There I was, just in for a view of gratuitous violence. I admit it. I was in the mood for some serious blood-and-guts. Based on a friend’s recommendation, having read about the body counts in this flick, and completeness (I confess to having seen the previous ones in the series too), I went to see Rambo.

I was not disappointed in my lust for gore. But I got a lot more. I was actually moved to a few tears by the scene where villagers were killed off. All I could think was, “How similar this scene must be to our plight a century ago. What a good presentation of genocide at the micro level.” So the stage was set, my mind was in “Genocide” mode.  Read more. . .

Last week’s presidential elections in Armenia received substantial coverage in the international media. Here is how The Economist, a British weekly newspaper, assessed the situation:

“Elections in former Soviet republics rarely yield surprises. The incumbent wins; the opposition cries foul; it takes to the streets. The presidential vote in Armenia on February 19th ran true to form. Serzh Sarkisian, the prime minister, won 53% of the vote, enough to avert a runoff with his main rival, Levon Ter-Petrossian, with 21%. Mr. Ter-Petrossian, a former president, said Mr. Sarkisian had stolen the vote even before ballots were counted. Independent observers talked of ballot stuffing and intimidation. Yet, as thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Yerevan, monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe opined that the election was ‘mostly in line with the country’s international commitments’, even though the vote count in 16% of stations was ‘bad or very bad’. That verdict makes it more unlikely that the opposition can overturn the results.”

According to the official and final election results, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian received 862,369 votes (52.8%); former President Levon Ter-Petrossian, 351,222 votes (21.5%); former Speaker of the Parliament Arthur Baghdasarian (16.7%), the ARF candidate and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Vahan Hovhannisian (6.2%) and the remaining 5 candidates collectively received 2.8%.

Here are my own thoughts on the elections:

– There were no earth-shattering surprises, as almost all the candidates received more or less what the pollsters and pundits had expected. Were there violations of election laws? Yes, there were. Yet, all international observers gave a passing grade to the elections, while noting some irregularities. Significantly, however, none of these observers questioned the outcome of the elections.

– One could wonder how a small country like Armenia ended up with nine presidential candidates? In past elections, those wishing to run for president had to collect a large number of signatures from all regions of the country. Those who could not collect the necessary signatures were not placed on the ballot. This time around, no mention was made of such a requirement. Allowing anyone to run for the highest office in the land unnecessarily cluttered the elections and created more chaos and confusion. Either this requirement was recently dropped from Armenia’s election laws or was not enforced. Hopefully, this shortcoming will be fixed before the next elections, in order to allow only those candidates who can collect a significant number of signatures. Notably, in last week’s elections, five of the nine candidates received each 1% or less of the total votes.

– Another problem is that Armenia’s political parties are formed around relatively well-known individuals and not based on political programs or ideology, with the exception of Diaspora parties that were re-established in the homeland after independence. As a result, party members and leaders often switch sides. There are more than 50 political parties in Armenia – way too many for a country of 3 million; many more than those in the United States, a country of 300 million! One would hope that some of these parties would coalesce, to help bring more political stability to the country.

– Lastly, there is the advantage of incumbency. Candidates and parties in power in most countries have a natural advantage over those challenging them in elections. For example, in the United States, more than 90% of incumbent members of Congress get re-elected by easily defeating their opponents. Beyond the advantage of incumbency, American politicians get re-elected because they cater to the needs of their constituents, while many Armenian elected officials seem oblivious to the needs of the public. Consequently, Armenian citizens, who are unemployed and in abject poverty, feel alienated from those in power. They feel that no one cares for their well-being and have nowhere to turn. At election time, these disadvantaged citizens express their displeasure at the authorities and cast a protest vote by supporting the opposition. Thus, they vote not so much for a particular candidate or party, but against those in power.

As I have written previously, elections in Armenia cannot be improved in isolation from changes in social values and political culture. Until then, let’s hope that this latest episode of post-election upheaval has a peaceful resolution.

