Latest posts by Onnik Krikorian from January, 2008
Azerbaijan: Funeral Rites
Leigh’s new adventure in Azerbaijan reflects on the funeral rites and customs practiced in the country.
Armenia: Online Election Manifestos
The Armenian Observer examines the online presence of Armenia's nine candidates for next month's presidential election. In particular, the blogger points his readers in the direction of which sites include election manifestos.
Armenia: Azerbaijani Response
Blogian says that the Azerbaijani media as well as parliamentarians have responded to the blogger establishing a website and blog detailing the destruction of an ancient Armenian cemetery in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan.
Armenia: Reparatations
The Armenian Observer posts a video of an Armenian official arguing that Turkey must return territory once inhabited Armenians before the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. While the blogger says that territorial reparations are unlikely, he says that Armenians should demand maximum compensation from Turkey before gradually compromising from a...
Georgia: Election Retrospective
Anna Dolidze at Resistance Georgia has returned to the United States after observing the recent presidential election in her native Georgia. The pro-opposition human rights lawyer says that after the controversial vote which saw most residents in the capital, Tbilisi, vote against the incumbent, it will prove difficult for President...
Armenia: Secret Surveys
The Armenian Economist argues that various surveys funded and/or conducted by international organizations are very important sources of information which can be monitored and analyzed over time. However, the blog says, there is an urgent need for the full results of such surveys to be made accessible to everyone.
Armenia: Ethnic Hatred
The Armenian Observer posts a digest of translated excerpts from blog posts examining ethnic hatred between Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Turks.
Armenia: Tourism Ads
Unzipped says that for many people, new tourism ads promoting Armenia are the first glimpse they have had of the country. However, the blogger concludes, while the adverts are promising, there is the need for Yerevan, the capital, to become more “tourist-friendly.”
Azerbaijan: Economic Illumination
Window on Eurasia ponders whether studying images of former Soviet republics at night can't provide an insight into their economic well-being. If it can, the blog says, economic growth in Azerbaijan far outstrips that in neighboring Armenia and Georgia.
Georgia: Election Mess
TOL Georgia examines the circumstances surrounding last November's clashes between opposition supporters and riot police, the declaration of a state of emergency, and the controversy surrounding last week's early presidential election. The blog provides a comprehensive overview of a mess that has yet to be cleared up in the former...
Armenia: Administrative Resources
With the presidential election in Armenia a little over a month away, Blogian comments on allegations from a friend in Yerevan that doctors in State-run hospitals are campaigning on behalf of the one of the candidates, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan.
Azerbaijan: Urban Renewal
Baku Fragments reports that the Bakı Soveti metro station has been demolished and that a more modern looking structure will take its place. However, the blog says that it isn't much in favor of destroying what it admits represents the “nightmarish, bureaucratic mess” of the Soviet era.
Georgia: Revolutionary Spirit
As thousands of Georgians again protest in the capital, Tbilisi, against the outcome of last weekend's presidential election, Marilisa Lorusso's Blog comments on the opinion of one analyst in neighboring Armenia that the tradition of the country is more “revolutionary.” The blog says that the same opinion is shared in...
Armenia: Politicized Internet
With the start of the pre-election campaign for next month's presidential election in Armenia a little over a week away, The Armenian Observer says that the Internet has become politicized on an unprecedented scale. Not only has the local blogosphere been polarized, but candidates are opening up official campaign web...
Armenia: Frozen Water
Blowing the World Bank Whistle says that parts of Yerevan are without water because of sub-zero temperatures. The blogger who is currently taking legal action against the World Bank and seeking financial compensation says it is clear where the blame for the situation lies.
Armenia: Internet Domains
The Armenian Economist compares the figures for domain name registration in Armenia and finds that there has been a 45 percent increase since last year.
Georgia: Falsified Election
TOL Georgia comments on the apparent about face from international observers regarding the conduct of the 5 January presidential election in Georgia. A day after the vote, international observers declared the election “broadly democratic,” but now — less than a week later — they say “there was crass, negligent and...
Georgia: LGBT Magazine
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that a local LGBT magazine, previously available only in Georgian, will now be translated into English and made available abroad.
Georgia: Election Trivia
TOL Georgia comments on the appearance of newly re-elected Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili on a popular TV political talk show. The blog says that the opportunity to ask the most obvious question about the conduct of Saturday's presidential election was missed.
Armenia: Anger
Lara at Life in Armenia paints a depressing picture of what it's like to be director of a Woman's Center in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. Women who decide to leave their husbands or are victims of domestic violence, she says, are often ridiculed or ostracized by what is still very...
Armenia: Polarized Politics
The Armenian Observer ponders comments made by presidential candidate Vazgen Manukian that politics ahead of next month's vote is polarized. However, according to Observer, Manukian suggests that this is deceiving as there is a huge gap between the two poles.
