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FREDERICK STARR: IT'S BETTER TO LOOK FOR A SOLUTION FROM THE AZERBAIJANIS AND THE ARMENIANS THEMSELVES
Vestnik Kavkaza
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/19062.html
Oct 19 2011
Interview with Stephen Frederick Starr, the founder and Chairman of
the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) and research professor at
the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns
Hopkins University. After a round table presentation discussion of
recently published book"Conceptual foundations for reconstruction of
post-conflict territories of Azerbaijan" by Nazim Muzaffarli and Eldar
Ismailov hosted the Russian State University for Humanities, Professor
Starr, the author of the work's preface, tells VK correspondent about
his view of Russia's role in Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict and about
CACI's joint projects with Azeri scholars.
- Mr, Starr, in your preface to the book "Conceptual foundations
for reconstruction of post-conflict territories of Azerbaijan" by
Nazim Muzaffarli and Eldar Ismailov you say that Russia can't be an
objective and adequate mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. So,
in your opinion, who can?
- I think that in the end it's a problem that will be resolved
between the two parties. We've had 19 years! If Mr Тrofimchyuk is
correct and only Russia can decide this, then what has happened in all
these years? Why have we not moved forward? I would welcome Russia's
successful involvement with this, I would welcome anyone else's, I
would welcome China's or India's involvement. Heavens knows, it has
nothing to do with one country or another. Any external force, which
is successfully able to shape a peaceful outcome, should be welcome.
We should all welcome it, and if it's Russia - great! But nothing has
happened for 19 years, and we have to acknowledge reality. Therefore,
it seems to me, it's better to look for a solution from the
Azerbaijanis and the Armenians themselves, they are clever people,
they are smart people... And as we've heard today the Azerbaijanis
have prepared to finance reconstruction and this is a tremendous
opportunity, I think we should all support it and not try to manipulate
the situation from the outside.
- So you believe that Azerbaijan is really able to finance this
restoration of its post-conflict territories?
- I'm not able to judge that. You've heard the representative of the
international bank of Azerbaijan today saying very clearly that the IBA
is prepared to do so, and that's extremely important. And by the way:
Russians might pay attention to that because they could participate
in the reconstruction, as Mr Sapharov said.
- This reconstruction plan, will it be still valid, say, 10 or 20
years from now?
- I think the problem that underlies this is the huge potential
impact of inflation. Every month that the start of work is delayed
raises the cost. But the basic structure of their analysis is going
to be valid even 10 years from now. I hope, though, that this work
will begin sooner.
- Does your Central Asia-Caucasus Institute conduct any other joint
projects with your Azerbaijani colleagues?
- There are a lot of them. We have just published the history of
Azerbaijan, in English, by Svante Cornell, one of our leading scholars
in the West, and so far it exists only in English, but hopefully
it will appear in Azeri language as well, soon. We have many other
joint initiatives with Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani scholars, we're
very honored to be publishing, we hope this year, a wonderful book by
your really splendid historian Jamil Hasanli who is really one of the
finest historians in the entire post-Soviet space, he's a master. And
we are publishing a book of his on the foreign policy of the First
Azerbaijani Republic. And we have several other initiatives that we are
involved with, especially in the area of transport and trade. We are
working very closely with our friends from the Azerbaijani Diplomatic
Academy, especially with very fine young scholar there, Mr Ziyadov,
in the area of transport and trade, which he is writing a book on. I
would have we have a very full plate of activities with our friends in
Baku. And we're not just professional colleagues, we're real friends.
- You've started your professional career as an archaeologist. So
how did you turn from archaeology, from ancient history, to modern
politics?
- Well, that's an interesting question, which I don't fully understand
myself, but in eastern Turkey I was mapping ancient roads and it got a
little bit dangerous because of the Kurdish uprising. And then little
by little I shifted to contemporary events. But in the last few years,
every day, I've been writing a big book on Central Asia from the
9th to the 11th centuries. The main question is why was there such
an intellectual vitality there, and the answer is partly to do with
transport and roads - the very thing I was studying in the beginning
of my career. And I've been very much involved recently with this
concept of opening a new Silk Road that goes the southern route through
Georgia, Azerbaijan and across the Caspian, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, India and on, and again - it's roads, transport. So in one
sense I've never stopped researching my first topic.