I’ve always advocated action, participation, doing something over doing nothing, in a word, activism.

But all along, I’ve held a bias that’s now been revealed to me. I suppose I owe everyone an apology. I’d just always assumed that activists, especially any who survive into their twenties and beyond, also develop/have good judgment. At the very least, I’ve observed most organizations checking the overzealousness of some of their members/activists in the interest of not doing damage to their cause. It seems I am dead wrong on this front. Read more…

In recent weeks, while Armenian-Americans were preoccupied with Presidential elections in America and Armenia, there were other interesting developments that may not have attracted public attention. Here are my brief observations on some of them:

– Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will be visiting Turkey next month, accompanied by several high-ranking military and civilian officials. They were preceded by General James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff; Frank C. Urbancic, Jr., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism; and Attorney General Michael Mukasey who rushed to Ankara last week. It looks like Cheney and the others may be taking advantage of their last year in office to travel overseas at taxpayers’ expense; or are they plotting another dangerous Middle East adventure?

– Prof. Israel W. Charny, Executive Director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, has written a thought-provoking analysis titled: “The Question of a Possible Relationship Between Mental Disturbance and Denials of Known Genocides such as the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide.” Dr. Charny, a practicing clinical psychologist, wonders whether “some deniers of the Holocaust or other genocides are, in fact, quite crazy, or in more polite scientific parlance, mentally ill. For on the surface of it, the basic claim that a major historical event of genocide — which the whole world knows took place — never took place, is madness.” Prof. Charny also writes: “There may very well be in a given denier a bona fide psychiatric paranoid personality disorder or even a worse psychotic paranoid condition.” Although Charny’s diagnosis does not come as a surprise to Armenians, it is good to get the views of a mental health expert on this sordid subject.

– The Turkish government, under great pressure from European Union officials, shortly will submit to Parliament an amended version of the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code on “Insulting Turkishness.” This law has been used to prosecute all those who dare to utter the words “Armenian Genocide,” including Hrant Dink, Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak. The revised version of this preposterous law will still prosecute all those who insult the Turkish people, the Turkish Republic, the State, the Parliament, the courts, the military and the police. Those who violate the “amended” law could receive a prison sentence of up to 24 months. It is hard to imagine that this draconian law would make Turkey worthy of joining the ranks of civilized European countries.

– Not satisfied with the ridiculous claim that “dark-skinned” Americans are descendants of Turkish sailors who were shipwrecked on the US East Coast centuries ago, some Turks are now alleging that they are blood relatives of Native Americans (American Indians), according to a report by Elif Ozmenek in the Turkish Daily News. The article also claims that there are similarities between the Turkish and Native American languages. Some Turks attending a recent conference in New York organized by “the Istanbul University Alumni Association of the USA” were asking if Turks could now get visas to come to the United States, at the invitation of their newly-found American Indian relatives! The true agenda of this bizarre conference was revealed by Ali Cinar, President of the Alumni Association, when he solemnly declared: “In the U.S. Senate there are 15 (sic) Native American Senators. Therefore, I see this conference also as an important element in strengthening the Turkish lobby and increasing its supporters in the U.S. Senate.”

– Ali H. Aslan, the well-known Turkish commentator for “Today’s Zaman” newspaper, echoed my earlier column titled: “Erdogan’s Insulting Words about Obama May Haunt Turkey after the Elections.” In his Feb. 8 article, Mr. Aslan wrote: “Bad news for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Given the results of the ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries in the US, Barack Obama, whom Erdogan lashed out at after he promised to acknowledge the so-called ‘Armenian genocide,’ has never been so close to winning the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2008 presidential elections.” Should Sen. Obama win in November, Armenian-Americans may wish to remind him of the Turkish Prime Minister’s insulting words, so that he could deal with Turkey appropriately.

