassinations by CIA operatives. i have come to this conclusion by reading many analysis and pre and post events sequences. here is why:
ReplyDelete1. the timing of those deaths were the signal to start violence needed to bring about forceful change in government.
2. choosing other nationalities was to stir up inter ethnic conflicts in ukraine and thus create more violence.
3. choosing an armenian and belorussian was also planned to bring about protests in armenia and belorussia, thus destabilizing other fronts. its like hitting 2 birds with one shot.
4. at the time ukrainian government forces were trying to minimize the violence thus had no valid reason to kill low level protesters.
5. if berkut had to take out anyone they would have killed CIA operatives, the heads not some common protester.
6. this assassinations also served to activate radical nationalistic groups and give them a green light to kill based on national dislike.
7. the armenian and belorussian had no worth as an asset to CIA. thus they could be killed, someone had to if you want a revolution.
T.K
PS. As sad as i am for any armenian who dies, this was a case where we have been used by others. those 20 year old armenians have so much potential to be warriors of our rightful cause and we all need to learn, readjust and do more to bring them to us and not let them be brainwashed.
Here is a really good video. i encourage you all to watch, even if no russian, try to find someone to watch along and translate. not only Tixon gives an accurate fact based interpretation of Byzantine's rise and fall, he also explains all the reasons behind it. Watching it you get a feeling that it is all repeating now in our times.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hs3o5O5kX4
T.K.
Gene Sharp , another proverbial critter from the chosen race. How blind can people be. The NGO' network and orchestra is polluted with these swines, under the Soros conductor . In partnership with Mossad-CIA and other intelligence services their business is to subvert governments and export regime change, crush nationalist sentiments, revolutions under the disguise of human rights, democracy, tolerance and universal peace. A sovereign nation needs to ban all NGO, acitivities and expel its members from the country . NGO's are the equivalent of a parallel government. In Armenia NGO's may not powerful enough to influence government decisions; in countries such as Greece, Spain, Germany, and other EU fiefdoms they are exceedingly influential and monitor government acitivities in a master -slave relationship. NGO's are anarchy INC., neo trostkytes, nation wrecking organism.
ReplyDeleteWell stated. Keep your eyes on Pre-Parliamant (Nakhakhorhurdaran) in Armenia. They have been getting very active in recent months. Do what you can to raise awareness about them.
DeleteArevordi:
ReplyDeleteYou say had Armenians gotten their affairs in order in 1917 and unified when the Russians left, there would be no lamenting because there would be no genocide. Correct me if I'm wrong, but most of the massacres of the genocide occurred in 1915, and to a lesser extend in 1916. So no matter what we had done, the number of dead would not have changed.
True most of the massacres and deportations occurred in 1915-1916. But Russia managed to liberate almost all of Western Armenia, as deep as Erzurum by 1917. Had Armenia held on to that land, some of the refugees could have returned instead of remaining in Syria and the rest of the Middle East and Europe. Armenia would be demographically and geographically much better off, and psychologically healthier. The overall impact of the Genocide could have been greatly diminished... And turkey would not be as powerful as it appears to be today. The massacres in Cilicia that occurred after the French abandoned it in 1921 may also have been prevented, or at least the refugees could have settled in Armenian-held Western Armenia.
DeleteIt's not true that most of the killings occurred in 1915. April 24, 1915 is meant to be symbolic date. The genocidal killings began in the spring of 1915 and continued throughout the war years. Turks were murdering their Armenian subjects even as late as the early 1920s. Having said, and as horrible as it may sound, that the actual number of Armenian dead is not important in this discussion. In the event that Armenians were able to successfully defend their territory - there is absolutely no doubt that less Armenians would have died in the long run. Moreover, in such a scenario, the Armenian dead would be considered "war dead" and not victims of a genocide.
DeleteWar criminal, rabid Russophobe and staunch turcophile john mccain on Syria. The hypocrisy is unbearable, fortunately the Russian participant set him straight. Note the total lack of respect by mccain, laughing and talking over the Russian diplomat.:
ReplyDeleteMcCain On Syria: "We Were Winning ..." "We"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnsnr9sghOQ
The real lesson for Armenians, particularly Armenian-Americans, should be that the American political classes, including judicial, executive as well as the legislative (House of Representatives and Senate where mccain occupies a seat) are in fact war criminals, and it is an insult to the memory of Armenian Genocide victims to grovel at the feat of these scum so that they bestow their "recognition" upon our tragedy... The lesson for citizens of the Republic of Armenia should be "we have no business dealing with these barbarians, and we should not provide their paid agents on the Armenian public scene any forums where they may spread their poisonous propaganda."
I'm certain many Armenian-Americans have family in Syria whose lives have been turned into a living hell by US-sponsored terrorists. Yet the Armenian-American community has been almost deafeningly silent regarding this ugly truth, save for one or two minor voices.
I am posting this links about russian duma rep Bagdasarov. he is probably at least half armenian. he brings up a lot of important facts to our gain.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhsXDT6gl_E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAQHnrjuETk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mujDcC-O-0
the last link is a must watch. i never knew about this guy. very interesting.
T.K.
whoever would like to participate in the depopulation sessions, I'm sure there will be idiots ranting about the government and oligarchs n stuff
ReplyDeletehttp://www.depop.am/
AJ
Well, often times the whole purpose of these seminars is to attack Armenia's leadership. In these lectures I have noticed that the least amount of airtime is given to the most important factors behind why Armenia has serious economic issues: The twenty year old double blockade of the country and the fact that Armenia is a small, desolate, remote and a landlocked nation with problems with three of four neighbors - not to mention the fact that Armenia is simply too small for the overly ambitious and extremely materialistic Armenian.
DeleteLook at the background of this event:
"The DEPOP Armenia Project was established by Vahan Kololian, a Canadian-Armenian, who worked with the Yerevan-based NGO, the International Centre for Human Development (www.ichd.org), in selecting two Armenian universities and two think-tanks, to conduct research on the reasons behind the high levels of emigration from Armenia."
Just follow the money trail, look into associations, and you'll see that politics lurks behind it all. The most ironic part is that by sponsoring these traveling horror shows, they are actually encouraging more people to flee Armenia and they encouraging Diasporans to have nothing to do with Armenia. Events like this becomes part of the vicious cycle and also creates demoralization and mass hysteria. These people have turned discussions about Armenia into a sadomasochistic sport: The more horrible the news they more excited they get. But of course they all mean well.
This will be in the January 30th issue of the California Courier, article number two:
Delete2 - The Depopulation Crisis in Armenia
Presentation Feb. 11 at Glendale Library
LOS ANGELES - The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in collaboration
with the Kololian Foundation is hosting "The Depopulation Crisis in
Armenia," an international speaking tour. The DEPOP Research
Groupwill present its findings from "The
Depopulation Crisis in Armenia"
research report, which was funded by the Kololian Foundation of Toronto.
The presentation will be held Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m., at the Glendale Public
Library, 222 E. Harvard St.
The DEPOP Research Group consists of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic)
University Research Team; the Research and Business Center of the Faculty
of Economics of Yerevan State University,; the Hrayr Maroukhian Foundation;
and academics Arshak Balayan, Armen Gakavian, and Avetik Mejlumyan. Their
field work on emigration from Armenia was conducted from 2012 - 2013, and
the findings were first presented in Yerevan at the United Nations
Population Fund conference, October 2013.
Other international locations include Beirut, Paris, Toronto, and New York.
For more information please visit: www.depop.am.
*AGBU and the Kololian Foundation*
http://www.groong.com/news/msg493695.html --- Groong.com links are temporary.
Worrying, it simply doesn't make sense for Ukrainian security forces to randomly shoot a protestor. About the Pre-Parliament initiative (nakhakhorurdaran), after attending Alek Yenigomshian lecture in Moscow (who was trying to find sponsors), I actually felt sorry for him. The lecture was awful, they couldn't even find a normal translator who could translate him from Armenian to Russian, his speech was extremely weak, and basically nobody really understood what he wanted or what he said, just like the weird manifesto posted on their website. He couldn't answer any questions normally, and the public fell asleep. http://www.preparliament.com/en/
ReplyDeleteTheir goals are vague, though they seem "well-organised" this is not the case in reality. It only seems so because in Armenia, the journalists have nothing better to do, so they attend every single conference this sad pre-parliament initiative holds, so for us they seem much more important than they are in reality. Again, most part of the noise and damage comes from our press, eager to find 5 to 10 people who will lecture us how bad Armenia is and spread pessimistic ideas. I don't see much danger in these organisations, the real problem is how our government deals with (mostly foreign) sponsored press.
Thanks for the update from Moscow, Kim. Do you happen to know who initiated Yenigomshian's visit? Did he have any meetings there with any community representatives or officials? What feedback have you heard about his visit? Lastly, how well is Pre-Parliament (Nakhakhorhurdaran) known within the Russian-Armenian community?
ReplyDeleteI did not bother to read this article because I can only assume it is a childish rant, but the title caught my eye on the Groong News Network. I guess this ruben mehrabyan is what the more knowledgeable people on this blog refer to when they talk about the so-called "experts" in Armenia being a mix of unprofessional idiots who pull their assessments out of their asses, and outright paid agents of the west... Needless to say an intellectual toilet like aravot gives these cunts a forum.
ReplyDelete“Ukrainians victory is also the victory of Free Armenia.” Ruben Mehrabyan
http://en.aravot.am/2014/01/28/163541/
For a good laugh, take a look at the fake-blonde cow who authored this article:
http://en.aravot.am/author/emma/
Sarkis jan i wonder what will aravot say when we deploy iskandars by the end of this year and become the 2nd army in the world who possesses such missiles.
DeleteSome news about ukraine, they got their 3 billion, they expect another 2 billion soon. they owe 2.7 billion unpaid gas bills, and have no money to pay the current occurring bills. it's like what the fuck? unthankful bustards. when their protesters were screaming anti-russian slogans, their families were not in cold because russia was basically giving them free gas. Due to Olympics we dont see any rough response from Russia. wait until it's over, i am sure russia is gonna stick it to them bad. enough is enough. I hope russia will give the bill to eu and tell them to pay or cut the gas. let them get money from eu now.
T.K.
I can already imagine what the kind of idiotic things they will print:
Delete-Hayrikyan: "Russia forced to give Armenia missiles due to NATO pressure on Russia to ensure Armenia's security"
-Aravot "military expert": Russia gives Armenia missiles in order to make North Caucasian Muslims focus on Armenia, rather than Russia, as the real threat"
-Lraglir: Sure Russia "gives" Armenia missiles. But at what cost to sovereignty. Germany and Turkey get American weapons for free, but for self-desfense because America is not an imperialistic dictatorship. Russia first gives Armenia missiles and then forces Armenia to use those missiles against Azerbaijan, even though the Azeris want to make peace with Armenia. Russia just wants to keep the status quo and "no war, no peace" situation going on insteading of having Armenian-Azeri peace. The Karabakh clan in Yerevan helps them in this regard.
***
Regarding Ukraine, on the one hand Russia is mighty enough to not have to cede a centimeter of Ukraine to anybody, and play a "winner takes all" game. But on the other hand, like you said, the Ukrainians in the west are destitute dead weight.
Given the undeniably bad situation Europe finds itself in, I don't think the west can win long-term in any conceivable outcome. Yanukovitch can hang on to power and draw closer to Russia - Europe loses. Yanukovitch can lose power and the Ukraine splits in half, and Russia takes the industrial and agriculturally productive, ethnically Russian and religiously Russian Orthodox eastern Ukraine plus Crimea under its wing - Russia ends up securing factories and farmland and its highly important naval base in Sevastopol, while Europe ends up with another destitute state on its eastern frontiers which is in utter turmoil, bankrupt, and hopeless in standing up to Russia. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Poles, Romanians and various extremists in western Ukraine start fighting among themselves for the scraps. Otherwise there is no plausible scenario under which eastern Ukraine will accept a status as an EU satrapy, not that Russia would ever allow that to happen in the first place.
And here's where wwhat you point out about Ukraine's ingrateful bastards kicks in: they'd overtake Bulgaria as Europe's weakest economy. And frankly I question the EU's ability to subsidize western Ukraine, and NATO's ability or willingness to promise to defend it from Russia (particularly noting that France and Germany probably have ZERO desire to risk a conflict with Russia when they are rather weak domestically and themselves dependent on Uncle Sam for security).
Armenian Renaissance - Moscow Chapter invited Yeginomshian to Moscow and paid for his visit (1). They are not well-known and quite inactive, but share the same destructive Western-grown mentality, wanting to “engage” the Armenian Diaspora to be involved in the development of Armenia’s statehood (meaning importing Western standards).
ReplyDelete“Armenian Renaissance is a movement of the one Armenian nation to bring about true representative government and rule of law in the Armenian homeland and maximal engagement by the Armenian Diaspora in ensuring a safe, strong, bright, and prosperous future for Armenia.”
As other “excellent civic activist” movements, they quote Sardarapat and Policy Forum Armenia, so we know where they come from.. anyway, I spoke to the initiators and members of the Armenian Renaissance movement, and the impression they left on me was awful. One could barely answer any questions about Armenia or Armenian politics. A day after the boring lecture, he met representatives of youth organisations (AAMM), (SIVAM), etc., all whom I know, who just probably went there since they have nothing better to do anyway. He did not meet influential representatives of course nor any officials. As for the last question, they are unknown to the Armenian community.
I found it interesting that though they promoted the lecture of Yenigomshian as someone who was Monte Melkonian’s close friend, he did not speak one word about Monte Melkonian, nor did other people ask any question about Monte Melkonian, nothing, not one word. He got a few questions, one of which was if he supported Armenia's decision to join the Customs Union, his answer took about 30 minutes, nobody really understood what he was saying, but the conclusion was that no foreign power had the right to pressure Armenia, and that if Armenia was pressured to make a choice, that if they were in power, they would not make any choice and only follow an "Armenia-centric" policy, as Armenia has the power and influence to remain "independent" of any foreign power, to truly become a "sovereign" nation. Very populistic and childish. I felt ashamed instead of him.
1. http://armenian-renaissance.org/en/jan2013/MissionAndVision/
One more thing, the person who supports/accompanies him, is a colonel(?) in the Armenian army (bold guy to the right). He recently got promoted. So in Armenia it is perfectly normal for a military guy to openly support an organisation that wants to overthrow the current government.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.preparliament.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1492678_731627280181927_1882975760_o-640x360.jpg
http://www.preparliament.com/en/armenia-faces-loss-of-statehood-opposition-member/
Arevordi,
ReplyDeleteWhy didnt you include the most famous Russian-Armenian general Suvorov in your list?
Nakhakhorhurdaran is very active lately in LA.
I actually thought about including Suvarov, perhaps the greatest Russian military leader in the list.... but 1/4 Armenian??? To be fair, isn't he 3/4 Russian? I may be wrong but I don't think he considered himself an Armenian. At least Lavrov and Chiligarov both publicly acknowledge their paternal Armenian heritage and they regularly travel to Armenia.
DeleteWho knows, but it is possible that some of the opposition organizations are NSS projects. I have meet some Armenian diaspora members from Russia who are anti-Putin and love the west. Some are rich too, i am sure they are approached by various opposition groups in Armenia for support. If before USA armenians were the primary target to get milked, now Russian armenians are the primary target.
