The Face of Discord - November 1992 by Armenian International Magazine

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COVERSTORY

THE FAGE OF

DISCORD

Raffi Hovanissian's dismissal as foreign minister of Armenia is seen mainly as the consequence of apolicy conundrum that pitted his department against the republic's executive branch. But his departure raises some fundamental questions about policy formation and the Diaspora's spiritual, as well as legal, role in shaping the destiny of the young republic. COMMUNITY

A HARD BALANCING

ACT

Some 73,000 Armenians live in the Abkhazia region

wartorn Georgia. The geographically disadvantaged community is caught in the crossfire between govemment forces and separatist militias. SPECIAL REPORT

HOOKING UP TO THE WORLD EGONOMY

The IMF and the World Bank are just some of the inter-

national organizations offering economic and technical assistance to Armenia. But foreign aid comes at a price. IDEAS

THE BLUNDERS OF REVOLUTION

Rethinking Armenia's position in the Transcaucasus, former Communist boss Karlen Dallakian says the Democratic Movement was premature. BOOKS

RITES OF

PASSAGE

Two critical works survey the body ofEnglish-language literature by Armenians inNorth America. ART

LIFE ON THE

OUTSKIRTS

Now living in San Francisco, the Tumasovs are among a growing number of Armenian emigr6 artists who are discovering novel affinities in the New World.

4 5 6 39

Editor's Note

Letters Arts Journal Enterprises Cover Design:

commonweallh of lndependent States: 935; Armenia: 930

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46 48 53

EDITOR'S NOTE THE ARMENIAN CONNECTION, lnc.

It was never so complicatedbefore. Armenian politics used to mean seeing how many congressmen and govemment officials you could line up to say genocide is bad. No one would actually say genocide is good, but not too many would come forward and loudly proclaim the opposite. And because these words were neveruttered inthe samebreath as the name of the govemmentof Turkey, it took some money, lobbying, writing and yelling to get goveflrment officials to line up on the correct moral side of a complex

political question. Now, without forewaming, Armenian politics has altered radi-

cally-the game has changed, the rules have changed and so have the players. The political battles of a state whose people's physical survival and security are immediate issues, are being waged differently from the other, psychological and historical struggle we in the Diaspora have been fighting and continue to fight-indeed, must continue to fight. For 70 years, our relationship to Turkey-as survivors of

the

genocide it perpetrated and refuses to acknowledge-has determined and continues to define the tone and nature ofthe Diasporan-Armenian' s political experience and outlook. Not merely uprooted, but also insulted, we leamed the Western tactics of belligerence and confrontation-we stood up tall and shouted. In Soviet Armenia, on the other hand, for 70 years Almenians have lived and survived in a system that imposed and taught constant negotiation through seeming accomodation. As a result, they, too, are survivors, albeit survivors of another kind. While appearing to acquiesce to theviciousrules of an absolutistregime, they mastered the artof machination, thus assuring the Soviet Republic of Armenia the highest standard of living (neck and neck with Estonia) and the highest literacy rate in the Union. There is no choice but to acknowledge that the multi-tiered issues surrounding the goals andmethods of Armenia's Foreign Policy today are approached differently by a divided people with a dual experience: Diaspora and Homeland. Our responsibility as the press is not to further cloud the issues with mere emotionality, ratherto articulate these legitimate differences and come to understand them.

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and devised a highly enlightened, comprehensive educational program for the country. Fortunately, his archives were preserved by the Communist govemment. Aghbalian longed to retum toArmeniato be with his family. As a young man, he had traveled on foot the length and width of the country. ln 1946, when he and Levon Shant were officially invited to retum to Armenia, Aghbalian agonized over the prospect. "What if they hand me a paper and force me to sign

it," he would say. "I cannot

endure that."

Shant did not waver. "Springy shoots could bend easily," he said. "I am too old, I cannot

bend; if I try I would break." They simply could not trust the Commu-

nists'

Armind M. satnan Yarmouth,'MA

Aghbalian was no mere ARF member. The P alanj ian J emaran, whic h he served

AIM is a top drawer publication all the way. Even though I had edited the original text, I still found your edited version of the interview with Ambassador Victor Israelian (Ideas, August-September) refreshingly candid and informative when I saw it in print. Paul A. Blaum Department of Public Information Penn State University University Park, PA

for

years as principal, was founded and governed by the ARF. In addition to hii work as literary historian and critic, he penned the ARF By-Laws and wrote an interpretive volume on those By-Laws. Sounds like an activist to us.

