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Calls and Coalitions
Friday, September 5th, 2014
http://asbarez.com/126693/calls-and-coalitions/
BY GAREN YEGPARIAN
Imagine someone gets elected mayor of a city. What would people think
if s/he first formally called on a local thug? Some might look the
other way if the newly-elected mayor and thug have been friends since
childhood. But what if her/his next call was on another thug, this
time a much wealthier one? What if the second thug is also a childhood
friend? Would people still give the mayor the benefit of the doubt?
Or, would they start thinking that s/he, too, is a thug?
Self-styled, latter day, wannabe-Sultan ErdoÄ?an (technically now
President of Turkey) has done just what's described above. His first
formal foreign visit was to Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus and its
leadership. No one but Turkey recognizes this `state' that covers some
two fifths of the island. Next, our sultan paid a foreign visit to
Azerbaijan and its leadership. What are other countries/leaders
thinking/saying? I don't know. Crickets.
But wait, what a coincidence! Both of the illegitimate leaders ErdoÄ?an
visited fit in with his Islamist/Ottomanist, but deep down, Turkist,
mindset. It sure looks to me like he wants to reinforce the `Turkish
connection' now, especially since his and
Foreign-Minister-turned-Prime-Minister DavutoÄ?lu's `zero problems with
neighbors' neo-Ottoman policy is in a shambles. Couple that with the
ErdoÄ?an/DavutoÄ?lu/Fidan (the last being Turkey's intelligence agency's
[MIT] chief) sponsored fiasco in Syria. This bit of adventurism saw
Turkey `covertly' supporting the extremists who now constitute the
Islamic State. You can see our `Sultan' wants to hang out with
`friends' regardless of how shady they are.
Has the usually very-politically-astute ErdoÄ?an suddenly become
tone-deaf to the international reverberations of such visits? No, he's
just reinforcing and building coalitions.
And what coalitions is the Republic of Armenia building? There's the
Russian-axis, where Yerevan is taken for granted and treated
demeaningly. There's the Iranian connection, which, for larger
geopolitical reasons, is limited in its efficacy. What options have
the two Armenian republics and the Diaspora?
It seems to me the misfortune of the Yezidis of Iraq and the
appropriate pronouncements emanating from Yerevan and Stepanakert may
be suggestive of a path, especially if Yezidis really do move into our
republics. There is a whole swath of peoples/nations/groupings/sects
that, if connected by cooperation, could defend all these groups'
interests. In a rough, counter-clockwise, geographic arc from north to
west, this (not comprehensive) list would include the Lezghis,
Armenians, Ajars, Kurds, Zazas, Yezidis, Assyrians, Alevis/Alewites,
and the jumble that is Lebanon (Druze, Maronite, and Orthodox, to name
just three). Heck, maybe even the Turkmens of the region might hop
aboard, despite their natural affinity for Turkey and the latter's
self-anointed status as their `protector' within Iraq's borders.
Such a coalition could become a strong counterbalance to the Turkish
coalition long-desired and pursued by Turkey. I am not even advocating
changing borders. Rather, I simply propose to recognize the legitimate
interests of these groups and the creation of a means to assert and
defend those interests.
Given the `balance-of-terror' mindset of the nuclear Cold War era, and
the `divide-and-conquer' approach used by great powers for millennia,
it seems to me this approach might receive a favorable audience in
those circles.
What do you think? Would this help Armenian interests? Is it even
remotely achievable?
From: Baghdasarian
Friday, September 5th, 2014
http://asbarez.com/126693/calls-and-coalitions/
BY GAREN YEGPARIAN
Imagine someone gets elected mayor of a city. What would people think
if s/he first formally called on a local thug? Some might look the
other way if the newly-elected mayor and thug have been friends since
childhood. But what if her/his next call was on another thug, this
time a much wealthier one? What if the second thug is also a childhood
friend? Would people still give the mayor the benefit of the doubt?
Or, would they start thinking that s/he, too, is a thug?
Self-styled, latter day, wannabe-Sultan ErdoÄ?an (technically now
President of Turkey) has done just what's described above. His first
formal foreign visit was to Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus and its
leadership. No one but Turkey recognizes this `state' that covers some
two fifths of the island. Next, our sultan paid a foreign visit to
Azerbaijan and its leadership. What are other countries/leaders
thinking/saying? I don't know. Crickets.
But wait, what a coincidence! Both of the illegitimate leaders ErdoÄ?an
visited fit in with his Islamist/Ottomanist, but deep down, Turkist,
mindset. It sure looks to me like he wants to reinforce the `Turkish
connection' now, especially since his and
Foreign-Minister-turned-Prime-Minister DavutoÄ?lu's `zero problems with
neighbors' neo-Ottoman policy is in a shambles. Couple that with the
ErdoÄ?an/DavutoÄ?lu/Fidan (the last being Turkey's intelligence agency's
[MIT] chief) sponsored fiasco in Syria. This bit of adventurism saw
Turkey `covertly' supporting the extremists who now constitute the
Islamic State. You can see our `Sultan' wants to hang out with
`friends' regardless of how shady they are.
Has the usually very-politically-astute ErdoÄ?an suddenly become
tone-deaf to the international reverberations of such visits? No, he's
just reinforcing and building coalitions.
And what coalitions is the Republic of Armenia building? There's the
Russian-axis, where Yerevan is taken for granted and treated
demeaningly. There's the Iranian connection, which, for larger
geopolitical reasons, is limited in its efficacy. What options have
the two Armenian republics and the Diaspora?
It seems to me the misfortune of the Yezidis of Iraq and the
appropriate pronouncements emanating from Yerevan and Stepanakert may
be suggestive of a path, especially if Yezidis really do move into our
republics. There is a whole swath of peoples/nations/groupings/sects
that, if connected by cooperation, could defend all these groups'
interests. In a rough, counter-clockwise, geographic arc from north to
west, this (not comprehensive) list would include the Lezghis,
Armenians, Ajars, Kurds, Zazas, Yezidis, Assyrians, Alevis/Alewites,
and the jumble that is Lebanon (Druze, Maronite, and Orthodox, to name
just three). Heck, maybe even the Turkmens of the region might hop
aboard, despite their natural affinity for Turkey and the latter's
self-anointed status as their `protector' within Iraq's borders.
Such a coalition could become a strong counterbalance to the Turkish
coalition long-desired and pursued by Turkey. I am not even advocating
changing borders. Rather, I simply propose to recognize the legitimate
interests of these groups and the creation of a means to assert and
defend those interests.
Given the `balance-of-terror' mindset of the nuclear Cold War era, and
the `divide-and-conquer' approach used by great powers for millennia,
it seems to me this approach might receive a favorable audience in
those circles.
What do you think? Would this help Armenian interests? Is it even
remotely achievable?
From: Baghdasarian