ReplyDeleteT.K.
Few thoughts about what is going on in ukraine and in a way it is true for all other other USSR republics and may become a scenario.
ReplyDeletewe have to know that the west is working hard to shift any of those counties to their side. it is their geopolitical agenda and the leadership of those countries have to be smart, honest and nation loving to counter that influence.
One of the major problems is the social unrest that is the first weakness any government has to deal with. now why social unrest? it is first of all due to hardship and people not being able to take care of their basic family's needs. it is a serious issue, we cannot have a strong country if we don't have more or less secure family.
As much as i know that for example in Armenia the budget shortfalls can not remedy our citizens every needs, i strongly believe that we can at least secure minimal social requirements.
the main obstacle to this is flowed and corrupted judicial system. it can be bought with money or influence. common people have no rights. they also lost their decency and bravery. they look and think as sheep because they are powerless. anyone who counters this becomes an opposition figure. we actually give our brave and honest people to opposition.
now why not have honest judicial system. after all it is most talked about issue and president has made changes several times and talked about it. i think the main problem here is the ruling elite, oligarkhy, family ties and money.
unless we get our judicial system working for the benefit of whole nation we will be at risk to have scenarios similar to ukraine.
T.K.
TK I hear you my friend but you also need to take into account Armenian attitudes when it come to law enforcement. every time an Armenians get caught doing something wrong the FIRST THING EVERY SINGLE relative and friends thinks of is how to convince the police or prosecutor that they were in the right. Its not in the Armenian mindset to do time for their crime. They will go to amazing leanghts to get away from the law. so you can pass whatsoever law you want but Armenia will be like Sicilia. It will take a very long time before this will change.
DeleteArto1
Arto1
DeleteYou read my mind. I also agree that corruption in the judicial sector as well as in the medical and educational sectors has to be curtailed. But I also realize that this task will be no less difficult than liberating Western Armenia. Getting around the law and finding shortcuts to everything is in our blood. A regular "democratically" elected president cannot tackle this "biopolitical" problem without popular support. The public may all give lip service by saying yes to no corruption in the court room - but as soon as anyone of them is in trouble with the law or if they need some legal matter done for them, they will immediately seek alternative solutions. And since we are talking about a poor country, populated by people with VERY big appetites and even bigger egos, so as long as there is someone on the give there will always be someone on the take.
This is an acute problem with small nations that are very clever, temperamental, materialistic and ambitious. Those who understand human nature and Armenian traits, will immediately recognize that this is very-very difficult task. I believe there are only two solutions to this problem:
1) We need a patriotic strongman on the top who is going to impose law and order with the threat of stiff punishment and one that is not afraid to break ranks with the nation's powerful clans.
2) We need television programming and a school curriculum that is geared to "socially engineer" the public so that it may have more community awareness, a sense of nation building, respect for the law and love for the homeland.
But first thing's first. We need a nationalistic strongman who is not afraid to break heads on both sides of the political fence. President Serj Sargsyan is a good president. He is a transitional leader. In many ways he is Armenia's first president. But he also has a lot of dirty laundry and he is too beholden to the powerful clans. The clans make his presidency possible. Thus, his approach to handling the wealthy families in Armenia is very similar to his "complimentary" politics when it comes to foreign relations. Like I said, President Sargsyan has been, relatively speaking, a good president but Armenia will not progress and may even regress if its next leader is of the same mold.
Corruption is rampant and raging like a wildfire all around the nations and goverments. Corruption is a way of life as old as the oldest profession. Asian corruption is proverbial and traditional. Corruption in western government runs at different levels and degrees. Armenia is in no worse situation than the holier than thou countries. For comparative purposes Greece, Spain Italy ,Turkey are in a much deeper corruption level than Armenia. Same with south American countries, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil etc. they beat Armenia hands down in the corruption race. We are not wasting time with Africa where Corruption is a religion. In Ghana you can not get a pair of shoelaces without greasing someone's palm ( no pun intended). The USA is a wholly corrupt geographical entity, at the very highest level. In England and France corruption skims the highest levels of society . Weimar germany was a rotten corruption edifice.In Armenia corruption may be more visible than elsewhere because of its newly emergent status and other factors . However, Arevordi hit the nail on the head, we can eradicate corruption, or at best reduce the degree and levels, we need a strong leader , someone of the caliber of the late Herr Hitler, to arrive and clean up the augean stables, and crack the whip whenever necessary.. However having lived and visited 5 continents I am still not in the least perturbed at the degree and level of corruption in our country, compared that is to other so called EU paradise nations, Tzagsarik
DeleteThank you. Just to add to your lucid comments: Let's also recognize that Armenia is a very small and poor country, therefore any form of corruption is immediately visible and felt by general society. So, again, it's a matter of perception. Btw, ugly forms of corruption was also rampant in the western world until very recently in history when corruption in the West gradually became "institutionalized". In other words, with the exception of a few Germanic and Scandinavian nations, high levels of corruption in the western world is reserved for the ruling elite. Nevertheless, general forms of corruption still exists within all levels of western society, but as you pointed out it is done discreetly.
DeleteOnce more: Combating corruption is like combating the sun rising in the east. As long as humans populate this world corruption will be a part of life. At best, corruption can be curtailed by stiff laws and punishment, at least within lower levels of society. Nevertheless, trying to combat corruption, in the manner that our Captain Americas in Armenia are doing in recent years, is a red-herring and distraction. At the request of corrupt Western leaders, we are chasing our tails and causing sociopolitical instability in the country in the process. A different approach is needed.
my post was more about importance of having a fair judicial system than corruption. corruption cannot be eliminated, it can be less or more. it can even be legalized like in USA.
DeleteFair judicial system is a must, if you committed a crime you need to answer for it. if you are in business you need to know that there are laws and you can be protected. if you are engaged in activity that harms your nation you need to be judged.
if we are talking about our government performing better and being responsible we need an honest, independent judicial system. that will eventually decrease the corruption too.
we cannot exclude corruption in judicial system too, but we cannot accept that someone who has money can get away from everything when a poor taxi driver have to drive 12 hours and than pay daily income to some crooked cop. there must be some fairness and that will only come when this outlaw mentality is challenged by independent judicial system.
T.K.
I agree. However, even here we need to recognize human nature. Within the human ecosystem those with the most will enjoy benefits that the rest of us cannot. This natural law of nature is the same (in varying degrees) anywhere on earth. There will never be a flawless judicial system anywhere. The judicial system in the US is notoriously bad as those who have some insight in it can attest. There are innumerable examples of how wealthy/powerful/connected people and organizations have gotten away with 'murder' in the US. There are also innumerable examples of how simple folk are made to serve many years in jail for non-violent crimes. There are also many cases where innocent people have served life sentences or have been executed for crimes they have not committed. The system of law in the Western world is not something Armenians can learn anything positive from. We cannot hold Armenia to things that are unhealthy, unattainable or unrealistic. The best we can strive for, especially for a nation like Armenia where everybody knows everybody, is a judicial system that is simply better than the one currently in place.
Deletehttp://bigblog.am/lurer/politic/item/2130-2014-01-29-17-06-25#itemCommentsAnchor
ReplyDeleteSevchenko doesn't make sense (as usual), because if USA and Iran are moving into full fledge cooperation (which i highly doubt jewish lobby will allow) than a war in Karabagh will not change anything. even russian military in Karabagh cannot have bearing on iran-usa ties. Not counting the fact that iran will never trust usa and betray russia, they know better.
DeleteHowever, recent tank movements, aliev's meeting with rasmussen and erdogan's visit to iran are not coincidence. maybe azeries finally will fall into he trap and start war sooner than we think. erdogan is becoming a political corpse and he will use this to get support back. if there will be war it is most likely to be now by the end of next week.
if it happens (not even a 10% chance), it will result in collapse of not only azerbaijan but also turkey. i can see Syria, Iraq, Cyprus, and Russia joining forces and finally finishing turks. it will be bloody and will go to the end.
T.K.
I just finished reading the articles. Thanks for listing these interesting resources on World War One military history in the Caucasus Arevordi. It's maddening to think of what could have been the outcome of World War One for our Nation. I know we bear a large part of the responsibility, but it seems like anything and everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong for Armenia. I wish that we as a Nation, collectively and individually, take the time to deeply study and scrutinize the factors that led to near total defeats for Armenia back then, and work overtime to make sure things never reach that low, dark point ever again. Or at least those Armenians who are politically active take the time to do so. This seems especially pressing because the region remains a powder keg, and I feel like a major war is not out of the question within the following decade. Particularly as the western economic decline picks up steam and they get more reckless and irrational.
ReplyDeleteThank God for this era's Armenian statehood, Armenian militarism and the restored and secured Russian-Armenian alliance! I sincerely believe that the institutionalized military establishment and tradition in Armenia, after decades of Soviet and now Armenian conscription has alleviated the shortcomings Armenian military leaders faced in the past in manpower, equipment, and organization, and has turned the idea of invading Armenia to be a much costlier option for our barbaric neighbors. But revisiting history only reinforces the fact that Armenia needs to be a TOTAL fortress ready to inflict absolutely UNBEARABLE loses on any of its neighbors harboring expansionist notions at the expense of Armenia (ie every single one of our neighbors). Thus the already self-evident importance of Russia is magnified for us.
We are in a position to try and secure the same benefits from Russia as the jews suck from the west, and we don't even need to harbor any of the hateful and destructive traits towards Russians as the jews do to the west - ie we don't want to tear apart Russian society through multiculturalism, homosexuality, third-world immigration, atheism, White guilt (or "Russian guilt" but I doubt Russians are susceptible to that kind of nonsense), or ultraliberalism; in fact it is in Armenia's vital interests to keep that garbage out of Russia almost as much as out of Armenia. When Arevordi mentions that Armenians need to be a constant presents in the halls of the Kremlin, those Armenians should keep hammering home the message "give Armenia the tools (planeloads of Iskander-Ms, S-34s, S-400s, T-90s, SMERCH'es, etc. ) and we'll get the job done of keeping panturkists in Ankara far, far away from the North AND South Caucasus". Hell if there is a chance then we should strive for Topol-M's and Yars just for added insurance.
The Amenian army must get equipped with sophisticated offensive weapons. Our army should have the capability of counterattack following the initial repulse of the enemies forces.The Azeries have presently the capacity to launch offensive projections. Whether they can accomplish their goals or not that is another subject. Once their initial attacks are stymied and neutralized Armenian army mush have the capacity to force enemy withdrawals and the destruction of enemies armed strength. The war scenario against Azerbaijan is already planned and it has been rehearsed over and over again. First phase of the strategy is containment and withering of enemy's attack, whilst simultaneously striking their oil fields. The question remains to be asked whether that military strike can be put into a successful operation ?. Theoretically it is all very well , we need to take into account that the oil fields are well protected against such strategies. Second phase must encompass the army going onto the offensive and destruction of enemies forces and obtaining surrenders. Armenian nation's priority must be its army and solely the aggrandizement and fitness of the army. Every other facet of political-social life must give precedence to national army demands. The army is our only guarantee. As for an early war and potential fragmentation of turkish territory, it is too early to count on that. Turkey has a strong army. Iraq is a non factor, occupied by American troops; Cyprus must be taken out of the equation. Cyprus is an israeli zone of influence. Their president the Karakul goat Christofias recently announced that the turkish army is not a problem stationed in cyprus but the Greek and Cypriot nationalist are. Greece is too weakened and torn asunder economically and socially and politically it is a zionized government of occupation running rampant destroying the Greek nation from within. The Greek armed forces are horribly weak. They stopped conscription 4 years ago. The drug, heroine, culture has become enmenshed in Greek society. They are no match , in its present state , for Turkish forcesl. That only leaves the Syrian army, and the Kurdish guerillas. This is not a reliable recipe for a swift ,short war to fracture turkish territory .
ReplyDeletePretty good assessment. Armenians need to learn to 'totally' disregard the Greek and Cypriot non-factors in the region. Although I see them as a brotherly people, I consider them to be absolutely worthless when it comes to serious geopolitics. Moreover, Kurds are very fragmented and unreliable. We can never trust Kurds. Besides, Kurdistan (northern Iraq) is effectively under CIA/Mossad control. Kurds may in fact become a future problem for Armenia.
DeleteWith the way things currently look: Russia, Armenia, Iran and Syria have the geostratrgic foundations to form a genuine alliance.
PS: Our pan-national effort needs to focus on deriving the maximum - military and economic - benefit from Armenia's strategic alliance with Russia. Armenia needs direct access to the large CIS market for its products. Armenia needs affordable access to Russian-made modern weaponry. Everything else - civil society, corruption, freedom of speech, police brutality, women's rights, gay rights - is of secondary importance.
I disagree with your assessment that Russian and Iran have geostrategic foundations to form a genuine alliance. Since the Iranian revolution of 1979 to now isn't that great length of time when you look in terms of history. If you look deeper, you will see that Iran and Russia are historical competitors, much like you described, and which I agree with, Turkey and Russia being historical competitors--there can never be any true, solid, lasting alliance between the two--All three-iran, turkey, Russia- have their sights set on the Caucasus and all want to advance their influence, and eventual ownership of the south Caucasus. The last few decades Iran-US relations have been adversaries, but before that Iran-US were allies. With things going the way now, Iran-US relations appear to be getting back on track, and with investments coming in worldwide, they're sure to get back on track. In fact, Russia is perceived historically as a threat to Iran.
DeleteAs for Kurds being a future problem, don't get ahead of yourself. The greatest threat to Armenia today is Turkey. And the Kurds are an essential ingredient in dealing a severe blow to that threat--in fact, it can be said that without the Kurdish factor, Turkey will only strengthen, embolden, and set its sights on the pan-turan-- an actual threat facing Armenia as opposed to any "potential" problem that may or may not arise with the kurds in the future.
Furthermore, let's not forget the fact that the only reason Armenia is so dependant on Russia is the threat posed by Turkey. Once the Turkish threat is diminished, for example, there comes about a Kurdish state in turkey and turkey becomes smaller in size and influence, Armenia will be less reliant on Russia and its dictates.
I have always maintained that Russia is only reluctantly supporting Iran. I have always maintained that Iran has designs on the Caucasus. Having said that, it very naive to think that US-Iranian relations are getting back on track.
DeleteThe coalition that had recently emerged between US, EU, Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia was unexpectedly checked by Russia in Syria late last year. With Russia suddenly a military factor in the region, Washington has been trying to find a different approach to Syria and Iran. Nevertheless, Iran still poses a threat to Israeli, Saudi Arabian, Turkish and Western interests. I still think a geostrategic foundation exists today for the formation of an alliance between Iran and Russia. In nature and character, this alliance will not be like the one that exists between Russian and Armenians but it will nevertheless be a convergence of interests against Turkey, US, Europe, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
From a Kremlin perspective, it's far better to have smaller and weaker states along its southern periphery than have larger and stronger ones. Therefore, I'm pretty sure Russians will prefer dealing with a somewhat "less dependent" Armenia if that means Turkey will be broken apart. And this is where the Kurdish factor comes into play. The direct beneficiaries of a sudden Turkish breakup will be the region's very large Kurdish population. Therefore, Kurds may most likely become a geopolitical problem for Armenia and Russia and Iran and Syria...