Just Another Turf? Your article entitled "Crossing Purposes"

AIM for Educotion Bring AIM to your clossroom

where issues of interesttrc the Armenion community ond the world con be studied, discussed, quesfioned ond finolly, serve tc focilitote mutuol understonding. Let us showyou how!Order complimentory copies of "AlM For Educotion" for o teocheryou know.

Cqlh l

by Salpi Haroutinian Ghazarian and Tony Halpin (Special Report, July) asked many

-8q)-736 32rc

thought-provoking questions about the po-

Remembering Aghbalian

litical relationship between the

leaderships

I read with great interest Tony Halpin's

of the ARF and the Republic of Armenia,

article on Dora Aghbalian (Archives, August-September), the daughter of my beloved teacher, Nikol Aghbalian. I studied Armenian literature and grabar (classic Armenian) with him at the Jemaran in Beirut. Later, I was invited to teach at the same institution.I was fortunate to know him well for nearly two decades. I feel it my duty to set the record straight on some impres-

exceptone. That is, do Mr. HrairMaroukhian and the current ARF leadership view Armenia as an independent nation-state or as anothercommunity, albeit a largerone of three million people, ultimately destined to partake in its transnational organizational structure and to be govemed from its bureau in Athens? Rafy Kourouian

sions, since his name is often being used political purposes.

Montreal,Canada

ROGER K. DERDERIAN FINANCIAL CONSULTANT

SHMRSON X'

MHMNT

BROTHERS

for

is true that Nikol Aghbalian was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), but he was not a Dashnak activist, as some people would have us believe. He did not seek power or office in the party. He will be remembered as a patriot and a great literary critic, who had a keen eye for budding literary talents. His knowledge of world literature was encyclopedic. His flrst

and foremost love could very well be described withthe words of ourfirstTranslators: "To recognize wisdom and council, to comprehend words of genius." His ultimate ambition was to write a complete history of Armenian literature-a task which he was able lo accomplish only partially. Nikol Aghbalian also will be remembered as a dedicated educator. As the minister of education of the first Republic of Armenia, he established the University of Armenia in l919amidthemosttryingdaysoftherepublic

Judgment Gall I have not paid my renewal subscription. To do so, I would be paying, in a small way, forthe publication of the two-page spreadon

Torkom Saraydarian (Ideas, May.) One wonders how many of his "books" you all have seen. VagharshH. Bedoian

YuccaValley,CA

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Azerbaijan and critical food shortages. Serviarian hoped her performance would

Music Festival, Serviarian played Aram Khachaturian's Piano Concerto with the Yerevan Symphonic Orchestra.

"It's my

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Bom in Beirut, Lebanon, Serviarian's career flourished thanks to some careful coaching by her mother. "I was quite obedient," she recalls. "I didn't like it then, but, in retrospect, I see that it has made me enjoy life in a whole different way. I'm forever grateful to her." Still in her teens, Serviarian was granted a full scholarship at the Eastman School in New York; she went on tO ea.rn a master's degree from University of Southem Califomia. Since then, she has played with several American symphonies as guest soloist. A mother of three, Serviarian visited Armenia for the first time during last year's national referendum. There, she met Loris'ljeknavorian, the Armenian Philharmonic's director and principal conductor, who invited her back to perform at the "We are the World" festival. "I worked very hard on the Khachaturian piece," Serviarian says. "This is the quintessential Armenianconcerto, and youbetterperlorm itwell." AdevoteeofChopin andBrahms-butno stranger to the likes of Bob Marley and Stan Getz-Serviarian may return to Armenia to perform at the American University.

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"The artist's mission is like the minister's mission," says Zareh Papian. "Art is energy; it's positive emotions." There is nodoubtthat Papian's new home in Americahas given him healthy doses of both. Now married to an American freelance joumalist whom he met during her stint in Armenia in

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calls how, during the Soviet years, Armenian painters surreptitiously caught glimpses of Westem art through rare books snuck into the country. Bom in Yerevan, Papian studied an with his father, Anatoly. He was later accepted at the

AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

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Artlnstituteof Yerevanand, withintwo years ofgraduation, his works werebeing shownatthe Manyej gallery in Moscow. With the advent of glasnost, Papian was among a new breed of