From: Baghdasarian
Vestnik Kavkaza
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/19062.html
Oct 19 2011
Interview with Stephen Frederick Starr, the founder and Chairman of
the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) and research professor at
the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns
Hopkins University. After a round table presentation discussion of
recently published book"Conceptual foundations for reconstruction of
post-conflict territories of Azerbaijan" by Nazim Muzaffarli and Eldar
Ismailov hosted the Russian State University for Humanities, Professor
Starr, the author of the work's preface, tells VK correspondent about
his view of Russia's role in Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict and about
CACI's joint projects with Azeri scholars.
- Mr, Starr, in your preface to the book "Conceptual foundations
for reconstruction of post-conflict territories of Azerbaijan" by
Nazim Muzaffarli and Eldar Ismailov you say that Russia can't be an
objective and adequate mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. So,
in your opinion, who can?
- I think that in the end it's a problem that will be resolved
between the two parties. We've had 19 years! If Mr Тrofimchyuk is
correct and only Russia can decide this, then what has happened in all
these years? Why have we not moved forward? I would welcome Russia's
successful involvement with this, I would welcome anyone else's, I
would welcome China's or India's involvement. Heavens knows, it has
nothing to do with one country or another. Any external force, which
is successfully able to shape a peaceful outcome, should be welcome.
We should all welcome it, and if it's Russia - great! But nothing has
happened for 19 years, and we have to acknowledge reality. Therefore,
it seems to me, it's better to look for a solution from the
Azerbaijanis and the Armenians themselves, they are clever people,
they are smart people... And as we've heard today the Azerbaijanis
have prepared to finance reconstruction and this is a tremendous
opportunity, I think we should all support it and not try to manipulate
the situation from the outside.
- So you believe that Azerbaijan is really able to finance this
restoration of its post-conflict territories?
- I'm not able to judge that. You've heard the representative of the
international bank of Azerbaijan today saying very clearly that the IBA
is prepared to do so, and that's extremely important. And by the way:
Russians might pay attention to that because they could participate
in the reconstruction, as Mr Sapharov said.
- This reconstruction plan, will it be still valid, say, 10 or 20
years from now?
- I think the problem that underlies this is the huge potential
impact of inflation. Every month that the start of work is delayed
raises the cost. But the basic structure of their analysis is going
to be valid even 10 years from now. I hope, though, that this work
will begin sooner.
- Does your Central Asia-Caucasus Institute conduct any other joint
projects with your Azerbaijani colleagues?
- There are a lot of them. We have just published the history of
Azerbaijan, in English, by Svante Cornell, one of our leading scholars
in the West, and so far it exists only in English, but hopefully
it will appear in Azeri language as well, soon. We have many other
joint initiatives with Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani scholars, we're
very honored to be publishing, we hope this year, a wonderful book by
your really splendid historian Jamil Hasanli who is really one of the
finest historians in the entire post-Soviet space, he's a master. And
we are publishing a book of his on the foreign policy of the First
Azerbaijani Republic. And we have several other initiatives that we are
involved with, especially in the area of transport and trade. We are
working very closely with our friends from the Azerbaijani Diplomatic
Academy, especially with very fine young scholar there, Mr Ziyadov,
in the area of transport and trade, which he is writing a book on. I
would have we have a very full plate of activities with our friends in
Baku. And we're not just professional colleagues, we're real friends.
- You've started your professional career as an archaeologist. So
how did you turn from archaeology, from ancient history, to modern
politics?
- Well, that's an interesting question, which I don't fully understand
myself, but in eastern Turkey I was mapping ancient roads and it got a
little bit dangerous because of the Kurdish uprising. And then little
by little I shifted to contemporary events. But in the last few years,
every day, I've been writing a big book on Central Asia from the
9th to the 11th centuries. The main question is why was there such
an intellectual vitality there, and the answer is partly to do with
transport and roads - the very thing I was studying in the beginning
of my career. And I've been very much involved recently with this
concept of opening a new Silk Road that goes the southern route through
Georgia, Azerbaijan and across the Caspian, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, India and on, and again - it's roads, transport. So in one
sense I've never stopped researching my first topic.
From: Baghdasarian