Anyway, Islamists, Kurds, Turks, Azeris, Iranians and Georgians are not going anywhere. These are the people that will continue populating the region in question. Therefore, it's very naive to think that Armenia may become significantly less dependent on Russia in the foreseeable future, even if Turkey breakup.
I agree that all 3, russia, iran and turkey are fighting to get caucasus under their control. this has been happening for many hundred years. turkey is a nato member and pushes their interests, russia does it's own. iran is a wild card, but who made iran the wild card. if not russian support in syria, iran would have been pressured to submit. why would iran choose to align with nato line? that means eventual destabilization and power change for ruling ayatollas. they are not stupid to turn their back to russia and they are not as powerful to make independent moves in caucasus. the only power that did, can and will make independent moves in caucasus is russia.
Deletenow why are we so preoccupied about Armenia being independent? every country, small or big is dependent today from their allies. i don't see any russians here in Armenia controlling our everyday life like in USSR times. what i see is friendly russians who come, invest, support and help in many fields to make Armenia a strong and reliable partner. it is in russian interest (especially looking to what is happening in ukraine) to have a stable ally in this region. why are we afraid of this alliance? it's like russians have nothing else better to do than come and take over Armenia. they have half of their land undiscovered, the only threat we have is turkey lead nato, who need more land and more control in any area that is neighbouring Russia.
T.K.
I just heard on tv that erdogan while visiting iran said "when i come to iran i feel like i am home.". later Ayatollah answered "when you come to iran you should feel like you are in iran." erdogan got some cold shower reception.
ReplyDeleteHere are some links to highlight NSS Secretary Baghdasaryan's press conference. mostly what we talked about was laid out to public.
http://news.am/arm/news/192193.html
http://news.am/arm/news/192180.html
http://news.am/arm/news/192172.html
http://news.am/arm/news/192139.html
http://news.am/arm/news/192127.html
http://news.am/arm/news/192164.html
http://news.am/arm/news/192197.html
T.K.
Thanks for posting these links T.K. And LOL about the Ayatollah's response to Erdogan. Erdogan is an egotistical freak, here he is giving a speech as a ten foot hologram. I think he may be overcompensating for "shortcomings" in other, personal areas: http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/28/5353200/turkish-prime-minister-gives-speech-in-izmir-as-giant-hologram
DeleteTo sum up, Armenian cooperation with Russia and intensifying Russian-Armenian strategic relations through the Customs Union as well as CSTO has allowed Armenia:
-to open a cyber-warfare center in Armenia and plans to open another with Russia.
-set up a state defense industry body that will, among other things, cooperate with Russian UAZ military vehicles and Russian Mil helicopters establishments to service and maintain those products locally in Armenia
-Repair and upgrade the observatories in Byurakan and Garni with Russian support and funds... I'd like to note the importance of these advanced observatories for Armenia in the scientific and research fields, as well as in giving Armenia's image a certain prestige internationally.
-Russia will help create storage and stockpile centers to help Armenia's struggling and somewhat isolated villages.
-All this in addition to Russian military, diplomatic and financial aid. Russian help for building a new nuclear power plant and space satellites for Armenia. And Russian plans for uranium mining and/or processing in Armenia. And cooperation in many other fields...
Can anybody possibly explain what the opposition freaks and western media are complaining about when they scream that "Russia is selling Armenia out", or that "Armenia is losing its sovereignty to Russia", or Armenia is suffering and is being left behind because it is a "dirty, backwards Russian outpost"???
Ps there has always been speculation about whether Prosperous Armenia and the Dashnaks are "true opposition". From what everyone who is knowledgeable is saying, I can only assume that they are available to the highest bidder at the moment. The ARF though is definitely infiltrated with western operatives.
We seem to be taking as granted that a turkish state is about to be formed ? Not so fast. A kurdish state is diametrically opposed to Syrian-Turkish-Iraqui and Iranian interests. The kurds may end up suffering the same fate as Armenia did in the 20's. At the moment they are the " joker" in the pack. As soon as the thing gets real the dynamics may change. I agree with Arevordi that the Kurds, regardless of what transpires , would come into conflict with claims regarding historical-ancestral Armenia, or western Armenia. In the supposed case of a Kurdish state being created in occupied Turkish- Armenian western land, parts of Cilicia, the Sumarlu provinces, the Van region are going to be claimed by the kurds. And what is Armenia going to do ? Let Ararat pass from turkish ownership to a Kurdish one ?. There are those that say let the kurds dent turkish territories, and then we can sit and amicably come to an agreement with the Kurds ?
ReplyDeletewow, kind of weird, Trapizon was not Armenian even under Tigran II. Nothing at the Black Sea was Armenian proper even at his time. It was a proper of Kingdom of Pontus and its king Mitridates. The Erizican and Artvin are also quite arguable to be part of historical Armenia. So before going ahead just make clear what you mean by historical Armenia or where Armenians became Armenians. And by the way, Ararat was given to turks by russians by treaty of Kars. In 1918 Armenia became independent with Ararat.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous
DeletePontus was an ally of Armenia, Tigran II was married to daughter of Mitridates. Pontians and Armenian have lived as allies and protected each other for 1000 years. eventually if i am not mistaking in Bagratuni times Pontus with Trabizon was part of Armenia. Not forcefully but because they have been attacked several times and choose to be under the flag of Armenia.
As to Ararat being given to turks it was not russians but bolsheviks who made backdoor deals with turkey.
T.K.
Anonymousoglu
DeleteTrabizon has historically been an Armenian zone of interest. The port city was at times under Armenian political influence and the region in question has had an Armenian population going back thousands of years. From an Armenian perspective, however, the most important aspect of Trabizon is not its political history but its strategic value. Armenia will need access to a port city, if not in Georgia then in Turkey. In the event of a Turkish breakup, Armenia and Russia will be in a position to lay claim to Trabizon. Nevertheless, instead of calling into question Armenian rights to the region you should instead worry about how it is that the region is currently Turkish to begin with. Who has a better claim to the land, a people that has lived in and around for thousands of years or Turkic barbarians that only recently emigrated into the region?
PS: Next time please have the decency to identity yourself.
I just read what you have written about you, may ask you, are you a turk?
ReplyDeleteIt was reported in Azeri wireless and news media that our President , some time ago, declared that our present generation recovered Artsakh, and the next generation would be responsible for liberating western Armenia. The army and every organ of the nation needs to be in a state of utmost preparedeness, psychologically and materially , for this crucial enterprise when the hour arrives. The supreme task awaiting us in the near future has to be internalized in every bone and marrow of our people. Sebou
ReplyDeleteHi Arevordi
ReplyDeleteapologies for the off topic
I have just put a seven minute interview with Henry Kissinger up
Most interesting
He pretty much spells out the agenda- Regime Change in Moscow mirrored in the Ukraine
He just wishes it was being done so publicly
Good map in the presentation- it helps to under stand why it is the West fears Russia
And why to bring in the OWO globalisation agenda- monopoly Russia has to be taken down.
The link is there in the post to enable anyone else to find the video
It could come in handy!!!
Thought you might like to know
take care Arevordi
Hi there, Penny.
DeleteI actually caught that on Sunday. I was actually contemplating whether or not to post a link to Farid's show. You see Penny, great minds do think alike.
Anyway, regarding the old criminal in question: He did not saying anything we already did not know. The likes of Kissinger (and Brzezinski) represent the Western world's old school approach in empire building: Cautious, systematic, strategic, covert, indirect and nuanced. Such men are fundamentally opposed to the Western world's post-Soviet "neocon" approach to international relations: Overt, arrogant, in your face, blatant, aggressive, loud, etc. Therefore, Kissinger is sounding the alarm about the way Washington is currently pursuing the Western world's age-old policy of containing Russia. The empire's old guard, its political elite, is worried about a Russian backlash.
Corruption in the EU
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26014387?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2AMorning%20Brief&utm_campaign=MB%2002.03.14
LG
Total ban on GM food production mulled in Russia
ReplyDeletehttp://rt.com/politics/russia-gmo-foods-ban-567/
Way to go Russia! Just one of many areas in which Russia leads the world against the sickening and ultimately destructive policies and programs emanating out of the diseased cesspools of Washington and its lackeys in around Europe and puppets around the worl. I sincerely hope Armenia follows suit.
Armenia has already banned GMOs over a year ago.
Deletehttp://www.aysor.am/en/news/2012/11/01/aram-harutyunyan/
India watching rise of Russia:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/Rise-of-Russia-Matters-to-India/2014/02/04/article2036071.ece
LG
Hargeli Arevordi
ReplyDeleteWhile it is obvious that the two of us share the same opinions and convictions when it comes to Armenian affairs, reading your articles always leaves me with a bitter aftertaste. But let me explain:
You argue that your goal is to educate young Anglophone Armenians about geopolitics. That is a noble goal. However, your writings reflect a certain and possibly unintended bias towards Armenians from the homeland and Russia. While you use defamatory language to describe those segments of the Diaspora and Armenia that you don't agree with or whose actions you find inadmissible, I have yet to come across an article of yours, and I have read many, where you praise the actions of Diaspora Armenians or at least mention one Diasporan who you agree with. The only Armenians that you do praise are always Armenians from the homeland or Russia. Surely there must be Diasporan Armenians who have said or done something commendable worthy of mention.
Even when you are mentioning historical figures you conveniently leave out the Diasporans. For example, you list all those names of Armenian individuals from the previous centuries who have contributed to the Russian-Armenian alliance, including Israel Ori, yet you fail to mention the son of Persian-Armenian merchants Joseph Emin. It was him who continued the work of Ori and attempted to get Russian support for the liberation of Armenia. It was Emin who then inspired the following generations to continue the struggle. Was he not worthy of mention? Let us not forget that Ori himself had initially tried to convince the West to intervene in Armenia before he gave up and turned towards Russia.
It was also the Persian-Armenian merchants who established the very first relations between Armenians and Russians, when they began trading with Russia and in the course of time established Armenian colonies on Russian soil. This was long before the Russian-Persian wars. Let us also not forget the financial contributions of those highly patriotic Diasporan merchants to different Armenian causes. After their demise nobody followed in their footsteps. Our nation has yet to see another merchant class or economic elite willing to invest in the nation's future. Which Gharabaghtsi, Hayastantsi or Russahay oligarch of today is investing money in Armenia's future?
Then let us turn to the last Armenian-Azerbaijani war and to the countless Diasporan Armenians who risked their lives to fight and liberate our historical lands. The contribution of the Diaspora was immense here, it's hard to imagine how these guys left their comfortable lives in the Diaspora to fight the Turks alongside their Artsakhtsi brothers, while so many young Armenian men were sitting in the newly erected cafes in Yerevan or St Petersburg and were sipping coffee. Furthermore, while I am not necessarily pro-Dashnak, the ARF played a significant role in many aspects of the war that should also not be underestimated.
Anyways, what I am trying to say here is that it would be wise if you recognized your bias and changed your approach in your treatment of the Diaspora. While there are many misguided fools and Western assets among Diasporan Armenians, there are equally as many patriotic and wise Diasporans who deserve to be given credit.
Try to also include positive cases of Diasporans in your articles, otherwise you will turn-off a lot of those potential young Anglophone readers that you are trying to reach and educate. At least half of them will be Diasporans themselves. As I said, even someone like me who does not need to be educated and fully agrees with you, is somewhat irritated by your undifferentiated and unfair treatment of the Diaspora and your failure to mention any of their positive contributions (past and present) to the strengthening of our statehood.
I hope you will see this as constructive criticism so that my recommendations will have a positive impact over your writing and increase your readership even further.
I wish you all the best my friend and carry on the good work.
Kind regards
Hargeli The Prince.
DeleteIn my humble opinion, generally speaking, when it comes to nation building and supporting the Armenian state, the Armenian Diasporas in the US, Europe and the Middle East have proven themselves to be worthless. Monitor their news publications about Armenia to get a whiff of what I am talkign about. This does not mean, however, there aren't any individuals or groups of individuals that deserve respect. There are such people/groups but these are a tiny minority. I am talking about these Diasporas as a collective organism.
To me, the American-Armenian, Lebanese-Armenian and Syrian-Armenian Diasporas have been a big disappointment (although knowing them intimately, this should have been expected). The Turkish-Armenian Diaspora does not exist, as far as I'm concerned. French-Armenian Diaspora is mostly fluff. But compared to the rest of the major western Armenian Diasporan groups, they are the better one. When the above mentioned Diasporas do something right with regards to Armenia I always praise it. Thus far, however, I see very little positive coming from their way. With their Western agendas, Western Armenia fantasies, anti-Hayastantsi attitudes and Russophobias, the American-Armenian Diaspora, in particular, is gradually becoming a liability for Armenia.
I have never uttered a single bad word about the Persian-Armenian community. Generally speaking, I have great respect for them and I see than as the 'only' truly patriotic Diasporan group we have had. I truly appreciate them staying out the anti-Armenia mud slinging that does on regularly in other Diasporan communities.
I may have a clear bias towards Russian-Armenians but this is simply because I see Russia and the Russian-Armenian community as Armenia's only salvation as a nation-state in the south Caucasus.
Thus, this blog and my political ideology has a geopolitical focus, a purpose and a direction. I want those who call themselves Armenians and those who see Armenia as their homeland to primarily focus on Russia and Russian Armenians. Any kind of focus on the Diaspora at this stage is a waste and a detriment to Armenia. None of what I am saying is meant to belittle Persian-Armenians or individuals like Joseph Emin. I am simply keeping things in focus.
Please note that I was born in the Middle East and was raised in the US. Therefore, what I am saying is based in objectively, experience and observations of a life time.
About Artsakh: There was no "immense contribution" to the Artsakh liberation effort by the Diaspora. In fact, only several dozen Diasporans actually fought in Artsakh. The number is less than one hundred. Sadly, one of them is the psychologically disturbed Burjhamoodtsi Jirayr Sefilian who is currently working for Western/Turkish interests. And the money or materials that came from the Diaspora at the time was also insignificant in the big picture.
Finally, this is not a scholarly blog. I am not running a professional political think tank. I am not a diplomat nor am I into fluff. This blog is about my personal political observations, views and commentaries. I am honored that you agree with the political stances I take. But please note that I am not about to change my views about anything just make my readers feel better. The best constructive criticism for the ever-so-arrogant and complacent Armenian Diaspora is to show them how screwed-up they have been with regards to Armenia and how ignorant they are when it comes to political matters.
The realities of the Diasporas in the US, Europe and the Middle East are very-very sad.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting.
Hargeli Arevordi
DeleteThank you for your quick and extensive reply. I very much appreciate that.
Please note that I do not want you to change your views to please the Diaspora, quite the opposite. Keep your views, but slightly change your approach.
In your blog you state that your key intention is to demonstrate to your readers, through sound geopolitical analysis, the very “obvious“, namely that Armenia's future lies with Russia and the Russian-Armenian community.
Who are you trying to address in particular? According to you, it is the English-speaking Armenian Diaspora.
