Latest posts by Onnik Krikorian from July, 2008
Armenia: Cigarettes & National Identity
Stuff Armos Like, a new irreverent look at what makes Armenians tick, says that unlike many parts of the world where the anti-smoking lobby has made significant progress, cigarettes are a defining part of the Armenian reality. The blog jokingly says that even if smoking was banned in every other...
Armenia: Relations With Turkey
The Armenian Observer comments on new moves to promote dialogue with Turkey. The two countries have no diplomatic relations and the border remains closed. However, the blog notes that the response inside Armenia to moves to promote reconciliation between the two neighbors is disappointing.
Armenia: Meet The Kardashians
Blogian posts the text of an email that laments the fact that many Americans are beginning to associate ethnic Armenians in the U.S. with socialite and sex tape celebrity Kim Kardashian.
Armenia: Diaspora Survey
Social Science in the Caucasus comments on its research on difficulties faced by ethnic Armenians from the Diaspora when they relocate to Armenia. The blog notes that there is often competition between local and foreign-born Armenians as well as differences in mentality and values.
Armenia: Indian Students
Armenia Higher Education & Sciences comments on a meeting between the country's new president and the Indian Ambassador. The specialist education blog wonders if the two discussed any real issues, especially as the number of Indians studying in Armenia has steadily declined since 2006 when one student died after falling...
Armenia: Junior Eurovision
Unzipped comments on Armenia's entry into this year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The blogger says he is impressed by 12-year-old Monika Manucharova whose family is homeless, but concludes that the song is not the best.
Armenia: Genocide Literature
The Armenian Odar comments on a blog post dealing with literature on Genocide. In a second post, the same blog provides information on a book by a Turkish Human Rights Lawyer who discovered her Grandmother was actually Armenian and a survivor of the 1915 massacres in Ottoman Turkey.
Caucasus: Russian Language
Social Science in the Caucasus comments on data indicating the level of English and Russian language proficiency in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Iran: World Heritage Sites
Blogian comments on the inclusion of three Armenian monasteries in Iran on UNESCO's World Heritage list. The blogger says that while he is happy about the move, he is also unhappy because of inaction by UNESCO when Armenian sites in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan were destroyed.
Armenia: Political Football
Unzipped comments on an opinion piece by Armenia's new president published by the Wall Street Journal in which Serge Sargsyan hopes that September's Armenia-Turkey football World Cup qualifying match in Yerevan can be the catalyst for amicable relations between the two countries. Currently the border between Armenia and Turkey is...
Armenia: Corruption & Scapegoats
Blogrel reports that the head of the notorious Passport and Visa agency (OVIR) in Armenia has been fired for corruption. However, Unzipped wonders why no legal proceedings have been launched and if the government is truly fighting corruption in earnest.
Armenia: LGBT Blogs
While most political blogs in Armenia simply duplicate the views of an already polarized media, the voices of those stuck in between, denied access to the airwaves, or who are simply misrepresented, are often ignored. That might now all be changing with the appearance of several LGBT Blogs from Armenia and the Diaspora.
Armenia: Education Blogs
Now that post-election tensions are dying down in Armenia, there is a huge potential for blogs to cover more specific issues which are either ignored or left undiscussed by the media and society in general. One of those subjects is education, an area which is particularly tainted by corruption in the post-Soviet space.
Armenia: Lost Cause?
The Armenian Observer posts a video with English subtitles and comments on yesterday's rally by the radical opposition in Armenia. The blog says the movement led by the country's first president seems to be slowly turning into a lost cause.
Armenia: Foreign Policy Failure
Unzipped comments on recent statements made by newly-elected Russian president Dmitry Medvedev as well as the Council of Europe and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reaffirming the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The blog asks its readers somewhat rhetorically if the statements represent the failure of Armenian foreign...
Armenia: Contrasting Posters
Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts two entries about two very different sets of posters on display in Yerevan. In the first, the blog translates signs visible in one of the capital's parks prohibiting lovemaking. In the second, the blog comments on two posters designed to raise awareness of violence against women,...
Caucasus: European Football
Social Science in the Caucasus looks at where the affinity of the three South Caucasus countries lay during the recent European UEFA football competition. The blog says that the exercise provides a fascinating insight into the cultural and political orientation of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Armenia: Best European in Armenia
Unzipped reports and comments on news that opposition MP Zaruhi Postanjian has been awarded the title of Best European in Armenia. The blog says that even if the choice of previous recipients raised a few eyebrows the award is well deserved in this case.
Azerbaijan: Asylum Campaign Meeting
Unzipped: Gay Armenia updates its readers on the case of a gay Azerbaijani currently in Wales. Babi Badalov's claim for asylum has been rejected and the artist faces deportation. The blog notes that there have been attacks on Babi Badalov in the Azerbaijani media and that he will also be...
Armenia/Turkey: Cultural Overlaps
Writing on the blog of the US-based Ari Foundation, Selvin Akkus comments on the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations. The blogger says that despite the lack of political will from the governments of both countries, people living in the respective territories of the two estranged neighbors share many cultural similarities.