ARMENIAN CHILDREN

collectors in the West. Except for a growing fondness for abstraction, Papian says his style has basically remained the same since those days. But separation from Armenia has decidedly brought new perspectives. "It's a magical freedom," he explains. "I was never limited, I always did what I wanted to do. Here, however, when you connect with this culture, you experience a new level of esthetic enrichment. I have unraveled new comers, new aspects inside me." Having discovered the dog-eat-dog nature of the Westem art world, Papian has lost a bit of his idealism; nonetheless, he's treading slowly yet surely through small artgalleries in Carmel and Pacific Grove, Califomia. His works will also be displayed at the Galleries in the School House in Carlton Falls, New York, through November 29. Papian comes from an artistic family. His father is a renowned painter and his mother a concert pianist; as for his siblings, one brother is also a concert pianist and conductor, another is a violinist tumed doctor, and a third one is a marionette actor tumed manufacturer of watercolor paper. Images of background and origin are occasionally explored in Papian's work, as inhis Ode to Armenia, which was inspired by the Democratic Movement. The twin peaks of MountArarat, based upon abackdroppaintingby Martiros SarianforArmenia's state opera house, loom over an "orchestra" of the Armenian people. "My idea was to see Armenians together," Papian says. "If we are one, we can accomplish the task at hand. And when you have a good conductor, your symphony orchestra can play very well indeed."

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emerging Soviet artists who sold their works to private galleries in the Russian capital and

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era only four years ago, and continues to astonish professionals as her work is pubpopular French lished magazines such as L'Express and.Marie-Claire. "Youneverleam photographyfromany school orclass," she says. "You've gotto do it, leam to speak with people." Last year she had a one-woman show at the offrces of Le Monde.Her workis currently part of a five-woman exhibition entitled "Snapshots: New Tendencies in Reporting." The show is sponsored by French department store FNAC. Johannes' 25 photographs feature her favorite subject, everyday life in Armenia, and will tour cities throughout France for three years. Her project took her to practically every city and village in Armenia. In her latest trip to the republic, she documented the life of Armenian shepherds, and some of the works from this leg ofhertourwere featured inAIM'sAugust-Septemberissue. "[nArmenia, peoplereally like to have theirphotos taken-which often doesn't work out because they tend to pose," Johannes says. "So I must spend time with them to capture their natural selves. Nonetheless, the most important work is done in a culture you know best. That's when you do it right, you feel a closeness which you can't translate." As a woman photographer, the petite Johannes cites the carrying of heavy equipment and pushing her way through crowds as the only hurdles in her profession. Indeed, these will work to her disadvantage during herfuture projects: the Islamic republics of the CIS, where women are notalways allowedtotravel freely. "But, whenl hearano,I wanttochallenge it,"Johannes says. "I don't give up and I always get my way in the end-unless I get angry."

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THEFACE OFDISGORD By TONY HALPIN

ilT*it{:T"}4i signing as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia." So ended, on October 16, Raffi Hovannisian' s high-profi le tenure at the foreign minisffy, five days short of his flrst anniversary in office. His resignation brought to a close a policy struggle between the foreign ministry and the president's office which

had burst into public view in increasingly sour and personal tones. It was a sad close to a relationship

which had seemed at frst to encapsulate a new era of partnership between republic and Diaspora.Instead, the experiment collapsed under the pressure of differing perceptions and

expectations of Armenia's place in the world. Somewhere in the rubble, both sides will have to find a new, more clearly defined, relationship. That someone had to leave had become obvious as Armenia's foreign policy drifted like a rudderless ship. Members of the president' s staff were openly sniping at Hovannisian, dismissing his statements as contrary to the republic's true policy. For at least a month before his

resignation, aides to the foreign minister found themselves continually fending off rumors that he was about to quit or be fired. The world scratched its head in bemusement and Armenia's image suffered accordingly. The schizophrenia was passed off in some quarlers as some "goodcop, badcop" AIM. NOVEMBER I992

routine intended to gain maximum leverage for Armenia in its intemational relations. But Hovannisian's depanure seems to have undermined that theory. So what went wrong? Personality was certainly one factor in the ill-feeling between the two sides, with officials in both offices doing little to hide theirdisdain forone another's competence. Butpolicy was the main source of & tension. The president and the foreign minister were at odds over the best way to proceed on the Karabakh issue, which crossed over into the definition of relations with Turkey and the United States. One example. Minister Hovannisian wasknowntoendorsethe idea of Armenia recognizing Karabakh' s independence, a strategy Ter Petrossian has repeatedly rejected. Throughout the summer,the foreign ministry vigorously lobbied other

governments, notably

Latin r

41,

America, to recognize Kara-bakh. It got nowhere because those govem;,, ments were unwilling to do something which they knew Armenia it- le, t;: self wouldnot. r# The president's argument is that l-1 Armenia' s recognition would drag it

into direct

confrontation with

Azerbaijan, and create an obstacle to peace talks since Azerbaijan would almost ceftainly refuse to participate.

:'l I

The opposite argument is that Armenia's recognition would lead to recognition of Karabakh by other countries and help to reinforce the status quo.

Another example. Hovannisian'

AIM. NOVEMBER I992

tary of State Baker during the Gulf War.

