Aaron

I haven't written anything here in at least 3 years. To read: http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/3362/ I have a lot to say about this (good and bad) but work and time restrictions don't allow me to delve into it! A.

I don't know if this is a myth or if there is a dose of truth in it, but I've heard that at some point Armenians in the diaspora considered buying a piece of land and establish a pseudo-state (probably under protectorate of a bigger power) for the genocide survivors. I've heard this occurred in the 1920s or 1930s when it became clear that western Armenia was lost for good and that eastern Armenia was under tight Soviet rule. Apparently, the territories considered were parts of Madagascar Island and Vancouver Island. Anyone has some sort of info on this? Is it just a senseless rumor? A.

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor...67727912B39.ASP

Quote " "Nous n’avons pas besoin d’eux, ils ont besoin de nous. La Turquie veut de bons liens économiques avec ses voisins. S’ils voient ce fait et prennent des mesures en notre direction, nous prendrons des mesures en leur direction" a dit le ministre d’Etat. (GIF) « Nous n’avons aucun dialogue commercial ou politique avec les arméniens à cause des problèmes qu’ils ont crées. L’ouverture de la frontière n’est pas malheureusement possible pour l’instant sans que l’Arménie résolve ses problèmes avec l’Azerbaïdjan et change sa position envers la Turquie » a précisé Mehmet SimSek " This is in french and basically sums what I wrote at the beginning of this thread, that even if Armenians are willing to put aside many things and beg for the border to open, the Turks don't really want to. The balance of forces is too much in their favor. They don't need us, we need them! Use google translation if needed. I am for opening the border, and even forgetting SOME issues dividing us, finding a negotiated and moderate solution for our problems ... but it's not gonna happen. If I was Turkish, I wouldn't open the border, since the present day policy does actually have realistic chances of weakening Armenia into submission. "Why change it? What's pressing? nothing right? To sum it up in full honesty: as the most powerful country in the region (Turkey), I do whatever I want!" A.

I have a good friend in the restaurant business, he worked in a restaurant doing all type of jobs for years before opening his own. This type of experience is a must if you want to succeed in this difficult business. Moreover, keep in mind that you have to be constantly present there (no trusting managers or delegating), staff turnover is one of the highest in any industry (few people make a career out of it), and location is key! But if you make it (reputation), you can easily make in the mid to high 6 digits, much better than engineering or research jobs in terms of money. Good luck, A.

I agree with Shiner that you should be in something that makes you feel comfortable ... however cliché this may sound. If you're going to do it for the cash, then you might as well open a small business right now (ice cream counter, café, retail store, etc), you'll make a good living, as good as - if not better than - a Boeing engineer (you'll work more hours though). This way, no need to invest time and money in long years of education and university!! My environment is full of people with very average education (sometimes none) that make a good living with their small businesses, drive nice cars, have a decent house, and go on vacation once or twice a year with their families. If, on the other hand, you want to be challenged intellectually and do a job that you like, you must have balls (if you're a girl ... you get the point, no discrimination) to take the risk of doing something interesting, and have the confidence that you'll find a way to make a living, even if that means changing fields later on! The good thing about engineering is that you can do pretty much anything with it later on: work in engineering companies, work in consulting, banking, IP, etc, go to grad school and pursue research to become an academic, start your business in your field or in something else since you'll have an analytical mind, do almost any other degree, do an MBA, become a surfer, etc. Anything goes !!! Most engineers end up living well, and some become rich. In other words and bluntly speaking, it's a fairly sure bet! Yes, I'm an engineer and I work in research (grad student). It's very interesting, you're at the cutting edge of science and tech, your mind never stagnates and you're always working with brilliant individuals. You definitely get a strong sense of accomplishment. As for the money, I have to be honest, it's not the best ... unless you start you're own business or become a prof/researcher in an Ivy League school, a fairly challenging task ... which should not intimidate you if you feel you have it inside. I'm about to change fields though ... want to try banking/strategy consulting for a few years, and we'll see later on! But, as you can see, my educational background was compatible with banking (in terms of fundamentals, I've never worked or studied finance or business), at least enough so that I could land a job! Good luck in you decision making, hope this helped! A.