– Finally, the newly-formed “U.S. Azeris Network” announced that its “400,000 members” would be supporting Republican Presidential candidate John McCain. Azerbaijani-Americans, like all Americans, have the right to support the candidate of their choice. The only problem is that there may not be more than a couple thousand Azerbaijanis who are U.S. citizens and registered to vote. Sen. McCain better not count on a handful of Azerbaijanis to secure his political future.

Finally, we may be on the verge of getting rid of those disgusting tasting sweeteners.

A study conducted at Purdue University in Indiana and funded by the school and the U.S. National Institutes of Health made an interesting discovery. Rats fed saccharin-sweetened madzoon before their regular meal gained more weight after five weeks than rats fed madzoon sweetened with glucose (the simplest form of sugar, what the body actually burns for fuel). The saccharin rats consumed more calories too.   Read more. . .

We all can recall the time when a city councilman would show up at an annual banquet with a proclamation commending Armenians and their achievements. Those in attendance would welcome the politician with rousing applause and a standing ovation. And if the elected official managed to greet the audience with one or two mangled Armenian words, he or she would be hailed as a hero.

Those times are a distant memory now. Members of Congress routinely attend Armenian events. Governors keynote April 24 commemorations and proclaim Armenian Genocide Day, despite the opposition of the Federal government. Virtually all U.S. presidential candidates issue statements that not only reaffirm the Armenian Genocide, but also express support for most Armenian issues.

Clearly, Armenians have come a long way! The great progress they have achieved is owed to the activism of numerous Armenian-American organizations, and specifically to thousands of community members who have been involved in many political campaigns as volunteers, staff members, and financial contributors. Many others have run for political office — one, George Deukmejian, was elected governor of the great state of California. Other Armenian-Americans became high-ranking civil servants, members of Congress, state legislators, mayors, city councilmen, and distinguished members of the judiciary — Dickran Tevrizian became the first Armenian-American Federal Judge, and Justices Armand Arabian and Marvin Baxter served on the California Supreme Court.

Despite the community’s great progress in recent years, much more could be accomplished with greater activism and organizational effort. Unfortunately, there are always those who remain on the sidelines and throw stones at those who are politically active, effectively discouraging others from getting involved in community affairs. They see the cup as half empty rather than half full. They contend that that there is no point in political activism either because politicians cannot be trusted or that there is an anti-Armenian conspiracy orchestrated by one group or another that would never allow Armenians to attain their objectives. These inactive Armenians refuse to spend the time, energy and money to further the Armenian agenda. Instead of using the achievements of more successful ethnic groups as a model to emulate, these naysayers either begrudge or denigrate them.

Let’s look at the example of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) which is getting ready to celebrate its 102nd anniversary in a couple of months in New York City. Among the distinguished guests who are invited to speak at AJC’s conference are: Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations; Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State; Francois Fillon, Prime Minister of France; Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia; Dominique Strauss-Kahn, President of International Monetary Fund; Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University; Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of Woodrow Wilson School; and Taib Fassi Fihri, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco.

I would not be surprised if in the not too distant future, major Armenian-American organizations would be hosting an equally distinguished list of dignitaries at their annual conferences or gala banquets. Indeed, in recent years, a number of Armenian groups such as the AGBU, ANCA, Armenian Assembly, Diocese, Prelacy, Children of Armenia Fund, and the USC Institute of Armenian Studies have held very prestigious events with important elected officials and celebrities as their guests.

Another yardstick with which one can measure the Armenian community’s progress is the amount of money it raises and contributes to various projects in Armenia and the Diaspora. Dozens of Armenian-American organizations raise tens of millions of dollars annually for a variety of causes. One of the most prominent fund-raising events is the annual telethon of the Armenia Fund. This group has raised around $15 million during each of the last two years and millions more in earlier telethons.

As a point of reference, and in order to encourage Armenian-Americans to get even more involved in community affairs, it would be interesting to note the fund-raising successes of the American Jewish community.