A third example. Hovannisian met with acting US Secretary of State Laurence Eagleburger in September and wamed that Armenian-American votes could be lost to hesident Bush unless the administration took "a more courageous stand, a more principled stand" on Karabakh. "I would describe the policy of the last several months by the Bush administration to be one

ofan artificial even-handedness," he At the same time, Armenian offr-

said later.

cials were asking the US to actively mediate an end to the war, prompting Presidential

Advisor Vahan Papazian

Hovannlslan wlth Cyrus Vance, Amerlcan dlplomat and UN peacemaker.

now infamous Istanbul speech criticizing Turkey's human rights record infuriated the president's officeby itsbluntcriticisms (some

attending the Conference of Non-Aligned Countries, when the decision to send the letter to Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman

of which Hovannisian has made before) and

Demirelwasmade.

its timing. The speech coincided with

equivalent of poking your neighbor in the

But it is certain ttrat ttre president's office did not know what Hovannisian was about to say. A member of the foreign ministry staff commented: "I think it came as a surprise to them, otherwise they would not have let him

eye then asking him to lend you $100.

gotolstanbul."

Armenia's appeal to the same bruised Turkish govemment to send wheat and help resolve its breadcrisis; itwas

theforeignpolicy

has emerged, too, that Hovannisian's changed approach towards Turkey took place

without the knowledge or consent of Ter Peffossian. Some within the president's office saw it as an attempt to force achange in Armenia's poliry towards Turkey. "It is possible to look at Raffi's speech as a way of supplanting thepolicy and itjustdidn'twork," saidone insider. The Istanbul speech on September I 0 was certainly the product of a foreigr ministry decision to take amore assertive stance, following aseries ofpettyTurkish interventions against Armenia. These included blocking humanitarian aid destined for Yerevan, repeatedly forcing down the scheduled flight to Syria for inspections, and a perceived obstructiveness at international talks on resolving the Karabakh dispute. Though the president continued to advocate a cautious, conciliatory, policy towards Armenia's neighbor, it appeared to the foreign minisnry thal this had produced no noticeable improvement in relations. Therefore, Hovannisian decided to use the Council of Europe meeting in Istanbul to unveil anew, more aggressive approach. A similar posture in the early days ofhis appoinrnent had overcome Turkish objections to Armenia's membership to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. WhetherHovannisian knew Armenia was about to ask for Turkish help to import wheat remains unclear. He had been in lndonesia,

The decision to recall Hovannisian, who was en route to

Australi4 indicated

the depth

of displeasure in the president's offrce. One source close to Ter

disown

Hovannisian' s comments. Papazian described Hovannisian's position as having "no connection to Armenia's official policy," an extraordinary statement by a senior official about a top-ranking minister. The foreign ministry was moved to defend its man inapress statement, andtorebut recent criticism of the number of Diasporan Armenians working in ttre ministry. Of 120 employees, said, only eight were Diasporans. The disarray continued in the September agreement reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Georgia over a cease-fire in Karabakh. The deal, made underheavy pressure from the Russian military, was struck between then Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsian andhis Azerbaijani counterpart, not the foreign ministers. Some Armenian legislators, and repre-

sentatives of the Karabakh authorities, argued that to sign an agreement on Karabakh with-

out the participation of

Perossian called the speech

Karabakh Armenians

"extremely shocking." A series of public statements then followed, con-

rendered

tradicting and openly huHovannisian, while distancing Ter Peffossian from his remarks. The gap in policy

miliating

was plain for all to see.

showing the two defense

The disagreement was

ministers sitting side by side to initial the agree-

bluntly stated by the president's spokesman,

ment before

shaking hands. The pictures also implied that ttris was adeal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over an issue which Armenia has always contended was be-

Ruben Shugarian at the United Nations, the world's premier foreign policy arena. Asked about the Istanbul speech, Shugarian

described

as an "emo-

tional first" for the minister and added: "This explains to a great extent why there are some points that conffadict the foreign policy of the re-

public." For ap,residential spokesman, presumably acting on authority of that president, to say that his own foreign minister was confradict-

ing the govemment's foreign policy was probablyafirstforthe UnitedNationsas well. It is akin to President Bush disowning SecreAIM, NOVEIVIBER 1992

meaningless

Armenia's oft-stated argument that Azerbaijan must negotiate directly with Karabakh to resolve the conflict. Television pictures underlined this point by

tween Karabakh

and

Azerbaijan. Sargsian has now also resigned his post, citing frustration at his inability to get things done as the reason. Former Prime Minister Yazgen Manukian has taken over responsibility for defense. Ter Petrossian has argued consistently that

the conflict

is an intemal problem for

Azerbaijan and that Armenia has an interest but is not aparty to the dispute. That argu-

ment was undermined by the Sochi accord,

critics, and all without the participation of a foreign ministry which must enunsay the

policy. Advisors to the president contend the policy was not damaged because the comciate and defend the republic's

mander of the forces in Karabakh sent a letter to the Russian authorities saying they would abide by the cease-fre. A representative of Karabakh also took part in later discussions in Moscow on the details of troop withdrawals, even though he did not sign the agreement.

