Posted on 06/01/2018 12:14:03 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Armenia has been in the grips of a mass public protest movement since early April, when opposition leader and member of parliament Nikol Pashinyan launched street demonstrations and strikes in cities all over the country against former president Serzh Sargsyan’s attempt to be named the next prime minister.
But after Sargsyan stepped aside, the acting prime minister, Karen Karapetyan (a former chief executive of Gazprom’s fully owned Armenian subsidiary, who has long surrounded himself with support from Russian oligarchs), refused to accept the conditions of a peaceful transition of power to the opposition. To reinforce these counterrevolutionary measures, Samvel Karapetyan (no relation to the Armenian head of government), a powerful Russian billionaire of Armenian origin, almost immediately traveled to Yerevan. Notably, he was accompanied on his trip to Armenia by a team of pro-Russian technocrats with business interests in the Caucasus country. The Russian delegation arrived in order to supervise the regrouping of the ruling Armenian political elite and to help reinforce Karen Karapetyan’s grip on power.
In recent days, Kremlin-connected media again reverted to more neutral rhetoric toward Pashinyan and his movement, possibly out of a growing realization that no Western hand is in fact behind the crisis. This continued vacillation coming out of Moscow can best be explained by Russia’s “bitter experience” with the Ukrainian EuroMaidan in Ukraine.
Faced with the situation in Armenia—where the opposition leaders consciously organized, channelled and regulated society’s anger toward the non-violent overthrow of the ruling regime in line with the constitution and, most importantly, without Western interference—Moscow found itself deeply perplexed about how to respond.
In trying to navigate the fast-moving situation gripping its South Caucasus ally, Russia sees no clear win-win options but rather a bad precedent for its own citizens, who may try to replicate Armenia’s Velvet Revolution at home.
(Excerpt) Read more at jamestown.org ...
Instead, a more Westward leaning generation had its say. Can't pull the "Soros did it" card on this one either. Totally homegrown. Even Armenia's military troops laid down their weapons and joined the protests. They were led by Armenian Orthodox and Apostolic priests.
Good for the Armenians.
Thanks for this geopolitical update.
You know, it’s funny how there’s a sudden quickening of harmonization within and among countries.
It almost makes one wonder if concensus toward a New World Order could actually come to be...
N Korea gett’in nicer opening up
Saudi Arabia “modernizing” domestic treatment of women
Afghanistan Taliban volunteer to have peace talks
To name a few.
Calm before geo-economic reset storm?
Definitely! The “Brexit” referendum got the ball rolling, but Trump’s election was the bomb (figuratively speaking) which truly set things off.
This is what I would call “real news”.
Yet we have heard almost nothing about it.
Reading some Russian Revolution history and note that Armenians were pro-Allies at the end of WWII and the Communists gobbled them up like a tasty snack as they ate the Ukraine, western Poland, White Russia etc etc.
They then had 75 years of hell. Hope they can rid themselves of the old Soviet leaning connections.
Kc Burke, it should not be taken for granted that the momentous events of last month took place the week of “Armenian Genocide” Rememberance Day. The journey of the Armenian people: what they endured at the hands of the Ottoman Turks, and their subsequent occupation by the Soviets - is nothing short of heroic.
They still remain in the midst of de-communization: including rediscovery and re-appreciation of their language, recovering their Christianity, changing things like street names named for Soviet icons like Lenin back to original ones named for their saints, monks, and martyrs. Etc...
I think I read somewhere that Armenia is the oldest Christian nation. If so, a remarkable nation indeed, to have maintained their Christian heritage for almost two thousand years now, including centuries of Turkish attempts to anihlate them (genocide), and anti-God Soviet oppression.
Armenia. Sticking it to the man since the Paulicians influenced the Bogomils.
Their priests are Jedis:
https://armeniagogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/armenian-clergy-e1485563501839.jpg
This is extreme exaggeration. Armenians in no way ever “lost” their language and Christianity. There is nothing to be (re-)discovered. It is also worth noting that the Armenian people harbor virtually zero animosity toward Russians. This ousting of “pro-Kremlin” Sargsyan had pretty much nothing to do with Russia and everything to do with the fact that he and his brother are massive crooks who stole everything they could get their hands on.
I sent you a more detailed PM, but in a nutshell: you betcha this was a verdict on crooked Putin and his kleptocratic, megomaniacal models of governance. It is not a rejection of Russian cultural ties altogether.
Your point might be right about rejecting the old power structures, but I think it is more subtle, in that they rejected it because of the way it tolerated corruption. I still maintain that this “revolution” was mainly about corruption. The brother of Serzh Sargsyan, Alexander (“Sashik”), is a household name in Armenia because of his blatant mafia-like activities that were tolerated by the state. The numbers of Armenians emigrating to Russia to escape this corruption and find a better life is actually astounding.
Well: being a former Soviet country that remains in Putin’s orbit leaves you with all the corruption and baggage of Russia without the spillover perks of Russian oil wealth.
The oligarchs do give out candy to keep the peasant hordes satisfied as it were. And the Kremlin is adeft at keeping the population distracted with doggie treats and toys like the World Cup games, Victory Day parades, and tales of Putin’s foreign conquests on 24-hr state run media.
So long as you stay obedient, satisfied with your ration wages and occasional vacations abroad, and don’t rock the political boat, average joes could live a good life in Russia!
But Ukrainians, Moldovans, Armenians, et al. are worse off than their Russian counterparts.
In Glendale, CA - I am among 200,000 Armenians from every part and stage of the diaspora (Armenians from Iran, from Russia, etc...) not to mention a sizeable amount of Russians/Russian speakers from the former Soviet space.
Many Russians here jumped at the chance to be released from Moscow tyranny. And Armenians flew out to join Pashinyan’s pro-democracy protests.
Clarification of what I just posted: I am not Armenian, but grew up and live near Glendale area.
I’m not either, I just am around them so much they have started adding -yan to my last name :)
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