According to Howard Rieger, the President of the United Jewish Communities (UJC), the North American Jewish Federation system raised $2.4 billion last year. This group now has more than $13 billion in endowment funds, which yield approximately $1 billion per year. Of course, it is understood that the American Jewish community is older, larger, more prosperous and better organized than the Armenian-American community. Yet, Armenians can accomplish much more than they have by expanding their base of support both at the grassroots and the leadership level.

To be sure, Armenian-Americans have come a long way in becoming a part of the American body politic. By getting better organized, more engaged in political activities and mobilizing those who are inactive, the Armenian community can increase its economic and political clout, both in national and international forums.

The day may soon arrive when some of the world’s famous and powerful would come knocking on the door of Armenian organizations, to address the community’s core issues, concerns and interests.

Super Tuesday was and wasn’t.

It wasn’t super in that we still don’t know who the Democratic Party’s nominee will be. That outcome will be a grueling battle between Clinton and Obama. As I’ve pointed out in the past, organization wins. Hillary has a better campaign organization. On the Republican side, prevailing wisdom and arithmetic both indicate that McCain will be the nominee (eight years late, after Shrub used very dirty tactics against him in the 2000 race).  Read more. . .

While Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards issued strong statements last month recognizing the Armenian Genocide and expressing support for other Armenian issues, Republican candidates John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee do not seem as interested in courting Armenian-American voters.

Sen. McCain sent a letter to the Armenian National Committee of America last week in which he avoided using the term “Armenian Genocide,” while heaping praise on Armenia and Armenian-Americans. As I have noted in previous columns, Armenians do not need presidential candidates to reaffirm the Genocide which is a proven fact independent of anyone’s acknowledgment. Any candidate who reaffirms the facts of the Armenian Genocide does so because it is the right thing to do, and wishes to gain Armenian-American votes.

In the case of Sen. McCain, he is simply alienating Armenian-American voters by issuing a statement that uses words such as “tragedy,” “suffering,” “brutal murder,” and “painful experiences” as substitutes for “genocide.” Sen. McCain is sadly mistaken if he believes that such words will win him any supporters in the Armenian community. After enduring similar insulting euphemisms from Presidents Bush and Clinton for the past 16 years, it is highly unlikely that Armenian-Americans would be satisfied with yet another politician who makes such flawed characterizations! Since Pres. Reagan recognized the Armenian Genocide in his 1981 Presidential Proclamation, what would Armenians gain by having yet another president acknowledge it, or even worse, mischaracterize it? Sen. McCain would have been better off to say nothing. Since he is reluctant to properly characterize the Armenian Genocide at a time when he is seeking the votes of Armenian-Americans, imagine how much more reluctant would he be, if he becomes president!

Another Republican presidential candidate, Gov. Mitt Romney, has decided not to make a statement on Armenian issues, even though he has been asked to do so by two Armenian-American organizations. During his four-year term as Governor of Massachusetts, Romney issued four proclamations on Armenian issues. The first three properly characterized the Armenian Genocide, while the fourth did not. As is the case with Sen. McCain, Gov. Romney refuses to make a statement on Armenian issues at a time when he desperately needs Armenian-American votes. How much more reluctant would he be, if he is elected president!

Mike Huckabee is in a similar situation. During his long tenure as Governor of Arkansas, he issued one statement that properly characterized the Armenian Genocide and one that did not. During the presidential campaign, Gov. Huckabee has not made any statements on Armenian issues even though he has been asked to do so.

Since Democratic presidential candidates are the ones that made strong statements on Armenian issues, Ankara has concentrated its attention on them, ignoring the Republican candidates. As reported in my previous column, Turkish Prime Minister Rejeb Erdogan harshly criticized Sen. Obama for stating that he recognizes the Armenian Genocide. I had expressed the wish that it would be very helpful for the Armenian Cause, should Erdogan also insult other U.S. presidential candidates, thus antagonizing the next American president. I am pleased to report that my wish came true.