Totally agree, we don't need one! Moreover, if it happens, an Armenian from Armenia cannot lead such an organization. I don't refer to arevelahay or arevmdahay, it could of course be an Armenian from Armenia who has significant experience living in the diaspora (not through his function as ambassador or in the foreign affairs). The person must have lived in the disapora and must have been involved in its life to understand all aspects. For example, Vartan Oskanian could potentially do this job, Arkady Ghoukassian, no, he's experienced in telethons and running a state, not dealing with an extremely multicultural structure. Alex Yemenijian could, but it's borderline (he's a businessman). Alex Manukyan, if he was alive, would be perfect! Ara Abrahamian from Russia is also a possibility. Jirair Libaridian, maybe, he's seen both worlds, but someone younger is preferable! Armen Sargsyan, the former prime minister living in London for a while now, is another possibility! Just some random thoughts. And BTW, the origin of Victor Dallakian's last name is ranked somewhere between 15743-15746 on my index of priorities and worries in life, i.e. I don't give a damn! A.

When I click on it, it does open. In any case, go on www.armenialiberty.com and it's today's headline about Azerbaijan further military budget increase. http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor...B3FB87FCB44.ASP A.

More bad news, http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor...B3FB87FCB44.ASP Should we provoke this war now when the balance of forces is still in our favor, before it's too late? A.

I received this from a friend. Is it true or just a joke? If real, I wouldn't be surprised at all and probably not a bad thing for Armenia either. " According to the data from RA energy circles, the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan has been offered a post of deputy Chairman of "Gazprom" OJSC's managing Board. According to the source, R. Kocharyan received the proposal even before expiry of the term of his office. Moreover, RA second president will have to supervise the south direction of the gas monopolist's activity. There is no information yet about Robert Kocharyan's response to this proposal. " Who knows, one day he'll run for a Russian government post, he has experience changing environments after all. All that would be needed is for the Kremlin to pass a law that allows individuals born in the former Soviet Union to be APPOINTED to political posts, and if Rob is in good terms with Putin (who controls the parliament A to Z), then the rest becomes a technicality ... Just for fun, imagine the possibility of Rob becoming russian president, the joke about Artsax conquering the world will become true after all !!! A.

LK82, I voted for scenario A, and I expected to see results where 100% of votes would have gone to option A, I was surprised to see most people actually went for B ... although only 7 have voted! In my opinion, the scenario you described is too good to become reality now. Armenians don't have so much power and negotiating leverage to bring Turkey to make even those small, minimal concessions. Armenia and Armenians bother Turkey as much as, or probably less than, native americans bother the US government. It is as unthinkable for Turkey to return lands and make concessions to Armenia as it is unthinkable for the US to concede to the natives by offering them a portion of US territory (something more than reservations) or reparations for everything bad through history, let alone create a country for them ... I wish Turkey would negotiate on such issues ... but why would they, when a real possibility exists to get away with their crimes and not even look at Armenia's face. Armenia is nothing for them, an easy opponent they can crush! Change can happen, only when Armenia turns a bit stronger ... nothing close to Turkey, but more than what it is today. When the rapport of forces and power becomes less unbalanced than it is today, things can slowly change. I know it's not very encouraging! A.

Elle, I'm also not for LTP, you know it, but what you saw on TV is official news, the guy's confessions and stories don't mean anything, he may have been forced to say that by the NSS (new KGB). Moreover, I don't think it's all over, it's impossible that the situation will remain like this, SS will become president and everything will be forgotten! The tension in the country is extremely high regardless of what you hear from official news. I spoke to Erevan yesterday, and apparently most agree that there need to be serious, almost concessionary, actions to diffuse tension. Leaders need to understand that a sizable portion of the population "tkadz uni" on the government now and has even hostile attitude towards it! There IS a problem, and it won't go away by ignoring it. Tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters did go to the streets for a reason, even if we don't agree with it. The sooner this issue is fundamentally tackled (I don't mean by tanks and guns, politically), the better! It's a matter of national security to reduce enmity between people immediately, I still believe new elections in 6-8 months are the best way to do that ... no doubt LTP would lose though! A.

