Zaruhi has been laid to rest, but her death has raised fundamental questions concerning human rights and gender equality of women in Armenia. It is a poor response by those who claim women are treated no differently in Armenia compared to other countries. How can we justify our probable shortcomings by citing similar shortcomings common to other countries? Doing so would set a very low standard by which to evaluate the value system and future goals of Armenia.

In a recent issue of the Armenian Weekly (Nov. 27, 2010) there is a photo of President Serzh Sarkisian surrounded by a score of well-dressed, intelligent Armenian women celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Relief Society. In my mind I juxtaposed this photo with the photo of Zaruhi Petrosyan, a young mother of an infant child, whose life at just 20 years was cut short by the brutal beatings she sustained at the hands of her husband.

Karabakh occupies a very small piece of the earth’s surface, but it represents the sum and substance of Hai Tahd (Armenian Cause) and the political fortunes of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). Some may view this as hyperbole, but Karabakh does represent a defining moment in the history of the ARF. Not only were ARF members part of the Karabakh government that declared its independence from Azerbaijan, but ARF combat units were effective participants in the war for liberation. And it was an ARF unit in a well-coordinated surprise attack on May 8, 1992 that defeated the Azeri forces entrenched in the historic mountain fortress city of Shushi that marked the turning point in the war for liberation.

The procrastination by the Turkish Parliament in ratifying the Turkish-Armenian protocols turned out to be a temporary victory for those Armenians who understood the insidious effect implementation of these documents would have on the future political and economic viability of Armenia.

On Oct. 8, 2008, the United Nations General Assembly requested the International Court of Justice to provide an advisory opinion on the question “Is the unilateral declaration of independence by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo in accordance with international law?” The question was narrowly framed by the General Assembly, and the court’s advisory opinion on July 22 simply stated that “…the declaration did not violate any applicable rule of international law.” The court did not seek to break new legal ground, but in their deliberations certain principles that have application to Artsakh’s case were referenced.

The United States director of intelligence, Dennis Blair, in written testimony to a Senate committee has said that “[A]lthough there has been progress in the past year toward Turkey-Armenian rapprochement, this has affected the delicate relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and increases the risk of a renewed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Déjà vu. Again we anxiously wait to see if the resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide will be favorably voted out of the House Foreign Relations Committee. If Turkey with its coterie of paid lobbyists, academic surrogates, and other associated anti-genocide proponents fails to defeat congressional passage of the resolution, another moral victory may be added to the two dozen or so moral victories in hand from foreign governments that have recognized the genocide.

The roadmap to regime change is a response to conditions that were crystallized by the recently signed protocols which represent the first step in the process of rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey. The ARF has properly viewed these documents as being detrimental to Armenia’s present and future national interests. In response to this assessment, the party has announced its formal opposition to the protocols. In Part I an explanation was offered as to how the ARF can deliver on its roadmap to regime change. Although this is a gargantuan task for which the ARF has the necessary experience to undertake, it is the how of the undertaking that is crucial. The response by the ARF, if it is to be effective, must be multi-faceted in its objectives and multi-operational in its implementation.

The adage is that “actions speak louder than words.” The principles and concepts guiding the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) recently announced roadmap to regime change in Armenia are consistent with the historic mission of the ARF.

The following comment is attributed to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan conjecturing on the possibility of Artsakh achieving local autonomy when it is returned to Baku’s jurisdiction. “It may take a year, maybe 10 years, maybe 100 years, or it will never be possible. Time will tell.î That mindset that Karabakh will revert to Azerbaijani control is given credence by the continuing pressure by the Minsk Group representing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for Armenia to accept another nuanced Madrid Proposal as the basis for negotiating a resolution of the Karabakh conflict. To accept these principles places the burden on the Armenian negotiators, effectively precluding our brothers and sisters in Artsakh from ever achieving a peaceful de jure independence.

The “roadmap to normalization” is a roadmap to oblivion for Armenia. Secrecy in the ongoing negotiations may be necessary, but given the advantage that Turkey enjoys and the strident comments made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Abdullah Gul, and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Babacan, the only conclusion that can be reached is that the negotiations are not beneficial for Armenia.

It is fair to say that the Armenian Diasporan community, especially in the United States, has reason to be mildly euphoric. Presently the political “stars” seem to be properly aligned, encouraging the belief that recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States is a doable political event. Every player that counts–from President Barack Obama, [...]

In 2010, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) will celebrate its centennial anniversary. This is a milestone for any organization. Established in 1910, the ARS has been at the forefront in providing emergency and long-term assistance to Armenia’s worldwide, in the homeland (Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk), and throughout the Diaspora.
Central to the mission of the ARS [...]

The 90th anniversary of the independence of the First Republic brings to mind events that were the most unlikely precursors to its creation. During the period from April 24, 1915 through 1923, the Armenian nation not only experienced the excruciating agony of the genocide, but the independent Armenia created by the Treaty of Sevres fell [...]