So excuse me if I find it more than a little surprising, that you would not mention in your before mentioned list the most famous example of an English-speaking Diasporan i.e. Joseph Emin, who saw the “obvious“ several hundred years ago, long before you and I were born and long before the Russian-Armenian community came into existence.
If you are trying to convince the Diaspora of today of the “obvious”, why do you refrain from mentioning Diasporans of the past who already knew the obvious and acted upon it? I am completely baffled that you do not see the irony of this.
Your excuse is that you want to stay in focus. However, regarding the goal you want to achieve you are completely out of focus here.
By mentioning prominent Diasporans who know or knew the obvious, you will have a much easier time to convince other Diasporans to follow suit.
If your goal was to fetishize over the greatness of Russia and the Russian-Armenians in your blog, then I would understand, but your goal is to enlighten the misguided, why not mention those who were already enlightened before you set up this blog?
Why don't you give this some thought.
Kind regards
The Prince
Hargeli The Prince,
DeleteI don't have to give any of what you said much thought - because you are right. I agree that the Persian-Armenian community is an exemplary Diaspora, especially when compared to the Western Armenian Diaspora (Ottoman Armenian genocide survivors). I had only come across Hovsep Emin's name in passing and only in the context of the early liberation movement and Israel Ori. I admit I had not given the man much thought before this conversation. As I said, this is partly because I have been focusing on Armenia, Russia and the Russian-Armenian community. But as you pointed out, men like Emin and Ori before him (both Persian subjects) played a fundamental role in the early liberation movement and in eventually bringing Armenia under Russian rule which proved crucially important in setting up the foundations of an Armenian state. Henceforth I will refer to Emin in discussions when appropriate. I was pleasantly surprised that Hovsep Emin has a Wikipedia page. I have added him to the blog.
My apologies for my ignorance and thank you for your constructive criticism. I hope to see you participate in future discussions.
The lists on this blog are never meant to be exhaustive. For example several big names from Russian aviation are also missing, like Mikhail Poghosian and Nelson Stepanian. And dozens of very important weapons engineers and test pilots. I don't think Emin's absence was a swipe at the Persian-Armenians. Also note that I can't think of too many Armenians from the western Diaspora worthy of being on this list. Monte Melkonian would be one for his courage in the Artsakh war, but the only other big names I can think of from the west are producers, entertainers, sportsmen, and businessmen (ie Cher or Jerry Tankian or George Duekmajian) who have not contributed anything of substance to the Armenian state... Plus as Arevordi already pointed out, this entry specifically lists Russian-Armenian individuals for the geopolitical role they play in strengthening Armenian-Russian relations.
DeleteYour statement was very respectfully written, so I don't want to come off as if I am criticizing you, but you seem to be dangerously overestimating the Armenian Diaspora. They are truly big-talking and under-performing. Please see the "US Panel calls for chaos in Armenia entry". I don't know how old you are, but I am in my twenties and a Diasporan myself (closer to western Armenian than eastern Armenian). Go to any large Diasporan congregation or organization and take a minute to listen to what kind of dangerous and simplistic generalizations the vast majority of young diasporans have to say regarding Armenia:
-raffi is the "true" president of Armenia
-Armenia needs a "fresh, American-trained" President to come in and clean up the mess and end corruption and take the country back from the Russians
-the entire Armenian government should be executed
-Hayastantsis are all theives
-Hayastantstis are lazy, don't work, are opportunistic communists, are violent criminals, are gang members...
-there's no "free media" in Armenia
-Armenian police are the worst, most corrupt people in the world
-the Russians are destroying Armenia
-The US needs to help Armenia get on its feet so it can become a democracy and kick Russia out and "earn" the right to demand that the Treaty of Sevres be implemented
-Russians are as bad or worse than turks
The above are not generalizations, I've heard it over and over from "nationalist" proud Armenians, the active ones in the AYF and in professional organizations (like the Armenian Bar Association) and student organizations. The fact is that the Diasporans here largely produce Kim Kardashian's, Ara Manoogian's, Garo Ghazarian's, Charles Aznavours and Richard and Raffi Hovannisian's - in fact the falsifiers of Armenian history are without exception "Armenians" from the western diaspora. In all honesty, and it hurts me to say this, Armenians in the western diasporas deserve the shabby and insulting treatment they get, whether it comes from people on this forum who recognize their many faults; or from the "elected officials" who show zero respect for their own Armenian citizens and still get Armenians throwing money and support behind their campaigns while begging them for Genocide recognition or occasionally begging them to convey to President Sargsyan that the Diaspora vehemently disapproves of the "traitorous" protocols; or even from the turks when the turks realize that several of the more psychologically damaged Diasporan Armenians have more hatred for Hayastantsis and/or Russians than they do of turks and thus can be used as tools by the turks. .
Ps I'm sure the Hayastantsis don't approve of large segments of their population being called "self-destructive peasantry" and more than Diasporans like how they are generally described here, but this blog does not sugar-coat the many problems hindering the progress of the Armenian nation.
Ps:
DeleteJoseph Emin's original writing published in English in 1792 is available for purchase:
http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Joseph-1726-1809-Classic-Reprint/dp/B008UBODAE/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1391562844
The Armenians from the USA ( the bulk or critical mass of the western diaspora) are of second and third generation. They have all been through the brain washing blending machine to turn them into " Americans". The emphasis became overwhelmingly so after the diabolical victory of the internationalis-zionist brigade of corrupt nations. Not all Armenian westerners have been lobotomized and indoctrinated in vapid democracy, insipid humanism and the worship of internationalism. There is a healthy kernel who although not active, mentally is swimming against the official western current. In what category do we place Monty ?. Corrupt and tastless comments like Raffi is the president and other outrageous statements are the wild rumination of imbeciles. Deep down, and subconsciously every armenian who has a soul knows too well that there is no choice between Russia and the west or the rest. Geographically we can not do otherwise, even if we wanted to. Geopolitically it is our natural choice of an alliance since our political and geopolitical agenda differs diametrically with that of the diabolical and atheistic west.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, someone remarked that armenians from turkey are " turks" in spirit and soul. I can not comment on that since I only met two armenian from turkey in my lifetime, and neither of the two had a nasty word to speak about the turks, and they were devoid of Armenian patriotism. The hayastantzi abroad have not earned a good reputation among the community, but this is simply a socia disconnect, just like a French from Provence looks down with disdain and distrust at Frenchmen from Paris. The distrust for any newcomer is natural and more so when large distances are involved. The Armenian nation will progress with her natural resources of the homeland , in the homeland, and the assistance, if any, moral, material that can come from the diaspora. Diasporans with a chip on their shoulder, diasporans who imagine their hamburger fed brains and heavy paunches can be an inspiration to Armenian and they have all the answers are skewed, twisted and this dystopic thinking must be combatted mercilessly. It is an ideological wrestling match. A diasporan coming back or returning to the homeland must come and accepts what he finds, this is the reality of our homeland, and try to adapt/assimilate and become one with our regional culture; also they need to weigh up their contribution at potentially improving the nation . If they are overburdened with criticism and disrespect for the non ideal homeand they find, they surely should pack their bags and make a dissapearance act fast. They should dispel thoughts fit of the ravings of Armenian lunatics dreaming of turning Armenia into a carbon copy of the corrupt, non descript USA, the decadence of France, or the degeneracy of any of the EU countries. Diasporans carping on regime change should direct their efforts at changing the regime in their countries of residence ( USA-EU). Ultimately the safety, security and guarantee of Armenia's existence rests with the the citizens on the ground in the homeland. Tsolak
i have been reading a lot of comments about hayastanci, it is time i as hayastanci make few observations:
ReplyDelete1. as much as proud artsakh armenians have fought bravely they would have never won the war if not armenians form mainland. at least half of the commanders and soldiers were from Armenia. there is no village in Armenia you will visit that has no grave of a lost soldier,
2. if hayastanci comes to usa, steals and makes a bad reputation that doesn't mean all other previously established armenians from other parts of the world have to give up and blame them. go back and check the history of irish, italian, greek emigrants, they all did the same. and for that matter jews and armenians from iran or lebanon are not saints either. they just learned the ways and use the system in more legit ways.
3. almost every village you visit today in Artsakh and Armenia has a sponsor from Russia (armenian who got rich) who gives away money (not invest) to build schools or hospitals to make life easy for their compatriots.
4. every diaspora armenian, be that from iran, lebanon, syria, russia, usa, etc, should recognize that they may not understand each other, they may not agree with everything the other group does. this is because we all come from different backgrounds. we should not blame each other. we should respect our differences as those differences make us strong. if one is educated and the other is wild we have more power.
5. all diaspora, armenia and artsakh armenians have to have one goal- ARMY. whatever differences we have are not an issue, we all have to support and do our best to arm Armenia and Artsakh. even if you don't like this or that group keep your sentimental feelings inside and help build our army. we can sort out the rest later. whoever has the balls will win. that is life and we don't need the weak to head us.
T.K.
T.K. I personally never considered Artsakhtsis and Haystantsis to be all that different, no more than a Gyrumretsi from a Vanadzortsi or Ijevantsi or Kavartsi or Kapantsi. I know there are some differences between regions and even cities/villages, but it's the same nation/race - the divide is political and artificial, there is a continuity from one area to another. Munich and Berlin and Frankfurt and even Vienna; St. Petersburg and Vladivostok and Moscow; Liverpool and Dover and London actually have more differences than Armenia and Artsakh, but no one should question that they are the same country. Within Armenia Yerevan gets a bad rap because it is a large metropolitan area which deals with the problems all big cities deal with - radical oppositionists, corrupt businessmen, a number of lazy and unproductive people who live off the breadcrumbs produced by the city, and jealousy from other cities and villages which get less attention and development.
Deleteps it should be obvious to everyone that if Artsakh fell Armenia would be next, to quote Dro. I don't consider the anti-Artsakh LTP freaks Armenian. You are absolutely correct, Armenia needs its military, andevery soldier it can get from Armenia and Artsakh combined to face its many enemies.
As for the Diaspora, most of the non-Hayastantsis who hate Hayastantsis are mentally and spiritually damaged freaks. Not all Diasporans hate Hayastantsis, this just applies to those that do. There is no point in trying to reason with them. They hate themselves more than anything else, that's why they try to project their own shortcomings onto the Hayastantsis and claim that all the bad traits Armenians have should be blamed on Hayastantsis. Remember the Diasporans have been living in odar lands for a century, and they have never been accepted as anything other than odars themselves, and they suffer from a victim's complex because of the Genocide mixed with Armenian arrogance. Add to the mix that whenever any Armenian gets arrested for fraud, the local news media emphasize "organized Armenian criminals". At the end of the day, the Armenians make criticizing Hayastantsis the focal point of their Armenian identity are the same ones that keep silent at every criminal activity the US government commits, they lost causes who will quickly assimilate into oblivion in a generation or two. Their idea is that Armenians can exist in a perpetual state of Diapora, or at least until they get their own Western Armenia back by themselves - this is a sick way of thinking that has not future. We're better off without them.
Source: personal dealings with Hayastantsi-haters at Armenian schools and friends in AYF/ANCA.
Arevordi, I think you are coming too hard on yourself. You may not be a think tank or a scholar but you are a intellectual patriot and I learn more from you than I have from all my professors. I agree 100% about what you say about the American diaspora. Please come here to LA and take a look at one of the biggest Armenian diasporas in the world and you will be ashamed to be Armenian. Beyrut Armenians hate hayastantsis hayastantsis hate parskahays, parskahays hate everybody, they all stick with their kind, they mostly marry odars, they talk shit about Armenia all the time. There biggest worry is how they look sitting in cafes. LA is Armenian graveyard.
ReplyDeleteLong time reader
think tank- what is it? please correct me but it may mean a tank team (3-5 persons) who are thinkers. heavy thinkers maybe? kissengers, sharons, people with heavy weight who think? i am sorry but i am still trying to find out who and why coined that term.
Deleteanyway one thing is sure those think tanks have made many mistakes, and they are losing power. if we assume that those tanks were protecting western powerhouses and their money it is clear that they failed as all that money has been flowing away from them.
I know Arevordi is Artsakhtsi in the heart. i am not sure when but he deserves to be honourable citizen of Artsakh one day.
T.K.
T.K.
The pathetic state of the EU today:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551274/Rise-Eurosceptic-parties-peace-Europe-risk-German-foreign-minister-claims.html
Highlights include:
-Nationalism is dangerous and needs to be banned - German FM
-UK PM faces rebellion in parliament because they disagree slightly on the exact flow of immigration.
-Looming economic crisis in background
Those clowns in Kiev and their spiritual compatriots in Yerevan are really asking to board the Titanic, even after it has become obvious that the ship is going down.
Hargeli Arevordi
ReplyDeletethank you for taking my advise into consideration. There is certainly no need to apologize for anything, I am simply glad that you have come to agree with me on the necessity of mentioning such heroic figures as Joseph Emin in your blog. Diasporan Armenians who have had enough strategic foresight to understand Russia's immense importance for Armenia's independence and security deserve to be mentioned, plain and simple.
With regards to the comments made by my friend Sarkis:
While we might not have any Diasporans of Emin's caliber today, we do have a significant number of Armenians in the Diaspora who have a sober understanding of Armenia's geostrategic predicaments and who therefore recognize the need for a strong Russian-Armenian alliance. The contributors to this forum are such prime examples. It would be very arrogant of us to think that we are 'the last of the Mohicans', wouldn't it?
Besides, if the above was the case then Arevordi would have little to no readers, since almost everybody would be avoiding this blog due to their opposite views. However, he has many readers and this is proof of a simple fact:
not every Armenian in the Diaspora is misguided by Western ideologies, at least not to such an extent that their general capacity for rational thinking is completely blocked. I agree, most of them have not been immune to Neoliberalism et al, but a significant part has been able to retain some percentage of their rationality.
It is true, that those who take an extremely pro-Western and anti-Russian stance are the loudest and most visible in our Diasporan communities, but this is simply because such a stance is strongly encouraged and also highly rewarded by the establishment. What else do we expect? This does not mean that we should draw the wrong conclusions and believe that individuals with a pro-Russian stance do not exist in our communities. Out of fear of being ridiculed or branded as traitors, they keep silent or express their views only in anonymous forums or in the privacy of their homes. But they do exist.
So, while their numbers might not be as high as we would like them to be, we need to mention those key Diasporans of today who - despite the dominance of anti-Russian propaganda and despite the risk of being ridiculed or hated by their misguided compatriots- have had the courage to stand up and swim against the tide.
We need to honor these individuals and give them credit for their courage and thus raise their prominence among Armenians, instead of completely ignoring their existence. This will certainly encourage other pro-Russian Armenians to come out of their closets and reveal themselves to the larger public and thus increase the numbers of those who publicly advocate a stronger Russian-Armenian partnership.
By increasing the prominence of such Pro-Russian Diasporans, we might also encourage some of their pro-Western counterparts to question and reassess their current political stance and hopefully realize that they have been misled.
As Arevordi has said it himself, it is not all 'doom and gloom' in Armenia, as the Western propagandists would have us believe. Why would we now want to argue in a similar fashion with regards to the Diaspora? Let us take this blog's readership as one of the positive signs that, despite the grave situation at present, not all hope is lost. We don't want to end up with a self-fulfilling prophecy, do we?
