Latest posts by Onnik Krikorian from August, 2008
Armenia: Minority Education
Armenia: Higher Education & Sciences comments on a program to develop leadership skills among the country's ethnic minorities. Although not a specific area of focus of the specialist blog, it then goes on to discuss the various issues relating to minority education in Armenia.
Armenia: Blogger Bank Boycott
The Armenian Observer reports that following the closure of a branch in the self-declared Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, some Armenian bloggers are urging a boycott of the Russian-owned VTB Bank. Central to the problem is that Nagorno Karabakh is recognized internationally as a part of Azerbaijan, and the bank is...
Georgia: Church-State Relations
Talks with Diana posts a paper written by the blogger on Church-State relations in Georgia. The paper concludes that the tendency for the Georgian Orthodox Church to be used by local political forces poses a threat to democratization in the former Soviet republic.
Azerbaijan: Litter
Thoughts On The Road reports on what it calls collective action problems where individuals choose to behave in a manner which adversely affects others. The blog says that the tendency for Azerbaijanis to litter is one example of such behavior. However, the blog notes that as education is key to...
Georgia: Gender Participation in Politics
Social Science in the Caucasus examines research it conducted for Transparency International on women's participation in politics in Georgia. The blog notes that gender distribution during elections is becoming more uneven, but notes the high level of female involvement in civil society institutions.
Armenia: Reckless Driving
My The Caucasian Knot examines the state of democracy and the rule of law and questions whether there can be either when citizens as well as the government respect neither. Referencing entries by other bloggers, such a situation is most evident when it comes to jaywalking and reckless driving.
Armenia: Weak Opposition
Notes from Hairenik comments on Friday's rally by the extra-parliamentary opposition led by Armenia's first president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Noting the low turnout at the unsanctioned rally, the blog says that the opposition remains weak and unable to mobilize a critical mass of people large enough to challenge the status quo.
Armenia: Organized Opposition
Unzipped comments on yesterday's opposition rally held in central Yerevan and the formation of a new post-presidential election opposition congress. The blog notes that while the opposition's demands remain the same, it commends them for toning down rhetoric which in the past has been considered by some observers to be...
Georgia: Armenians in Samtskhe Javakheti
Three Armenian bloggers post an alert over the situation of ethnic Armenians living in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia. The bloggers are Ditord, Pigh and Arin Berd and call on international human rights organizations and others to campaign for the release of ethnic Armenian activists in Georgia.