Nazarian and Alpha, Whatever you write about the necessity for Armenia to become a normal country by normalizing relations with neighbors and considering the republic as an actual country with people and an economy ... rather than a besieged fortress, makes total sense. Everyone with a minimum of common sense agrees that this would be THE positive and reasonable thing to do. OK, but ask yourself a question about the feasibility of this plan or how much support it would garner from people in Armenia and Artsakh. Try to see the difference between what should and what can be done today in the caucasus and convince me that I'm wrong. I'm not saying this with sarcasm. I really want to be convinced! Once again my view is explained with a little more detail here http://hyeforum.com/index.php?s=&showt...st&p=229066 A.

Translate the main point please, I don't know russian, A.

Sulamita, yes LTP has written a history book called "hayere yev khachagirnere" about the relations between crusaders and Cilicia Armenians 12th to 14th century. It's a first volume, I believe a second is coming. It's a serious scientific work, I have read two chapters (the book is thick and I didn't have much time to go all over) and the topic is interesting, although appropriate for a specific and connoisseur public, those who are really into history and care about all details. No doubt that he's an intelligent and serious academic! Nobody contests that. Spoke to my family in Erevan yesterday. Things are ironic and absurd: I was mostly against LTP ... but just learned that my brother was at the demonstrations Saturday night ... and my dad was among the anti LTP demonstrators in 1996 ... and now he's kind of sympathetic to LTP because of the government use of force against the population ... one family with the full spectrum of political inclinations one might say! Our people have gone crazy! A.

My opinion, not for LTP but for the country's stability, new elections should be called in the next 6-8 months ... I have no doubt LTP would lose! Alpha, as for HHsh's liberal-democratic ideas, well I always thought they made sense on the very long run, they are in essence good ... but very idealistic and are out of touch with today's realities in the caucasus! My point of view on what you said can be read in the following posts: 228934 and 229066 A.

Off topic, someone posted a video of the 32 atam stand up comics (imitating LTP). Who are these guys? they perform in Armenia or LA? They're pretty good, and the crowd seemed to like them. Are they big? As big as kargin kaset? I love comedy, so just give me some info on them please. A.

This was and is exactly Ter Petrossian's tactic: staging a revolution by playing with people's sensitive side. He's doing everything possible for the authorities to react, and they probably will soon! After which he will call on the world and all Armenians to see how cruel, dirty, undemocratic and power hungry the government is ... it's a recipe old like the world! In my view and as I wrote in a previous post, this is not about any candidate being corrupt, being a traitor, or being sold, as ordinary people like to hear ... it's simply that Levon's vision of Armenia's future is radically different from the one held by Serge and Kocharian. Right now, we are witnessing the battle between these groups and their ideologies. Armenia's future course is being decided right now! A.

Check out Birthright, you can pretty much choose to do anything you want i.e. work with any organization, company, etc and you don't get stuck with a government branch. My brother did birthright, found it amazing. My opinion: you'll learn more in Europe and it will be better for your CV ... on the other hand ... you'll have more fun, by very far, in Armenia! As for security, Yerevan is known to be a very safe city - if you're not in the assassination, drug dealing, money laundering, theft, or fraud businesses - I, and hundreds of diasporan youth, have walked on its streets at 2 am without ever being bothered ... even by dogs! Same goes for Europe, slightly less safe I would say ... Yerevan has this family thing to it, especially if you're a girl, nobody will misbehave with you. I don't understand why you're concerned about this though! A.

yes, the overwhelming majority (in fact, all) were over 16, and even over 18 ... and the movie was very much appreciated by the crowd. A.