Kind regards
The Prince
Hargeli The Prince,
DeleteYes, unfortunately the protestants tend to be the loudest in any society. But I am not as optimistic as you are about the Diaspora as a whole. I have seen all that needs to be seen. I cannot in all honest put a smiley face on something that is as worthless and as corrupted as the Western Armenian Diaspora. Once more, so that there is no misunderstanding between us, I am criticizing the collective organ, not the individual cells that are found within that organ. There are many healthy cells that deserve praise. It's these cells I want to reach. Nevertheless, the organ in question is sick and dying. Trying to make excuses for it or paint it in bright colors is not going to change its reality. Moreover, please understand that a lot of the anger and frustration you read on these pages is a direct result of the 24/7 doom and gloom rhetoric expressed by Diasporan organizations and representatives. It's a tough reaction to the toxic atmosphere created by our Western led or Western inspired activists and community representatives. Anyway, I look forward to your future participation. If you find materials suitable to post in this blog please don't hesitate to do so.
You seem to be applying the idea that "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" regarding (a substantial number of) sane voices in the Armenian Diaspora in the west. While that logic is valid in theoretical and philosophical arguments, it does not pan out in reality when applied to the Armenian Diaspora. There are well over a million Armenians in the west, and despite my once having been as optimistic as you are now, I have to say the lack of even one geopolitically sane and mature voice has led me to conclude that those "loud" voices are not merely "a tiny minority" being given attention by the diasporan media and organizations; rather they are the ruling elite and the mainstream of the active part of the diaspora. Besides the mainstream democracy now(!) fanatics, the diaspora has a very large component of non-political people who are unconcerned about what goes on in Armenia and never will be - these people will assimilate the quickest. The third group of the Diaspora are nationalists that recognize the serious geopolitical dangers facing Armenia, the evil role the west plays, and the positive role Russia plays - this includes the many very-talented people on this forum, unfortunately we are an extremely small fraction of the Diaspora. The reason we get any recognition is the fantastic job Arevordi does in producing and maintaining this blog as a resource for examining current and recent historic events and trends in the world and how they impact Armenia, it outshines by a large margin the combined weight and impact of all the partisan media and "independent think tanks" out there combined.
DeleteAnyway, you sound really optimistic, so let me make a friendly suggestion. If we want to counter the negative image that exists of the Diaspora because of their childish failure to understand or appreciate the Republic of Armenia and their susceptibility to every western trap like gay rights and "battling corruption" that ultimately turn s them into a liability for Armenia, then start working on countering that image. Get active on forums and commenting sections of Asbarez and Armenia weekly. Observe and then write about instances of Diasporan Armenians who AREN'T screaming about what a "terrible, backwards, smelly, corrupt Russian oblast" Armenia is and instead are doing something tangible and constructive to benefit Armenia. Find instances of US Armenians getting passionately angry and active against something the US government does to harm Armenia that doesn't involve the Genocide. Write an op-ed piece yourself and ask Arevordi to publish it in one of his commentaries. If you can do that, then you will have made a case for everyone here to cut the western diaspora some slack. Until that time, however, all available evidence, and there is more than enough to draw a logical conclusion from, indicates that the disapora in the west is and remains a failure and liability for Armenia.
And speaking of the Olympics: Watching the CONSTANT Russia-bashing and Putin-bashing leading up to the games has been sickening. It's as if the entire spectrum of the main stream news media in the US is on a anti-Russia/anti-Putin frenzy. What happened to the "spirit" of the games? Can these toxic propagandists posing as news reporters and journalists make it any more obvious that they are the American empire's propaganda organs and that every single one of them are controlled from the very top? How is it that organizations and individuals in the US that can never agree on anything all of a sudden sing the same exact tune when it comes to Russia or Putin? Moscow needs to treat Western news media representatives as foreign combatants.
ReplyDeleteArevordi
ReplyDeletejust another proof that CIA controls every possible western news outlet. reading all major western news agencies for last 10 years, i can tell you that they have a direct order to produce 3-4 anti-russia articles oer day. last year they added another 3-4 anti-putin articles per day. this is no joke. and if we question armenian-americans we should also take this into consideration. if young Armenians in USA are raised with constant anti-russian bombardment in every level, it is no wonder they can easily sway into western lead anti-armenian groups.
Soviet propagnada machine is nothing to compare with what is going on today with western propaganda.
as strong as Russia gets as heavy the propaganda machine works. they are non-stop money feed machine producing 100 articles in every direction (most are non fact based gossips). it is incredible when you follow and see the power and organization behind it.
T.K.
http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/718060
ReplyDeletethis is another attempt of ongoing well organized effort to taint russian role in WWII victory, this time they really crossed the line.
in all honesty the sculpture is anything but ugly, only someone with no understanding of the meaning of Brest battle will call it ugly.
T.K.
I would post some examples of the anti-Russia hysteria in the US about the Sochi Olympics but there are way too many examples and posting only a few would not do it any justice. The US news media (print, internet, television and radio) is literally flooded with Russophobia. Just go to anyone of the major US news agencies and read their bullshit laden coverage about the event. I am sure some exist, but I personally have not seen a single fully positive article. From what I have seen, they all end in a negative tone. They all take turns in mentioning "controversy", "bad accommodations", "corruption", "cost overruns", "terrorist threat", "persecuted gays", "Putin's oppression".
ReplyDeleteThey are doing their best to taint the games and rub Putin's nose in shit. It's their jealousy, fear and thirst for revenge.
Ever since Moscow intervened militarily to save Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgian aggression during the summer of 2008 not a day passes now without any one of the Western news media outlets producing a negative report about Russia or Putin. This has gotten to unprecedented levels ever since Moscow successfully thwarted the US-led aggression against Syria late last year.
The anti-Putin/anti-Russia hysteria has been so ubiquitous that it is effecting people on a deep psychological level. Even well traveled/well educated westerners have negative impressions about Putin and Russia - even though they cannot rationalize why they have such feelings. When you ask them why they think the way they think, they instinctually regurgitate what they have heard on the news. No critical thinking. No objectivity. No rationale.
This is the power of Western Social Engineering.
The problem at hand is the power of Western hype. For the global sheeple, the West enjoys the benefit of the doubt. In other words, for the global sheeple, at least subconsciously, anything that is Western is considered good until proven otherwise, whereas all else is considered bad until proven otherwise. 20th century circumstances - fascism and communism - has made the global sheeple look at the Anglo-American world as a global standard. The Anglo-American establishment, with the help of Jews in Western news media and film industry, have done a brilliant job of exploiting/cultivating this opportunity.
While during the Cold War EVERYONE knew that the Soviet news press placed a political spin on all news related topics - a very small number thought the same about the Western press even though the Western press was also naturally subject to control from special interests. Even today, after we have seen so much, after we have learned so much about the political West, we still have substantial numbers of sheeple around the world that consider the BBC and CNN as credible sources of news.
Take a look at Armenians, many still listen to CIA-funded "Azatutyun Radio" to get their "news".
You are absolutely correct. The world badly needs more alternative news sources. Below are just a very small examples of the mainstream media's ridiculous "Russia sucks" stories being debunked:
Deletehttp://blog.erratasec.com/2014/02/that-nbc-story-100-fraudulent.html
-NBC journalist claimed his mobile equipment was "hacked" in Sochi, in reality:
1. They aren't in Sochi, but in Moscow, 1007 miles away.
2. The "hack" happens because of the websites they visit (Olympic themed websites), not their physical location. The results would've been the same in America.
3. The phone didn't "get" hacked; Richard Engel initiated the download of a hostile Android app onto his phone.
4. ...and in order to download the Android app, Engel had to disable a lock that prevents such downloads -- something few users do [update].
***
The good people at Tomato Bubble hilariously debunk several of the NY Times falsifications regarding Russia in short snippets.
NY TIMES TRASHES RUSSIAN OLYMPICS FOR 3RD STRAIGHT DAY
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id473.html
THE ANTI-PUTIN MYTH OF 'SOCHI STICKER SHOCK'
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id465.html
GAY SAN FRANCISCO SPITS IN PUTIN'S FACE
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id455.html
CIA-SAUDI BOMBINGS IN RUSSIA
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id442.html
NY TIMES ATTACKS PUTIN & ALLIES
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id433.html
NY TIMES MOCKS RUSSIA'S OLYMPICS
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id430.html
ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA INTENSIFY
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id369.html
NYT LOVES STALIN / HATES PUTIN
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id360.html
Totally agree. Just finished watching the opening ceremonies from Sochi. It was the most tasteful and the most wonderfully done ceremony of any olympic event I have seen yet the announcer NBC announcer who was of course a russian jew raised in the US took every possible opportunity to make Russia look bad with his sly remarks. Its disgusting that they are all doing it. This cant be by chance this has to be by order.
DeleteArto1
Constant, endless repetition of the same diatribe, repeat and repeat same message; that is the elementary basis of indoctrination. The art of propaganda and psychological mind games,mind shaping and mind bending has reached its ultimate perfection with its desired results in the Juden dominated and infested organs of mas media news dissemination. This is not a new development. It was well documented and graphically illustrated that the two WW wars were won by mastering the art of propaganda and winning the war on propaganda by the victors, The masses in the USA are opiated and duped by the incessant flow of news ,information,indoctrination emanating from the so called main stream organs of mass communication. For an exercise in intellectual roaming ( one needs to understand various languages) to verify and confirm the basis of such claims , take an ordinary day and spend it perusing editorials of amin stream media, newspapers, from various countries in the world. An editorial produced in an english speaking country ( e.g LA times etc) will not differ one iota from an editorial produced in an equally ranked news dissemination organ in Quito, Santiago,Buenos Aires or Montevideo ( spanish speaking countries) . It will be no different from a communication outlet in Paris, London, Madrid etc. The message contained therein, its tone, its subtlety, its style , syntax, composition , will only differ in the language it is written. The ideological mantra is identically the same. The indoctrination levels of mass duping does not end with news organs of mass communication; it extends well beyond its frontiers into the Academia world, universities, arts, social sciences, history and any other outlet which serves as a fountain to be imbibed by the masses. It is to be expected than that a young boy growing up , studying, living in say the USA, or any other western spot, will become molded and customized according to the diet it has been fed all along. In the case of Armenian diasporas, this is a serious concern. A similar malady affects the Greek diaspora, and even more gravely than our diasporans. The question to be unravelled is whether or not the Armenian diaspora is Armenian in soul and body. It is very well to say I am armenian because of the ian ending, and apart from that feel superficially about what it really means. Propaganda can only be countered by counter propaganda. The Western world ( under the complete dominion of Juden universal media dissemination channels) produces the atomized citizen, indoctrinated to be divorced from his roots, history, origins, nationality and spirituality. Diasporan armenians growing up in such a milieu can not act and think differently from the consequences of their daily diet of opiates. Their minds have been shaped in a certain manner. Azatutyun radio is in Canada ? Canada is a multiracial-multicultural, universal melting and blending laboratory. Do not expect nationalists to emerge from there. The only nationalists you will find there will be jewish ones. As for Armenians born and bred in such race blending laboratories, genocide experiment laboratories called " nation or states" , it is difficult to escape the deleterious effects of the ideological propaganda barrage they are constantly subjected to and the cannons they have to conform to .They have one source of official news, credible or otherwise, there are no other visible sources. As for the antagonism and dehumanization of Putin's Russia by the West it is a subset of the propaganda war being waged against him. It appears, I say it appears with a strong emphasis, that Putin's interests are in a train of collision with western interests. How far this collision can travel its a matter of study and investigation.
ReplyDeleteYou started off with a very good commentary about the efficiency of Western propaganda and social engineering... but you ended it on a weak note. No. It does not "appear" that Putin's interests are clashing with that of the West's. Russian interests have been openly clashing with Western interests for nearly ten years. It must be very difficult for you to come to terms with the fact that Jews do not have total control of the world and that the Anglo-American alliance has real competition on the global stage. Russia debuted as a geostrategic front against the West in the summer of 2008 within territories historically under its control and in late 2013 Russia singlehandedly stopped a Western/Israeli/Turkish/Saudi aggression against a nation far from its borders. Currently, Russia and the West are at loggerheads over Ukraine. Russia today is the single most hated and feared political entity on earth by the Anglo-American-Zionist global order. This fear and hate is vividly reflected in all mainstream news media in the West.
DeleteThe Anglo-American Axis: Losing Ukraine, Losing Europe
ReplyDeletehttp://www.globalresearch.ca/the-anglo-american-axis-loosing-the-ukraine-loosing-europe/5361450?print=1
turks and kikes proving once again they are the lowest human garbage
ReplyDeleteOrgan Smuggling: Turkish Hospitals Traffic Injured Syrian Citizens’ Organs
http://www.globalresearch.ca/organ-smuggling-turkish-hospitals-traffic-injured-syrian-citizens-organs/5367869?print=1
Hargeli Arevordi
ReplyDeleteAllow me to respond to your comments regarding my recommendations to you. This will be the last time that I address this issue, since I do not want this discussion to carry on forever.
If your goal is to inform and enlighten the misguided Diasporan Armenians, then your current approach is clearly not the right way to go. However, if you view this blog as a place to let out all the “anger and frustration” that you have accumulated over the years, then by all means, go for it, nobody is trying to stop you from doing that. But in that case you would have to change your website's About-section, because it misrepresents the website's actual purpose.
You might say now: “Who is this guy to come to my website and make these big statements and try to influence my work?”. However, this would be the wrong way to approach it. You have said it yourself, Armenians are too stubborn and arrogant for their own good, that is true. I hope you don't think you are the sole exception to this rule. If not, then I would like to ask you as a fellow Armenian, to overcome your stubbornness and arrogance to understand that by bashing other Armenians we are not going to get them to jump on our side. Bashing is not going to get us anywhere and is certainly not going to serve your blog's stated purpose.
Now tell me, where has ARF bashing led us? What have those groups achieved who constantly badmouthed the ARF and did everything they could to harm the party's interests? What have they really achieved, other then helping the ARF to reach a near monopoly status on Diasporan affairs. Well done guys, you deserve a medal for your accomplishments.
Where has Anti-ARF bashing led us? To call people who merely criticize the ARF 'hakadashnaktsakan' has always been extremely counterproductive and plain ignorant and has turned off a lot of those bright minded and truly patriotic Armenians who sympathized with the party's ideology and goals and wanted to contribute in one way or another. As a consequence, the ARF has gradually lost its potential and turned into a mess.
Unfortunately, this is not the end of things.
Bashing continues with regards to the different Diasporan communities. For instance: Lebanese and Syrian-Armenians bash Hayastantsis, they in turn bash Parskahays, Parskahays then go on to bash everybody else. As an obvious consequence, all these different Diaspora groups exist in isolation from each other, making it difficult to cooperate and achieve common goals.
And finally, there is of course the battle between those who are Pro-Western and those who are Pro-Russian. The former having the biggest representation among Diasporan Armenians.
Now what does this website do? It bashes those who are pro-Western, according to the website that is 99% of the Western Diaspora, then the blog goes on to label all of these Diasporans as misguided “fools”, opportunistic “traitors” or simply “Western agents”, depending on who they are.