Levent Bilman, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, said: “Turkey feels regret over recent statements of U.S. presidential candidates supporting the Armenian stance on the events of 1915. The attempts to cast a shadow over our history in the name of competition among candidates within a political party deeply hurt the Turkish nation. We invite the U.S. presidential candidate nominees to act responsibly in regards to both the past and future, to pay attention not to hurt an ally country and its nation with baseless statements and keep in mind in this respect the delicacy of the Turkish-American relations.”

Similarly, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) condemned Senators Obama and Clinton for recognizing the Armenian Genocide. “The Armenian issue, which has become a matter of history, is being used as a tool to exert pressure on Turkey. We are strongly condemning these unfair and unfounded statements which were made to receive a handful of additional votes,” the AKP said.

It never fails. Sophisticated Turkish diplomats routinely lose their cool and react emotionally whenever they are confronted with any one of the following three issues: The Armenian Genocide, the occupation of Cyprus and the Kurdish conflict. On this occasion, Democratic presidential candidates drove the Turkish leaders over the edge!

On Tuesday, voters in over 20 states will have a chance to help select the presidential candidates of the two major parties. If you are a citizen who lives in one of those states, we urge you to vote. Armenian-American organizations and individuals have been very active in educating the campaigns about our community’s particular concerns and priorities. They have urged each campaign to reach out to the community.

* Republicans

This week we had to report that the Republican aspirants have not yet issued any campaign pledges targeted to our community. Moreover, insofar as the Republican aspirants have a record on issues of concern to our community, the record, especially of John McCain, is not inspiring. Details appear in an article that starts on page A1. Armenian-Americans will continue pressing the Republican hopefuls and the party’s eventual candidate for meaningful commitments to Armenian-American voters.

* Democrats

Last week, we published statements from Democratic Party aspirants Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama directed to Armenian-Americans. Mr. Edwards has since then withdrawn from the contest. The statements made by Ms. Clinton and Mr. Obama were both strong. On Genocide recognition, their pledges were unequivocal: “as president, I will recognize the Armenian Genocide,” both candidates wrote. Mr. Obama, in turn, pledged to work toward “a lasting and durable settlement” in Karabakh “that is agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding commitment to the principles of democracy and self determination.” Ms. Clinton pledged to support “a fair and democratic resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.” The emphasis on democracy and self-determination is significant; our opponents often assert that the territorial integrity of states is more important than the principles that Mr. Obama rightly characterizes as “America’s founding commitment.” Ms. Clinton wrote that she would “work to expand and improve U.S.-Armenia relations” and Mr. Obama likewise pledged to support Armenia’s development. The fact that the Democratic candidates made these pledges is significant, of course. It shows that the concerns and support of Armenian-Americans matter to them; they are more likely than their silent Republican counterparts to be responsive to us in the future. Both Democratic candidates likewise have a generally positive record on these issues. Of course, experience has shown that candidates, once elected, do not always honor all their campaign pledges. We know that to translate pledges into reality requires continued vigilance and involvement by the community. We plan to remain vigilant and involved.

* Challenges

We have heard from the Democrats. Either Ms. Clinton or Mr. Obama will ultimately prevail and contest the general election. Should the Democratic candidate prevail in the general election, our challenge will be to hold the new president accountable for the pledges he or she made. We have not heard from the Republicans, though their silence could also be seen as a message to our community. In the absence of any statements after Super Tuesday, and should the Republican candidate prevail in the general election, our challenge will be to get the new president to consider our issues in the absence of any election promises. Each of us as voters has a particular mix of issues that are important to us. Armenian-American issues are among them. But each of us will naturally look at a wide range of issues when making our choice. Those of us who are citizens in the Super Tuesday states: Let’s make our choices and vote on Tuesday.

February 2, 2008

The ANCA this week decided to endorse Barack Obama as the Democratic Presidential candidate who can change “the ways of Washington” when it comes to issues of concern for Armenian-Americans and the anti-genocide community in the U.S.  Read more. . .