Hi everyone, Message especially intended for members from Montreal ... and the phenomenally rich private jet owners of California, lol! We (a group of young armenians) started a new cinema club in the armenian community. Long story made short, we show a film once every three weeks in the armenian community center (AGBU center), a discussion follows the movie. It's open to everyone; armenian, other nationalities, young, old, etc. We try to pick movies that have had some sort of impact on cinema history, or that have brought something new to film making, in terms of genre, technique, screenplay, etc! I have always loved cinema and we started this group to offer some quality films to those who appreciate it. We're not just a bunch of kids killing time by watching movies ... the first two showings gathered a crowd of all ages and all backgrounds. Best way to learn about this is facebook (for those who have it ... who doesn't these days?). The group is called "AGBU Cinema Network", join the group and you'll receive automatic updates on what's coming, the next event is also advertised there ... it's going to be this Monday (18th of February), we'll show "Run Lola Run". The first 2 films were "Vertigo" from Alfred Hitchcock and "The Celebration" form Thomas Vinterberg. If you don't like "Run Lola Run", you can always come to the following ones! See you all there, A. Nicolas, Vava, and the rest, hope to see you guys there. And if you have questions don't hesitate a second!

Ok, this is part 2 of the message I started writing yesterday, mostly intended for Elle (with whom I agree on most points) and Ashot (with whom I have a few differences of opinion). Sorry for making this Levon-Serge comparison long. I’m also not in favor of handing back Artsakh or ceding territories! I’m only going to speak about FOREIGN POLICY here since I think all of today’s major Armenian politicians and parties are identical when it comes to internal issues, perhaps with the exception of ARF, which has a socialist approach to problems, instead of the prevailing liberal with all others. Anyways, I was saying that Levon is of the opinion that he needs to solve the Artsakh issue in order to move Armenia forward. If Robert and Serge (and late Vazgen Sarkisian) see the best guarantee of Armenia’s survival, prosperous development, and overall success in its economic and military might, Levon’s position is different: for the first president, the solution to Armenia’s centuries old problem of national security is the establishment of good relations with all of its immediate neighbors. In his view … “ No need to compete with your neighbors, which are bigger, stronger demographically, and larger by territory anyways i.e. be in good terms with them, don’t bring up the past, move on and avoid confrontation, don’t aim to be a power house but rather a stable house without issues with anyone. If they assure you that Armenian communities will be physically safe within their borders, agree! The way it’s done with the Armenians of Istanbul, and much better than that. True, Armenians there will only fit in as a minority, they will not have real and complete freedom, but their existence will not be threatened. They will not assimilate with time since a republic of Armenia will exist and will be strong culturally and economically. The case of Nakhichevan cannot be cited as a precedent since Armenia didn’t have much influence on Armenians there at the time of their assimilation, everything was decided in Moscow and Baku. If the Artsax, and by extension the Javakhk, Armenians are guaranteed cultural and a minimum of political autonomy within Azerbaijan and Georgia through international documents and treaties, then their long term existence as “vratsahay”s and “adrbeyjanahay”s will be assured for ever and they will not face the threat of extinction. In sum, we Armenians do not demand more lands, we just want you not to harass us and respect the minimum set of cultural rights. Accept the fact that we will live in your country as communities, that we will not assimilate (but simply integrate), and that we will demand that you actually show commitment (financially, politically) to avoid our assimilation with the majority of your population. This should not offend your national pride! We’ll live within your borders even if that means not being completely Armenian, but rather Azeri-Armenian or Georgian-Armenian. If you offer us something similar to what Switzerland offers its Italian-speaking minority, a situation resembling that of the Finnish speaking Aland islands within Sweden, Catalonia within Spain, Quebec within Canada, or Bavaria within Germany, we’ll be fine with it … and we’ll live in peace and harmony just like in Europe. That way, I can fulfill the promises of a better life to my people. I will not have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on my military of 60 000, I’ll only keep a small professional army of 10 000, and money will go to where it matters: education, health, infrastructure, tourism, etc. In order to keep my army in good shape, I will not have to make shady deals with oligarchs, arms merchants, and mobsters, hide millions of dollars from the official budget and divert them secretly towards the army (because war requires its own rules), only to be accused of robbing my own country and being corrupt ... the way it's happening with Kocharian and Sarkisian now. I will not need an army since I’ll be fine with all my neighbors, nor will they have any intention to attack me or to even hurt me … I’ll be a neutral and liberal country loved by everyone. No problems, no issues, no fedayis, no revolutions, no fear from Turks, no Russian protection, no massacres … for the first time in millenniums, security will not be an issue we’ll have to think about and we’ll become a NORMAL country, empty of fear and healed from paranoia. ” This is my understanding of Ter-Petrosian’s vision for Armenia’s future. I formed my opinion by observing ANM’s (Levon’s political party) official ideology at the time it was in power. My interpretation is also shaped by Ter-Petrosian’s “war or peace” article from 1997, as well as by the book written by his right arm/key advisor Jirair Libaridian - “The Challenge of Statehood”. So if you're going to choose between Levon and Serge, you will have to choose between their visions of Armenian foreign policy. Once again, on anything related to internal issues, there is NO DIFFERENCE between them, they are exactly from the same "breed"! All their accusations (from both sides) about one keeping the country in "cold and dark days", having masterminded October 27, being corrupt, having destroyed Armenia's infrastructure, etc, are primitive pre-electoral tricks, cheap political "priom"s as they say in Armenia! What is my view on all this? In an ideal world, that’s how things should be (Levon's vision) and Europe is the perfect example of such a successful system … but bottom line, I think our first president is too much of an idealist. Kocharian, in contrast, is a much more pragmatic president. He can separate what SHOULD be done from what CAN actually be done. He also knows that we’re not at the time in history when this “pink” vision can materialize. Independence from the USSR gave the Caucasus republics that opportunity … but by 1992, a year after, it was already too late to think about its feasibility. Blood, and large amounts, had already been shed, political processes had taken a momentum of their own that moved the Caucasus people away from each other and instilled bitter feelings in each of them … until new and irreversible realities emerged as a result: independent republics of Artsax, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. When that happens, acting as if things are still normal and trusting each other with kind words doesn’t help … only time heals such wounds. European countries didn’t negotiate or compromise with each other during WW1 and WW2, harmony and peace became the norm after a balance of forces was reached between all of them and war was no longer seen as a solution. A.