Certainly “traitors” and “assets” are not going to change their minds, but let us assume one of those pro-Western “fools” visits this blog and reads your articles. Is he or she going to be convinced by your bashing approach? Highly unlikely. Most likely, this person is going to feel totally offended and completely turned off. As a consequence, this person will become even more pro-Western and anti-Russian. Good job my friend.
The people who read your website on a regular basis are mostly individuals who were already suspicious or critical of Western policy in Armenia and the Diaspora and thus were happy to have found a website with information that was in agreement with their personal views. But this is not your target group, you want to enlighten the “fools”, and this is why you need to change your approach.
This does not mean that you need to sugar coat anything my friend.
As I keep on repeating, carry on stating your views and opinions, but change your approach and language. Criticize Western policies and those who blindly support them, but don't get personal. Don't constantly repeat the same defamatory and insulting statements regarding the misguided Diaspora. I don't mean the Western propagandists, label them as you wish, I am talking about their victims.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't keep on saying that the Diaspora is full of fools and a complete liability, if it is this very Diaspora that you want to address and enlighten.
The only people you will reach with your present approach are those who are already pro-Russian and are looking for anti-Western material, period. If you are satisfied with that, then please change your About-section, because in that case your intention clearly contradicts your stated goals.
Furthermore, judging from your replies, you seem to think that I am being overly optimistic here or that I am naïve and misinformed about the current state of the Diaspora. This is not true at all, I am simply arguing that you should be more pragmatic and goal-oriented. That's it.
Your blog is the only one of its kind on the world wide web. I admire your dedication to the cause and you certainly deserve all the praise in the world for the hard work that you have invested in this project. But I am saddened by the fact that you seem to view this website more as an instrument to channel your anger and frustration and less as a platform to inform all those who have been misled by Western propaganda. A professor who stands in front of his students trying to change some of their wrongly held beliefs, is not going to tell them how stupid they are, he is also not going to tell them that they are a liability for the university and science in general. If that was the case, why does he even bother trying? It just doesn't make sense.
Pragmatism is key here.
If you are angry and frustrated with the ignorance of the Diaspora, watch your language, don't call them ignorant, inform them.
If you think the Diaspora has been misled, don't call them fools, try to show them how and why they have been misled and by whom.
In addition, try - whenever possible - to provide your readers with prominent examples of well-informed Diasporans to support your argument.
I know that this is a personal blog, but you cannot waste all the work that you have already put into it. There is so much written material, that anybody looking for information on Armenian national security & foreign policy will at some point end up on your blog. You only have one chance to grab your reader's attention. You cannot risk that, only because you have difficulties controlling your emotions.
Try to be objective and neutral. In other words, be as informative and critical as you can be, don't sugar coat anything, but change your language and your approach with regards to the victims of Western propaganda. If you do that, you will certainly increase your readership and hopefully manage to actually correct people's views, which, after all, has always been your stated goal.
Anyways, im hargeli Arevordi, please do me the favor and take a deep breath and reread my comment before you decide to reply. Thank you in advance.
Kind Regards
The Prince
And a few words to dear Sarkis:
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your reply. If you have read my comments above, then you might understand that the issue is not about giving the Western Diaspora some slack. We don't have to agree on numbers. Even if we think that absolutely every body in our Diaspora has been infected by Western propaganda, it does not mean that we have to constantly bash them, if our stated goal is to change their views. That would simply be illogical. What we need to do is to point out the obvious in an objective manner and help these “fools” to leave Westernland and return to reality, plain and simple. And thank you for making a good suggestion: I might write an op-ed piece in the near future and ask Arevordi for his permission to publish it on his blog. Let's see how that goes.
Yours truly
The Prince
Out out curiosity, what is your background? Do you live in the US?
DeleteLG
Hargeli The Prince,
DeleteI am looking forward to featuring your Op-Ed in this blog.
The Prince (i am sure has no association to the artist known as Prince, no offence, just joking) and Arevodrdi i do agree that bushing is not the best way but a strong language is important. we are facing people like Zaruhi etc, who are paid traitors employing vulgar political tactics to achieve their goals. please don't take this as a forum of 'democracy", the enemies we face are getting dollars and know how in psy-ops to bring about political change in Armenia. that change is not about Armenia's well being, it is about conquering Armenia to their benefit. this is in a way a war, not a declared one but a soft one that is done under the table.
ReplyDeleteHere is a news about Zaruhi being primed in usa to become the next Klitchko of Armenia
http://www.panorama.am/en/press/2014/01/09/hzh/
I support bushing our enemies, i do think when addressing diaspora Armenians we have to invite them into a conversation to answer their questions. Arevordi has so much knowledge to share and it is a good opportunity to inform, break western fed propaganda and ultimately get them to think and analyze.
T.K.
TK, thanks for the information about Boztanjian. I'd like to remind you all that Tufts University is a CIA affiliated school and that Raffi Hovanissian and Vartan Oskanian have graduated from there. Therefore, it's only fitting that yet another one of Armenia's political whores is going to be included into that group. Going forward, we need to keep our eyes on the Heritage Party and Nakhakhorhrdaran.
DeleteSireli The Prince Jan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the essence of what you try to communicate to Arevordi.
But let me highlight some points.
1- You have said, "The people who read your website on a regular basis are mostly individuals who were already suspicious or critical of Western policy in Armenia"
Indeed, those individuals are the main audience of this blog, I myself being one of those suspicious of pro-Western policies of the diaspora. However, the content of this blog revealed the true nature of the problem at hand, and fortified myself with accurate knowledge of geo-politics, history and proper argumentation to counter the western offensive.
2- You said "But this is not your target group, you want to enlighten the “fools”, and this is why you need to change your approach."
I think Arevordi would agree, enlightening the fools is not the purpose of this blog. The "fools" do not even have the capacity to read the pages and commentaries written here, their attention span is very short, and they do not even have a particular enthusiasm for geo-politics, they simply follow the mainstream trend.
Briefly, this blog the way I see it targets the critical and intellectual mind who are suspicious of the pro-western stance the diaspora has taken, therefore, they learn the other side of the story here, and they in turn then propagate these views to the "fools" whether on other social media platforms, or in your local Armenian youth club, in Church and elsewhere.
3- "Don't constantly repeat the same defamatory and insulting statements regarding the misguided Diaspora"
I find this tactic employed by Arevordi very efficient to grab the attention of the intended audience. This is a very well known method employed by advertisement professional called Shock Advertising or Shockvertising, is a type of advertising generally regarded as one that “deliberately, rather than inadvertently, startles and offends its audience by violating norms for social values and personal ideals.”
Cordially,
AJ
Western propaganda, democratic channels of " education" and information do not sweet talk to the " opposite" audience; neither they indulge into diplomatic vein when addressing them . They not only bash their ideological opponents with verbal salvoes , hurling stigmatizing invectives ( fascists, nazis, racists, counter revolutionaries, sewer rats, criminals etc. etc ) , they also theap repetitive insults and personal attacks ad hominem . The enemy is treated as the enemy, unlike decadent " democrats" and psychologically dissonant creatures who try to "convince through soft persuasion" the doubters or skeptics( the fools ?) traitors and trojan horse riders that there are no enemies except fascists, antisemites, nazis, xenophobes, racists, One can not change convictions with mere words and banal rationalization. The " fools" in the other camp are not interested in tolerating difference of opinions , nor will they be won over with diplomatic abstruse double talk language. This is not to be interpreted that gratutitous insults and inconsiderate opprobrium to the " fools" be the standard language.We all saw how this unspeakably whore of Zarhui addressed our PM in an international open forum. First of all her questioning was out of place ; the lack of decency and ethics manifested itself combining it with a good dose of treasonous lashing. " Haik voch Miapan" is our inalienable trade mark; this has been the national weakness of our race, undepinned by internal jealousies, bickering ,backstabbing, hubris, which has resulted in the race being broken into factions , riven by dissension, chronic disunity and internal fighting. This condition has made it possible, in the past centuries, to be totally subjugated under turkish rule and also being used by the turks to let us cut each other throats thus advancing their cause in keeping us enslaved. In order for the " fools" in the diaspora to disrobe themselves of their ideological corrupt bagage our small country requires to be faced with danger. In conditions of danger, the disparate forces and ideologies will coalesce into unity.The diasporan armenians will come to their senses in time. Naturally you will find fresh crops of traitors, and bad weeds, this is unavoidable. This strata of undesirables have to be confronted and fought , not only diplomatically but militantly too.
ReplyDeleteThis is the last time I am going to address this matter.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, this is not a professional think thank. This is not a scholarly website. I am not a politician. I am not here to make people feel good about themselves. This is my 'personal' blog. This is my soapbox. This is the Cyberian podium I stand upon once a month and warn people about things that 'I' consider important. If my approach or my tone is upsetting for some people, they don't have to read it. AJ understand exactly what I have been doing here. Changing my tone to accommodate the people's sentiments will be similar to lowering the standards of an entrance exam to allow unqualified people in. Those who are upset by my rhetoric are not the ones I care to reach or associate with. I am not here to sugarcoat anything. I am not hear to lie about how wonderful we are.
In fact, I think we Armenians need to take a long and hard look in the mirror and recognize that many if not most of Armenia's problems today are ultimately the fault of the Armenian.
I was born in the Middle East. I was raised in the US. [both groups make me ashamed of my Armenian heritage] I have been visiting Armenia since 1992. I have been a member in a number of Armenian organizations. I have seen all that needs to be seen about Armenians and Armenia. I am now middle aged and I now have a few things to say. If I see Armenians acting self-destructive, treasonous, reckless or worthless I will call them out. Like I said, I am not here to make friends. I am not here to become popular. I am not here to talk fluff.
More importantly, I am not here to "reason" with Armenians.
I wasted many years "reasoning" with Armenians. One of the lessons I have learned in life is that Armenians cannot be reasoned with. I also learned that regardless of their education or wealth a majority of Armenians will remain ignorant of politics and will continue acting self-destructive when it comes to Armenia. I believe this is because of our genetics and upbringing: Armenians are terribly jealous, shrewd, controlling, clannish, arrogant and emotional. These traits maybe good for business in foreign lands that are vast and wealthy but they are a serious drawback for the proper development of our tiny, poor, landlocked, remote, desolate and blockaded nation surrounded by enemies.
Armenia is too small for the Armenian.
Please think about what I just said for in these words one can find most of Armenia's problems. We are too smart, too emotional, too ambitious, too materialistic, too controlling and too competitive for our own good.
Finally, I am here to impact the minds of Anglophone Armenians that are still capable of genuine nationalism, analysis, objectivity, rationale and critical thinking. I fully realize that such Anglophones are a minority. But it is this minority that I want to rally around our flag and empower with alternative information on politics and history. In life I have come to appreciate quality over quantity. Therefore, I am happy with the small group I have gathered here. I am not looking to go mainstream. If there are people that are really worried about the rest of the worthless garbage in our communities... then be my guest and YOU preach to them. I have better things to do.
Let's please end this topic because we are chasing our tails again with nonsense.
Dear Arevordi,
DeleteLet me first start by saying, everything you have written has been brilliant in content and exceptionally appropriate in tone/inflection, DO NOT change a thing. I am a highly educated health care professional and in the sea of Armenian politically/socially correct garbage I've come across which includes Asbarez, IanYan.com, Lra-Glir, Hetq, and many others, your blog has been a breath of fresh air. When I read your entries each month, I get a man crush and feel I have found my geopolitical soulmate, I feel there is some guy out there that actually sees what is happening amidst a sea of fellow Armenian imbeciles attempting to preach geo political stratagem to Diasporans but fail miserably.
As you have stated, you are not here to make friends nor are we here to participate in a popularity contest, we are here for the God honest raw truth, and the truth can and is currently ugly for many Armenians, they are in denial or simply do not want to admit to the truths you put out on this blog each month because of their neanderthal like political understanding or complete "pop-culture" brain washing they have endured.
When cultural fossils like "proud Karpetsi" come onto this blog and bark about "turning the other cheek" to our enemies and "becoming a shining beacon for the world through peace promotion", I want to jab my eyes out with daggers right after I commit self immolation. My family did not suffer in the Genocide, but to hear morons and jack offs speak of "peace" and "let's just get along" in their fossilized naiveté mentality regarding this 21st century "dog eats dog" geopolitical world stage despite these same morons having their grandparents raped/executed by the very same Turks they now want to turn the other cheek to, it just is mind boggling.
On the notion of winning over "the fools" via expressing yourself "politely" without "degrading" the cretin Diasporans that want to suck Europe's cock so that Armenia can become the next "Eastern European" brothel in which British, German, and French men can service themselves and order mail order brides, I say FUCK BEING POLITE. If this blog is too "rough" on your thin queer skin, if the truths in this blog expressed in their absolute brashness are simply too "uncouth" for you, then as a long time reader I say, FUCK YOU.
All you neolithic Diasporan bourgeoisie fucking FOSSILS can go to hell, and the faster your whore daughters and faggot sons succumb to the inevitable centrifugal assimilation the better, good riddance. It's Mixitar Sparapet era back stabbing villagers that "politely" beheaded their fellow Armenian savior because he treated them "politely", had he instilled fear and showed them the value of the billy club, perhaps Mixitar's fate would have been different in the history books. Sadly, the Armenian genome in it's current state is far too arrogant, guile, self absorbed, individualistic, and proud to be of any use to nation building, especially in the Diaspora.
Preach on my friend and continue writing EXACTLY as you have done thus far, happy Sarikamish indeed to all fellow brash Armenians that understand the value of what Arevordi is writing in these blog pages, the rest of you liberal, pussy whipped, progressive "Hyes", you can go FUCK YOURSELVES so the rest of us can go on with our nation building.
Regards,
Sanounci Davit
PS: Dear "The Prince", your approach in critiquing this blog has been rather boastful and high handed, I for one am looking forward to your "op-ed" should you write one to see exactly how you approach these complex topics to reach a "wider audience" as you say, or rather to not "shut anyone out" due to Arevordi's brash writing style.
Thank you my friend. Don't worry, I'm not changing anything - especially when it comes to addressing a hopelessly fucked-up bunch of people like American-Armenians. I am also expecting an op-ed by you. I agree with you that The Prince did come across a little aloof and somewhat condescending... but hey, I'm also guilty of such things. After all, we are Armenians and we are subject to certain traits. We have to acknowledge our people's characteristics both good and bad and somehow figure out a way to deal with each other effectively. Anyway, politically, The Prince is one of us, he is intelligent and I think he does mean well. As long as he is respectful and remains rational I will accept any constructive criticism he may have.
DeleteBosnia-hercegovina is going through similar turmoil as in ukraine, not much coverage in western media. there have been riots and they even burned the government building. this is a country is struck by poverty and unemployment after it signed EU AA 8 years ago, so much for their EU fantasy, good lesson for all dreamers here and in ukraine.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/poverty-joblessness-underpin-bosnia-39-bloody-riots-110146430.html
T.K.
i might be going to far, but i wish this ukraine affair will start a counter attack in bosnia (30% of the population are serbs) in moldova, georgia, estonia, and latvia. russia needs to use every eu associated country that has russian or orthodox population and attack them. with protests, riots and all the nightmare they can imagine. russia has leverages and GRU needs to get busy here. the best way to defend is to attack. russian strategists usually go to deep defensive before they attack. it worked previously but now with wars conducted in media this is not the best strategy.
