Civilnet
The past week social media was full of reaction to President Biden’s groundbreaking recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Numerous high-profile figures applauded the President’s decision, from scholars to journalists to members of Congress, as well as new member of his administration Samantha Power, who was confirmed to head USAID just days later, and even former staunch opponents of US recognition like retired State Department official Dan Fried. You can check many of them out at the link above, and here’s one more for the road -- entertainment legend Cher.
After decades of struggle, the United States government has finally made sure that it is on the right side of history ?? to President @JoeBiden @thepromisefilm @esrailian https://t.co/dXi4WtRcXc pic.twitter.com/hMNG7LHl0I
— Cher (@cher) April 25, 2021
WHAT WE’RE STREAMING: This very deep and moving interview by host Christopher Lydon of WBUR Boston with documentarian Nubar Alexanian, photographer Scout Tufenkjian, and professor of Armenian art Christina Maranci. It explores not just the legacy of the genocide in the diaspora but Armenian culture as a whole through the lens of artistic media. Get lost in the global Armenian world in this enveloping episode.
Now find this week’s show wherever you find podcasts: we hear from @NAlexanian, @stufankjian, and Christina Maranci about Armenian history and the Armenian diaspora.
— Open Source (@radioopensource) April 30, 2021
Find it, too, at our site:https://t.co/xoZE8S95mG
While the vast majority of articles on Biden’s recognition were laudatory, this particularly strange one has caused a firestorm on Twitter. Benny Morris and Dror Ze’evi wrote an op-ed in the liberal-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz that, despite their book “The Thirty-Year Genocide” about Turkey’s destruction of its Armenian and other Christian populations between 1894-1924, in actuality it was not a genocide. The reason for this bemusing claim which counteracts the very thesis of their nearly 700 page book published, of all days, on April 24, 2019, is as follows.
New blockbuster movie by @zedror: "How to Destroy Your Credibility in One Article".
— Paul Vartan (@vartan84) May 4, 2021
(To summarize, his point is because Ottomans/CUP targeted Christian groups besides Armenians, it can't be genocide of an ethnicity, even though religious groups are part of genocide definition.) pic.twitter.com/NhsFrS7ahz
After initially defending the article, about 12 hours later Ze’evi apologized for what he calls a mix-up in translation that made it appear he was claiming the Armenian experience was not genocide. Haaretz has not issued a correction but has changed the title to “Not an Armenian Genocide, but a Genocide of Christians”.
I made a serious mistake yesterday. I published an article (I wrote it myself although Morris is also signed, so the mistake is mine).
— dror zeevi (@zedror) May 5, 2021
The article was written in Hebrew, in which "genocide" is rendered as "murder of a nation" (רצח עם). The article suggested >>
Whatever the intention of this article, it raises questions of what is to come. With Biden and the vast work of the academic community closing the door on doubt that a genocide occurred, it appears we are entering a new stage of denialism. New ways are being devised to use the term while undermining its meaning or technicalities which don’t deny history but still find a way to make it not a genocide. Dr. Vicken Cheterian has been engaging in pushing back on this through discourse on Twitter:
Dear @Tom_deWaal
— Vicken Cheterian (@YesVicken) April 30, 2021
Two comments on your article below.
The numbers of WWI casualties, and your conclusions are misleading. The casualty numbers are not equal. At all.
I do not know where you got "5 million people" dying in the Ottoman Empire during WWI.https://t.co/95SWs3hwXO
Attention sports fans. While Armenians are jazzed up about the success of their national football teams, there’s unfortunately little to cheer about regarding the state of who the likes of UEFA and FIFA do business with. Despite an onslaught of protest about plans to hold the postponed FIFA 2020 World Cup qualifiers in Baku due to the war, corruption, and numerous human rights violations, the decision to host matches there has been confirmed. The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) is a sponsor of UEFA, as are a number of global think tanks.
It's official. Mr. Abdullayev, the #Azerbaijan parliament member, President of the FA and CEO of #UEFA main sponsor #SOCAR will host the Euros next year in the stadium his comlany financed. While illegally held prisoners of war are tortured next door. https://t.co/SwpNgdqosh
— Sascha Düerkop (@SaschaDueerkop) April 23, 2021
Caucasus Heritage Watch, a team of researchers at Cornell & Purdue universities, which we brought to your attention in a previous edition, has been keeping an eye on Armenian cultural heritage in the areas captured by Azerbaijan in the recent war. With many already shaken by the removal of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral’s steeple, unfortunately, CHW has made their own startling discovery, one of no doubt many to come. If you follow just one account on Twitter, make it this one.
ALERT: An Armenian cemetery in the village of Mets Tagher/Böyük Tağlar was recently destroyed. The cemetery was founded in the early 19th c. and was in use when Armenians evacuated the village in 2020. Satellite imagery shows its complete destruction. Signs of bulldozer scars.1/3 pic.twitter.com/Dc55fkjFqT
— CaucasusHeritageWatch (@CaucasusHW) May 4, 2021
While in December 2020 the outspoken Vice-Rector of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy spoke with bemusement that Armenia would think the Turkic world wants to conquer or destroy it:
One of the largest misperceptions I read in Armenian society is that Turkic world wants to destroy Armenia. And they find ad hoc, often fake, arguments to support this myth. No, we are interested to live in peace. But respecting our boundaries and lands. Nobody wants war !
— Fariz Ismailzade ?? (@fismailzade) December 9, 2020
His April 30 tweet, which appears to be innocently posing a simple question, was immediately dragged on social media for the obvious contradictory message beneath it:
Totally not a threat to wipe Armenia off the map from the Vice Rector of #Azerbaijan’s “Western” showcase @ADAUniversity pic.twitter.com/z3jzOW1pKq
— Ani Wandaryan (@GoldenTent) April 30, 2021
He was scolded for the tweet by Caucasus analyst and author Laurence Broers:
Dear Fariz, what is the point of this? As a scholar you must surely be aware of the pernicious historical role that claims of artificial borders + natural unities have played. These are staple tropes of irredentism, a form of nationalism that Azerbaijan has condemned many times. pic.twitter.com/ovZkMgv7qq
— Laurence Broers (@LaurenceBroers) May 3, 2021
For his part, Ismailzade pretended he had no idea why anyone was mad:
I posted a Twit about passed- away Armenian intellectual, saying such persons occupy key positions in think tanks and I got 75 angry replies from Armenians. I didn’t say he was a bad person.
— Fariz Ismailzade ?? (@fismailzade) May 1, 2021
When so much seems grim, it is important to channel that frustration into constructive action. Armenia has the makings of a player in the world tech sphere, however it doesn’t graduate enough computer scientists to sustain the big players it will need to attract. This report by entrepreneur Stefan Papp lays out some ideas for how Armenia can address that and grow further:
IT in Armenia - From Piece to Player
A gem of Yerevan often unseen by visitors is its metro system. Built during the 1970s, the system has cavernous stations with unique adornments (however as photography is forbidden there isn’t much evidence online!) Come along on the first part of a journey through the stations while basking in the vibe of an average day in Yerevan.
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