I'm following the pre-election and I don't understand why people get so agitated/excited about all this. In my view, Armenia's fundamental problems are to be solved on the long term: creating industries, attracting investment, lowering corruption, developing a sufficient turn over of qualified professionals for the High tech sector, instilling the principles of democracy in the population starting from the local mayor or police officer, etc. Joghovurt, all of this takes time and solutions are to be seen on the medium term only ... i.e. forget about corruption disappearing in the next 5 years or things to be perfect in that much time. No matter who is elected, things will keep on changing slowly. If if we don't do a single mistake and the country starts running like a perfectly oiled machine, how do you guarantee that the Abkhazian section of the railway will open for Armenia-Russia trade to be boosted, how do you guarantee that Azerbaijan will actually go for compromises, how will you guarantee that Turkey will change its attitude towards us, how do you guarantee that Armenia will not be threatened by hostile neighbors, etc. The region we live in is not central Europe and Armenia is not Switzerland, even of we want to be considered as such, and even deserve it. There are many elements out of our control! Moreover, in my opinion, there is only one difference between Ter-Petrossian and Sarkissian-Kocharian: their vision of Armenia's role in the region. On internal political issues they are exactly the same, they worked together in the past, were friends, and they parted away because of differences on foreign policy issues. That's it. All the talk about one loving Armenia more, one being less corrupt, more just, more liberal, etc is BS. Their economic policies are the same: liberal. No matter who's in charge, the present economic system will perpetuate unless there is a change in the regional balance of forces, i.e. breakthrough in the Artsax question. Levon realizes this: He knows that without solving this crucial issue, the most important facing us, his promise to improve living standards of Armenians can't be kept. That is the bottom line: Artsax. Have to leave, will continue later! A.