DeleteT.K.
I also wish the same... but it's wishful thinking. Moscow/Russia does not have the experience, the sociopolitical and financial levers or the Western "mystique" (the cultural hype generated during the past few decades by film, music, products, news outlets and "humanitarian" organizations) to bring out the peasantry. The GRU's capabilities in this regard are very limited. Russia will therefore have to resort doing things the old fashioned way.
DeletePS: Most recent additions to the EU are total failures. Yet this fact is not being properly expolited by Russian or Armenian officials. This again reveals Moscow's and Yerevan's lack sophistication and the absence of sociopolitical levers to implement an effective psy-ops.
Patriotic Dutch folks wants to come out of EU
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152201043660781&id=229698963852400
AJ
Here is a great piece from RT about euro corruption.
ReplyDeletehttp://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/eu-business-politics-relationship-296/
I encourage everyone to watch all Crosstalk shows on RT. they are on their website.
Speaking about lobbyism and this is a subject that i have been interested and researched, it should be given the proper name, it is not just institutionalized corruption it is also a legalized corruption. if we take out political lobbyism like armenian or greek lobbies who pursue a political agenda the rest (be that pharma, military, gun, energy etc.) are pursuing money gain, contracts and profits. often at the cost of medium and small business. it is serving big corps and west's oligarkhs.
The main objective those lobbying firms present is that they are presenting the viewpoint and interests of their clients. however, you don't need people rubbing shoulders, having dinners and playing golf for that reason. all they need to make a statement in a form of a letter with attached documents and send it to congressmen or senators to get their viewpoint across.
Lobbyism is the cancer that will eventually bring down the USA and EU, and that would be the day when i will open my 90 year old cognac bottle. wish we can all share. LOL
T.K.
I came across of this video about serbs and russians who came to fight with us in karabagh.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2-yssuRyI
T.K.
The Ukranian fiasco is gathering steam and speed. The players on the stage are well known. The opposition is orchestrated by the Ukranian jew mafia, well supported by the jew mafia from the USA ( Mrs Nuland, scion of a well establish powerful jewish clan in America playing at the highest international leagues). The outcome is uncertain. When the jew cleaves its mandibles on a prey it does not let go easily. As for Bosnia ? Who manufactured the muslim statelet of Bosnia ? The German stooges in the jew corral, the EU catamites , and the jewified America were Bosnias midwifes. I was perusing some of the ruminations of Ashot Manchuryan, not an Armenian from abroad, and came to the sad conclusion this man ( with label of political expert) is either an imbecile, a dumb donkey, a traitor, a rabble rouser or a mentally challenged analytical expert . It is a pity he is armenian, it is a waste of armenian blood. I wonder how widespread is this strain of toxic weed in Armenia ? I heard about "patriotic Dutch willing out of the EU". The leader of this "patriotic" branch is none other than the Dutch jew Wilders. He is an anti-islam ( anti islam) fantasy crusader. Wilders dances to the frantic tune of Hava Nagilas, and the soulful tunes of Evenum Shalom Alejem. He trots to the holy land, dons a kipe ( no American, or EU political bumpkin has any chance of becoming a premier or el supremo in his geographical turf unless he does his pilgrimage to the holy land, dons a silk yarmulke and bangs his head against the wailing wall) praise the elders of Zion and vows unconditional servitude to the chosen or master race. Wilders agenda and political programme is scripted and molded by the sanhedrin. We need to become aware of the spuriosness of opposition patriotic parties to the EU. These opposition platforms ( there are genuine exceptions such as the Greek Golden Dawn, that is why its leadership is languishing in cold dump jails ,on fake charges)are funded, organized and actioned by the jewish power groups. The juden control the EU, and the Juden will create a fake controlled opposition thus controlling and managing both sides of the spectrum. The UKIP in Britain is another flagrant example of deviousness ,cheat and deceit. The stage parakeet Farage for the UKIP sterny attacks the EU and promisses to take Britain out of the EU if his party wins. All very well and very nationalist one would say , until one discovers that this same giant parrot is a stern advocate of political Zionism, wears his kipe with pride and proclaims the hossanahs for the chosen race. Recently the trecherous weasel Greek PM Samaras trotted to the holy land where he was given his management course, with kipe and shawl, on how to keep Greece in the EU , bankrupt, downtrodden and impoverished. His opposition counterpart the snake Tsipra of the coalition of marxists leftists and anarchists also trotted to Jerusalem and duly receive his annointment as certified tool for the Juden power controlling Greece .As for proud Kharpertsi he is living in a warped time frame. His pacifism, his forgiveness, his lamentations and preyers are fit in a choir of angels. When whole peoples become pacifists ( fortunately proud Karpertsis are not in a majority) , when the virus of pacifism engulfes a nation, it is a symptom of senitlity.Peace or pacifism is a desire, war is a fact; history has never paid any heed to human desires and ideals. Strong and unspent races are not pacifists. Pacifism means letting the non pacifist have control. Paceniks Karpertsis and his legions better learn these facts soon if they wish to endure as armenians.
ReplyDeleteI like what you write. I like the way you write. You have a lot of good information, assuming that they are accurate (wondering where you get it all). But please understand that Putin's Russia is in a genuine fight for life and we all know who their antagonists are. Just like how they promoted Bolshevism a century ago to destroy the Russian state they are doing the same with "Democracy" today. But, unlike a century ago, when the Russian Empire was in decline, today, Russia is on the rise - and let's not forget that it is a massive nuclear power and controls around 1/2 of Europe's energy needs. Nevertheless, just image the state of the world today had Russia not been a geopolitical factor. Imagine the situation in places like Ukraine, Syria, Iran and of course Armenia had Russia not been a factor. The Anglo-American-Jewish global establishment's number one enemy - its main natural competitor within the human ecosystem - has historically been the Russian state. The more Russia goes back to its Slavic Orthodox roots, they more will they conspire against her. Despite the Russian Bear's aggressive posturing as of late as we saw in Syria - and its violent outburst back in 2008 - the Russian state is however taking its time and playing it somewhat safe. Russia realizes that although they have the military power and the resources, they don't have the benefit of the doubt, they don't enjoy warm sentiments in Europe, they do not set cultural trends, they don't have the "moral authority" and they don't have the "mystique" of the Western world. In other words, the West can still rally the global sheeple towards imperial agendas.
DeleteExcellent writing style and excellent info.
Deletemore on Geert Wilders, I had zero clue this patriot is a zionista
http://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Geert_Wilders
Wow the jews have completely neutered the "Right Wing" and "Conservatives" of Europe. Wilders and his ilk are as pathetic as the freaks who go to every protest with hammer+sickle or anarchist flags. Globalist filth of a different kind. Armenia's governing politicians look amazing compared to these feckless losers.
DeleteAs for AJ's website, I found their entry on Alex Jones amusing.
http://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Alex_Jones
I found material about Dmitri Motrich in Armenian.
ReplyDeletei have beed touched about his story and would like to spread his story to every Armenian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aySG5derI4I
FIrst chance i get to visit Artsakh and meet arajnord Pargev i will ask if we can do something to for his memory.
T.K.
When I first heard about him and his father back in the 1990s my eyes teared - and it still does today. Although understandable it was still very sad how Dmitri was not fully trusted by Armenians at the time. Only by giving his life did he earn this trust. Anyway, a very powerful and inspirational story. Thank you for reminding us. Yes, by all means, propose some kind of a memorial to Dimitri when you see the Patriarch of Artsakh, and let us know if we can be of any help.
Deletethis is about hemshen armenians in abkhazia who formed armenian battalion of Bagramyan and fought georgians, helping make abkhazia independent. thus, today russia and armenia are much more safer having a russian base and common air defence over the region.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjKu-YQbqEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX3b82EJncc
T.K.
Assholes in Tbilisi have been using this against us for twenty years. Anyway, too bad the Russian army did not enter Tbilisi back in 2008.
DeleteI have been to Moscow many times but had no idea we have so mach history and heritage going back 300 years, had no idea about kreml's north church being called gregoria armyanski. bravo TV Kultura for making such programs. it is very important to educated russians about armenia and our common history. they need to learn to separate armenians from kavkaztsi.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2huOeD7MIk#t=246
T.K.
Education and interaction is key to a better and more efficient alliance between our two great nations.
DeleteT.K. you have posted many excellent videos about Armenian and Russian relations. I was amazed by the story of Dmitri Motrich, I had not heard about him until now. What a great, heroic man, he's done and given more for Armenia than I or almost all members of Armenian-Americans. His noble reasons for what he did reinforce the importance of the cultural and religious aspect bonding Russia and Armenia and supplementing the geostrategic underpinnings of the alliance. As Arevordi has pointed out so many times in the past, imagine the Russians were not as dedicated to Russian culture and ethnic identity (ie "xenophobic") as they are - they would have become multicultural and muslim by now and Armenia's existence and survival would be in extreme doubt... Had it been an American, Frenchman, Brit or Israeli instead of a Russian dying for Armenia, the west would have funded several feature films about such a person (and they would not have tried mocking those movies like they did to the Njteh film in their controlled press). I wish Russian and/or Armenian media would highlight these things more, especially during events like President Putin's visit when the western rags are working overtime to spew their filth forward.
DeleteI wish I spoke Russian, or the videos had Armenian or English dubs or subtitles. I would love to understand what they are saying in that Russians and Serbs video you posted.
Sarkis jan the serb and russian video is similar to the armenian one i found and posted. same subject but the russian version is longer and has more info. there is so much important videos in russian that you will be interested to watch. maybe you need to find a russian girlfriend, LOL. here is one i previously posted and wish everyone will get a good translator and watch.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hs3o5O5kX4
T.K.
Can anyone confirm the authenticity of this footage?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKh1jgB9Ntg
It was released a couple of days after our Armen Hovhannisyan died.
In the first few seconds you can see salvos of rockets, also there are three flares in the sky taking some gun fire.
At 0:12 you can see a ground based unit firing at the rockets. But then at 0:15 the same unit is hot from both direction.
A 27 January our defense minister and catholicos visited hospitals throughout Armenia, I hope it was not related to the events in the footage.
Then we had the case of the traitor colonel Khachik Martirosian who was arrested in Yerevan on January 31 for submitting information to Azerbaijan via Georgia.
My feeling is that someone has leaked intelligence data regarding the location of Armenian anti-air defense units. The Azeris have taken advantage to sneak close to our defensive units.
could anyone confirm that the missile salvos were taken out in the air, almost none of them manage to explode on the ground? or it's just me seeing it this way?
AJ
I don't think this video footage has anything to do with the incident that led to Armen Hovannisian's death. From what I can tell, it looks like some form of a live fire exercise. I do not think that the cluster of lights you referred to seen flying through the air are missiles. Most probably, the lights in question are the tracers of 20 or 30 milliliter automatic cannons being fired in short bursts. The tracer lights are either burning out at a certain distance or the rounds are timed to explode, giving one the impression that they are being shot down.
DeleteAJ
Deletethe video says jan 24, Armen died on 20th. following that for a whole week there have been a lot of firing from both sides. here is another video about that day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwf9UwZd6uI
hard to believe that there was so much shelling and it could have been kept secret.
T.K
Some political developments in Georgia.
ReplyDeleteNATO raps Russia for expanding border into Georgia
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-georgia-russia-idUSBREA141IG20140205
Putin ready to meet with Georgian leader
http://rt.com/politics/putin-georgia-presidential-meeting-473/
NATO Military Committee Arrives In Georgia For First Time
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/nato-military-committee-arrives-in-georgia-for-first-time/
Arevordi, what do you think would happen if Georgia went on full throttle and becomes Nato member? Would Russia allow such a development?
AJ
It will simply not happen.
DeleteIf Nato decides to use Georgian territory for the Afghan withdrawal plan, then wouldn't it establish de-facto presence in Georgia? It is known that Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia is the shortest route for such withdrawal, one that bypasses Russian territory. Nato can benefit by using this route and simultaneously secure the so called "Caspian" corridor, a very vital link for the East-West Central Asia project. how would such a development influence the Armenian Geo-political position? Such a development would further isolate Armenia from Russia, since any arms shipment from Russia to Armenia through Georgia will require Nato inspection. Even the arms supply chain via Iran through the Caspian sea would be threatened because of increased Nato presence and not to forget the anti-Ship missiles that were provided to Azerbaijan by Israel. Remember that the status of the Caspian sea is unclear, some saying its a sea, others saying it's a lake. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is signed by only Russia and Iran whereas Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan have not signed the UNCLOS.
DeletePersonally I have a feeling such developments to our north pose a threat, and I wish I could agree to your statement as you have simply put it.
The Anglo-American-Zionists are still strong, let's not have any illusions about that.
NATO to discuss use of Georgian territory for Afghanistan withdrawal
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/718688?utm_medium=rss20
I am worried too, outright nato acceptance is not possible at this time, but concentrating weapons and personal under some cover (afghan troop removal etc) is a real threat. all this nato, aliev, mergelashvili, erdogan meetings are for some reason. i also don't like this american minsk group replacement guy. i think something to counter growing armenia-russia alliance is in works.
DeleteT.K.
Seems NATO response force is a downscaled option for Georgia-Nato co-operation.
DeleteGeorgia to Join NATO Response Force in 2015
http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/2971_october_18_2013/2971_nato.html
The way I see it, the development to the north is dangerous, however the bear will keep pushing south and this will be almost impossible to stop.
Mind you such a NATO deployment in the Caspian-Caucasus would cut off Russia entirely from Iran, the Russian support to Syria almost becomes unsustainable due to increased scrutiny on arms shipment flowing through the bosphorous.
The most likely scenario to counter such moves is for Armenians in Javakhk to not only reject NATO presence, but also reject the oil and gas pipeline as well as the BTK railway that steps over their necks.
The anti-Islamic sentiments in Adjaria also can be exploited to create a link between Armenia and Russia, this will also cut off Turkey from Georgia and Azerbaijan, also it gives an outlet for Armenia to the Black sea.
Check the discussion on Batumi in the UK parliament. They seem very concerned that Muslims do not have many mosques.
They even publicly acknowledge "We fund a local NGO to maintain an inter-religion working group, which involves a variety of faith groups, including Muslims."
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2014-02-04a.88.0
Armenians of Javakhk are read to stand up and fight?
Georgian politics today is very unpredictable. It is going the EU way but there is still possibility that it may make a U turn. First and foremost we have to take into consideration that current georgian leadership has come to power to throw Sukashvili out. Bridzina (and this is my personal opinion is well connected with russian leadership) came to power for one and only reason to take Sukashvili out. He succeeded and installed his people and keeps control over the government. The logical impression is that this is to make a U-turn. But it is not easy. Sukashvili managed to give all financial and economic leverages to turks, usa and eu. Basically georgian economy is totally dependent from forces opposing Russia.
ReplyDeleteTo make a switch there should be trust and Russia has to take a lot of responsibility to kick in and take care of georgian economy. I think public support is there, i also think Russia is willing, but it will take a lot of going back and forth until it becomes a deal. And don't forget eu diplomats are not sleeping, they are constantly flying and monitoring as they feel this may happen. They probably have ukraine style contingency plan ready for georgia once they feel it will make a switch. I predict 2014 will be a turmoil year for georgia. Much depends from the outcome of ukraine, this is why sukashivili is so active, he knows that if ukraine is lost next will be georgia. He has been given all the support and means in usa to counter this. He is on mission, time to discredit him and throw him out of political field, he is becoming a liability.