SirunTgha (I don't know your real name) has a point when he says that relations between all Armenians are very warm here in Montreal, and we mostly have good feelings towards each other regardless of one's country of origin. By origin, I'm half Lebanese-Armenian and half Armenian-from-Armenia, I have lived in both countries when I was young, and right now, I most of all feel Montreal-Armenian. I must say that in general and pretty much everywhere, traditional-diaspora armenians (western armenians) and armenia armenians (hyastancis) don't know each other well, and don't understand each other's mentality clearly. Living together in the diaspora, both groups are slowly getting to know each other better and it's working very well. I wouldn't say that western armenians are more patriotic since easterners are also very attached to their country and culture without showing it that much. I would say that IN GENERAL, hyastancis are not familiar with the concept of diasporan community and the necessity to be involved in it. Perhaps this comes from the fact that they have a republican approach to things (not republican as in the american political party, I mean more of a state mentality), they are used to having a government, ministries, state structures, etc. Therefore, no need to collect donations, build schools, community centers, or churches ... there is a ministry of revenue, ministry of education, of social affairs, and the national church, respectively, for all that! On the other hand, for western armenians, community structures were the only thing "close" they had to an "Armenia" for almost a century. It's a way of life, a tight community the members of which feel a strong responsibility for supporting the local armenian population, think about it's future, the education of the coming generations, the financial issues of the group, sometimes even it's physical security, etc. Because if they don't do it, if they don't go to meetings every evening, if they don't teach armenian to their kids, if they don't donate money to the community, if they don't have a sense of sacrifice, nobody will care about the preservation of the nation. This is something that recently arrived armenians from Armenia need to understand quickly and gain from the long experience of western armenians, before they realize that their children have become "Armenians by ancestry" only. The latter threat is not a myth as I unfortunately have little cousins in Moscow who don't speak Armenian because there are no community structures there. On the other hand, recently arrived (hyastancis) are in the best position to inject new life, new approaches, and new ideas in traditional diasporan structures. All of this is maybe what gives an impression of patriotism from the western armenians, but it is in fact the demonstration of a survival instinct. Armenians from Armenia proved their patriotism in other ways: fighting for Karabakh, staying in the country even if they have a chance to move elsewhere, serving in the army, etc. Overall, I would say that contacts between the groups should increase! As for armenians in Armenia who despise the Western Armenians, I wouldn't take that too seriously since people there are just starting to open up to the world. Pathetic issues like "karabakhtsi" or "barsig" for iranian Armenians remain, and they are more in the ridicule domain than they are dangerous for the nation. Armenians from Armenia are not racist people, perhaps close minded since they have never lived with blacks, hispanics, asians, arabs, etc ... but definitely not racist. I can confirm this by looking at my own family!!!! After all, the first president was a western armenian born in Syria, the second wasn't born in Armenia, and the way things look, the third will also be one born outside of the republic (whether Levon or Serge). Right now, the majority of the most high ranked officials in Armenia - the president, the prime minister, the foreign affairs minister, the defence minister, and the head of the general staff of the armenian army - were all born outside of Armenia ... so nobody can convince me that hyastancis despise outside armenians, it's simply not true! Anyways, this was long and since I wrote pretty fast it must be full of grammatical and structural mistakes, which I'm sure you'll be kind enough to forgive! A.

Read this, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadians_of_Armenian_descent I'm form Montreal. I've traveled around and I must say that it is one of the most, if not the most, active and organized armenian community in the world, per capita of course. If you derived ratios of the number of events planned, arts activities, attendants, organizations, schools, students, churches, clubs, etc, over the entire number of armenians in Montreal ... no doubt the value would turn out to be large if compared to other communities worldwide! A.