This is a task armenian diaspora in usa has to take to prove that it is a worthy force.
T.K.
It look like there is much speculation going on what may or may not happen in Georgia. It will highly unlikely Russia would permit Georgia to become a half way station for the scoundrel criminal American negrified army withdrawing from Afganistan. Very unlikely; it would be like nursing a venomus snake in its bossom . That is why it becomes more and more critical to harness all the firepower conceviable in Armenia. Once the negrified degenerate american/nato army gets a foothold in Georgia the only was they can be dislodged would be through an armed conflict. This is a very dangerous development, very dangerous for Russia geopolitical stance in transcaucasia.
ReplyDeleteI agree. This is all leading up to a very dangerous situation. The pressure is building, it can explode into a major conflict. Eerily, this all should remind us of the geopolitical climate that existed on the eve of World War I - on the eve of the war's one hundredth anniversary. Looking at Western machinations in the region, I have a feeling Washington and friends maybe looking or yet another proxy war, this time on Russia's borders. Let's recall that the US and Britain have historically provoked wars around the world knowing that due to their long distances from the killing fields, their nations could weather such crisis and then come in to exploit the war's spoils in the aftermath.
DeleteFrom a distance they destroy, then they come in to rebuild. This is how they benefited greatly as a result of the world wars.
As I have been saying, much depends on how Moscow reacts to Western provocations. Moscow needs to make it clear that Western interests will suffer terribly as consequence of Western provocations. I am not talking about nuclear weapons (although their use should clearly be on the table), I mean other more conventional measures. Moscow should announce that if the US or the EU crosses the defined red line, Moscow will suspend trade, including gas shipments, with certain European nations. But before it turns off gas valves, Moscow should make it clear that if Western provocations continue in Ukraine, Moscow will annex the Crimea. Moscow should also make it clear that if NATO is about to setup shop in Georgia, Georgia will be annexed by the Russian military and that Russia will establish a border with Armenia. Such a warning was made public last year. It's time to repeat it in unequivocal terms. At the end of the day, establishing a common border with Russia through Georgia and/or Azerbaijan is geostrategically more important for Armenia - for now - than the liberation of Western Armenia. Theoretically, the liberation of Western Armenia will be made much easier if Armenia shares a common border with Russia.
I find that if needed, if we see that Georgia is serious about accepting a NATO presence, then Armenia and Russia must initiate a military campaign in order to establish Pax Russicana by:
Delete1) cutting the only route that the West currently uses to bypass Russia
2) securing the fate of Javakhk Armenians
3) destroy the BTC pipeline
4) If possible, for Armenia, gain access to the Black Sea
If Georgia is gotten out of the way and azerbaijan automatically is isolated (and if possible has lost land to the Armenians), then Armenia becomes THE MOST important player in the region. The Moscow-Yerevan-Tehran axis will become much more effective.
A lot of projects can be created and Armenia will benefit greatly!!
http://asbarez.com/119383/a-plate-of-ham-and-eggs/
ReplyDeleteI never bother reading or commenting on this whore's articles because reading them gives me a headache, and any critical comments I post on her filth are without exception censored by our Dashnak "ընկերներ" who run asbarez. Anyway arguing with her readers would essentially be no different that walking into the azeri consulate here in LA and trying to explain why Artsakh earned its freedom. What a disgusting piece of trash maria is. Even by turkish standards she has a particularly deep-seated hatred against Armenia. She ranks up there with salpi ghazarian and zaruhi bozstanjian and that orange-haired gypsy Arevordi mentioned on the "mass protests against Putin" blog entry as prime examples of the Armenian prostitutes hetq.am and others keep telling us about.
Interesting blog Arevordi. I agree with a lot of the political expressions here but I have a question. Why are you under the impression that Russia was liberating Western Armenia for Armenians? Russia was taking those lands to incorporate them to the Russian Empire. I really dont think the Tsar was going to turnover the land to Armenians. To truly liberate Western Armenia I think Armenians would have to fight Russians someday.
ReplyDeleteReread this entry, and at least a few entries back and you'll find the answers to your questions.
DeleteAre you implying that Armenians in the eastern half of Western Armenia that was temporarily liberated were better off under Turkish rule than they would've been under the rule of an Orthodox Christian nation? If Imperial Russia had staved off the Bolshevik revolution and decided to keep the liberated territories of Western Armenia, common sense dictates that they would've preferred the lands be populated with Christian Armenians. This would've have ensured that these Armenians would not have been killed off/driven away by the Turks.
DeleteAlways consider the alternative my friend. The Armenians had been living under a government that was implementing Islamification and Turkification policies for hundreds of years. This would've ended under a Russian Tsar.
Anonymous,
DeleteYou bring up a very good point. When I first posted this blog entry I though someone would sooner-or-later bring this up.
No one here has ever claimed that Russia would have given to Armenians those lands had they held on to it. We all know that that is not how the world works. To be honest, I actually would not have wanted them to give us those lands because we would not be able to administer the liberated territories like Russians would have been able to. Don't forget we are talking about an massive empire that was at the time one of the wealthiest political entities on earth and one that had centuries of experience in international trade, war making and governance. And also don't forget that we Armenians were a small, still somewhat backward and inexperienced ethnic group (not much unlike Abkhazians and Ossetians) not ready for national independence in a very turbulent region.
Anyway, the short version of my answer to you is this: Empires expand, empires shrink, empire's prosper, empire's collapse. Sooner or later, Russians would have left the land and we would have been in position to place Armenian autonomy over it - just like what we did with the current territories of Armenia when the Russian Empire retreated in 1917. Therefore, think of the Russian incursion into Western Armenia in the same light as the Russian incursions into the south Caucasus two hundred years ago. Even if they did not leave, the Russian occupation of the lands would have re-Christianized the territories and that alone would have benefited us Armenians immensely. Even if they did not leave, the Russian presence in Western Armenia would have also developed infrastructure in the much neglected land.
Simply put, the Russian presence in Western Armenia would have set the foundations of an eventual Armenian nation-state.
Nevertheless, if Armenians were to live under an empire, of the three choices we have had in the region - Turkish, Persian or Russian - Russian would have to be our unanimous choice.
Arevordi, Hagop and Sarkis,
DeleteI think you guys got me wrong. I was only asking a question because I wanted to be clear on your thinking. If it was a choice I would prefer Armenians under Russian rule than Ottoman one or iranians. Thats a no brainer. Imagine what anatolia would be like today if the Tsar was successful in Turkey. Thanks for the clarification.
anyone knows what is the next assignment for the security personnel concentrated in and around Sochi at the moment? there are 10 more days to go and we will have 100 000 of the best Russian police force, security agents and army personnel available to be allocated somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteKiev!!!
DeleteI hope...
Yes Kiev!
DeleteI also hope.
Arto
I hope Armenia.
DeleteSochi is more than two thirds the way to Yerevan.
This finest Russian elite 100,000 strong force has been trained for long years to operate in Caucasus environment. You don't need that type of force in Ukraine. In Ukraine simply inject money, who injects more cash wins.
The Olympics mission is equal in size to NATO mission in Afghanistan. We need that kind of power in and around Armenia so nobody would think to mess around.
I think Kiev is a much more urgent geostrategic situation. Security wise Armenia is doing just fine. Russia has Armenia's Turkish border covered. Armenia can early handle Azerbaijan. It's wrong to ask Russians (or even trust Russians) to do everything for us. We must mature. We must relearn aggressive patriotism. We must master the art of modern war with the help of our Russian friends. But the overall protection of Armenia must be the responsibility of us Armenians.
DeleteThis is a zero sum game. The countries right now that are being fought over:
DeleteTunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asian countries (only to name a few) These are times of shifting geo-politics. There are periods of geo-political stability, and periods of turbulence, we are now in such a period, for some years already. The outcome is unclear.
Each of these countries are undergoing transitional crisis and they will either orient towards Russian axis or Western Anglo-Zio axis. Superpowers are actively engaged to pull these nations into their orbit, all instruments are allowed, including terrorism.
There is no win-all situation, neither loose-all. So Russia must decide what it wants to keep, does Russia intend to keep Syria? for how long? at what cost? Does Russia intend to keep Armenia? Ukraine? If Russia where to choose between Armenia and Ukraine, what would they choose?
Caucasus is much much more important than anything Ukraine can offer. Loose Caucasus you lost the link to Iran, loose Caucasus and the West have total control over Central Asia, loose Caucasus and the West have absolute control over energy deposits in the mediterranean, persian gulf, central asia, and the caspian including the main transit corridors i.e. Turkey!!
If Russia looses its position as Energy giant and monopole, it regresses and cannot fulfill any imperial ambitions.
If NATO decided to pull its troops from Afghanistan, and deploy them in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, what can Armenia do against such isolation. Mind you Russia has difficulty to ship weapons to Armenia at present. Any attempt to involve in a war should be calculated if we can engage in prolonged war, like Syria for example, 3-4 years. If Nato concentrated to our north, what can Armenia do against this? not much! That's why we are also involved in Nato in case such a future scenario develops, Armenia will have to bend down to the Nato bastards, there isnt much choice in this.
In my opinion there is no need for military push in Ukraine. Russia would better concentrate its efforts to maintain stability in North Caucasus, and fully control over the over South Caucasus.
AJ
AJ,
DeleteEverything you mentioned can be remedied simply by having Armenia and Russia establish common borders via Georgia and/or Azerbaijan. With a larger and more powerful Armenia sitting on Russia's southern border, Moscow can fix most of its problems along its southern periphery, from eastern Europe to central Asia. Our pan-national efforts and our relationship with Russia should be oriented towards this geostrategic goal. This matter of establishing common borders between Armenia and Russia needs air time in Cyberia. Not enough people are talking about it.
Yes Arevordi
Deletethe common border is the main objective. we missed our chance in 1994. it was the best opportunity, but i guess the new independent Armenia had no experience and Russian leadership too had no idea what it was doing.
if there will be a war it will not be because Azeris will start to take over karabagh, it will be to establish that common border. we could have used the 2008 georgian war too. but the armenian government was weak (after march events) and we missed that too.
when would we learn?
T.K.
One of my good readers posted the following truly wonderful article at Keghart.com: http://keghart.com/Amirian-Russia
ReplyDeleteI added his article to my current blog commentary for it fits perfectly.
I have to say, I am very happy to see that more and more people are coming out and expressing their concerns about the information war taking place against Armenia. I am so happy to see more and more people coming out to express their support for Russian-Armenian alliance. For too damn long the internet has been saturated by Anglo-American-Afro-Jewish worship, Russophobia and the sky is falling type rhetoric about Armenia. It's good to see that our kind is beginning to make some headway in the stinking muck that is called Western society.
Don't forget, although we don't have our antagonist's support system and resources, we do have the truth and genuine patriotism behind us. Don't believe nonsense about patriotism, truth or reality being relative to one's perception. Patriotism is simply understanding how the political world works and using that knowledge to place the nation's long term interests above that of the individual's interests. And there is only one universal truth and reality. Some are close to it, some are very far from it. Be convinced of the fact that we uphold this universal truth and that our perceptions about Armenia, Russia, the political West, human society, history and politics are firmly based in realities of the world we live in.
Therefore, do not allow them distort truth. Do not allow them to be the only voices heard in Cyberia. Do your part, however big or small, to express your views about topics you find important for Armenia's long term survival as a nation-state in the turbulent south Caucasus. And don't forget that the world is still at your fingertips.
To avoid Nato move to Georgia, to force angloamericanjewish agenda to back up, Russia may consider to set a military presence at Egypt/Gaza borderline. why not press israel by building a military base in Gaza. it is obvious that israel is very active in Georgia and Azergayjan. time to counteract and put them on defensive.
ReplyDeleteT.K.
Interesting perspective. Perhaps Putin's meeting with Egyptian presidential candidate al-Sissi has something to do with such strategy. Russia can advance towards Gaza only if they get Egypt in their pocket.
DeleteIt will be many years and much destruction before Egypt is able to reverse its Anglo-American-Jewish infestation. In the meanwhile, I hope General Sissi does not end up dead in some mysterious automobile accident.
DeleteIf that person who refers to themselves as the so-called "prince" is still around, I'd like them to take a look at the following comment by your typical, delusional "Armenian" from America attacking Armenia and Russia and blaming us for the fact that the turks, azeris, and georgians are conspiring against us:
ReplyDeletehttp://asbarez.com/119545/georgia-azerbaijan-agree-to-cooperate-on-%E2%80%98breakaway%E2%80%99-territories/comment-page-1/#comment-6947693
While you're at it, look at this article by another piece of shit from America who is spreading poison within Armenia, and then closely read the comments underneath. This is the community that you claimed sent supposedly "countless" volunteers to Artsakh:
http://asbarez.com/119383/a-plate-of-ham-and-eggs/
Instead of wasting time coming up with honorary titles and terms of endearment to refer to us by, or writing elaborate responses here imploring us to be nicer when describing these jackals, take this as an opportunity to educate yourself on why we have come to the conclusion that the US Armenians are a liability for Armenia. Even better, take a minute to respond to such garbage as "elegantly" as you do when you criticize us for telling the truth about the way things are.
Otherwise everything Sanounci Davit stated hit the mark.
***
For anyone interested, I wrote the following as-yet unpublished reply:
This is some of the worst self-hating garbage I have ever heard coming out of any Armenian. No one has the right to Armenia for the fact that our three western-backed neighbors, namely NATO’s turkey and turkey jr aka azerbaijan, and America’s outpost Georgia are united in their mission to harm Armenia due to the aggressive, expansionist, anti-Armenian and anti-Russian ruling regimes and societies, not because Armenia “lacks democracy” or any other nonsense.
For your information, Armenia produces much value. What a disgusting quote “Armenia’s inability to produce anything of value to the rest of the world”, I usually read such petty remarks from turkish and azerbaijani websites. Armenia has a healthy and growing Information Technologies, mining, tourism, eco-tourism, arms production, UAV production, minerals production, high end alcohol production, diamond industry, tobacco industry, and research and development centers partnered with Russian and western institutes. And there are tons of industries, from financing to textiles and foodstuffs which are on the rise.
Anyone who claims Armenia is the “laughing stock” of the region clearly does not know what they are talking about. Armenia is a militarily powerful state closely allied with the Russian superpower, while Georgia is a military joke and economically it is a debt slave to the west. azerbaijan is a country which honors axe murderers. turkey is infamous for genocide and genocide denial. Armenia is a glorious, shining light in that region.
Comparing Russia to azerbaijan is laughable, something the State Department would do when its not busy claiming Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within azerbaijan or denying the Armenian Genocide.
As for saving Armenia, Russia stopped turkey cold in 1993 from finishing Armenia off. Today thanks to Mother Russia Armenia has Iskander-M missiles, SMERCH artillery and S-300 systems. Not to mention invaluable socio-cultural, spiritual, economic, financial, technological and nuclear support.
Very well said Sarkis.
Delete