One thing is clear from Hovannisian's resignation, and that is that foreign policy

will now be directed wholly from

the

president's office. There is even talk in Yerevan of restructuring the govemment so that the foreign ministry becomes an American-style State Department, answering directly to the president and not, as now, to the primeminister.

While the temptation is to focus

whether Ter Petrossian was right in asking Hovannisian to go, the process was perfectly normal. In any democracy where there are serious differences between two senior govemment figures, there are only two ways to resolve them; somebody resigns or is fired. Since Ter Petrossian is the senior figure, and elected to boot, it was natural that Hovannisian should be the one to leave.

But it remains a mystery why the president, having lostconfidence in Hovannisian, allowed the crisis to drift for several weeks,

longs to everybody and every Armenian belongs to it," he said.

and in effect consigned his foreign minister to death by press release. Even a week before Hovannisian's resignation, colleagues were convinced that he had decided not to jump ship. Retuming from a conference of the Commonwealth of Independent States, TerPetrossiandecidedtopush him. Hovannisian's resignation statement implies that a choice was given to toe the official line, but he also professes puzzlement over the president's decision to oust

nal sent by Hovannisian's exit from the govemment? Will it increase a sense of disconnectedness between republic and Diaspora?

him.

"I leave this position with a sense that my work is incomplete, but I must say that I preferred to remainfaithful to myprinciples and to that course which I believe is vital for Armenia," the statement said. "Whatever the reasons for the president's decision may be, I leave with a clear conscience." His downfall will spread ripples across the Armenian Diaspora. Hovannisian himself has made much of the symbolism involved in Ter Petrossian's decision to appointhim.

"It was a signal to all Armenians, wherever they live, whatever political party they support, whatever religious denomination they belong to, that Armenia is one. It be-

How will the Diaspora interpret the sig-

Or will it resolve an untidy situation and clearly define the relationship between the state and those with only an emotional connection to it, as Israel had to do with its Diaspora? Ought a citizen of one country act as an official representative of another? Will this spur debate over the definition of citizenship and action to put into place mechanisms for obtaining it? There is the question too of the cadre of

American-Armenians

that

Hovannisian

gathered in the ministry. Many of them are said to be reconsidering their position, but putting off a final decision until a replacement minister is named. Will their undoubted sense of idealism and service be soured by the loss of the man who brought them to Yerevan? Will they take it as a signal that they ought to give way to native Armenians? Will the new foreign minister feel a need to make a clean break anyway with appointments of his own? The dilemmais apainful one, the more so since there is a long-stored emotional commitment on their part to the work they are

AIM, NOVEMBER

1992

doing now.

"For 70 years Armenians in the Diaspora have waited and struggled for this day," explained Zaven Sinanian, a 3l-year-old attorney, before Hovanissian's departure. He took leave from the Califomia Department of Justice to work in the ministry's legal department. "For us, as grandchildren of victims of the Genocide, that sense of commitment was

built into our lives from early on." Hovannisian offered aclear, practical vision of their involvement a few months before his departure called it all into question. "We're here because we're dedicated to serve and we believe we have something to offerin terms of the conductof foreign policy. Otherwise, when the time comes for a new approach, then I think that anyone who is serving in this ministry would be ready to pass on the baton," he said. "But for the time being I think the ministry is carrying out a very important function in the govemment. We're not only for the flrst time creating an institution that is responsible for the cultivation of foreign policy but, in the conduct of a fledgling republic's foreign relations, we're doing so in what we believe is a principled, contemporary way that responds both to modem and historical considerations and affempts to slowly build a

foreign policy of national harmony, one around which all Armenians can unite."

Hovannisian's departure sounded a jarring note in that policy, and made plain the division ratherthan unity at the highest levels of the govemment. However, the question remains the same; whose ideas are better for Armeis

has impeded Armenia's progress on other foreign policy issues, since so many countries make a resolution to the Karabakh

conflict a precondition for developing relations with Armenia. Turkey is the most ob-

vious one. Trade agreements reached between

nia?

Thejury

flict

stillout. Ad-

visors to the president say the policy of gradual rapprochement with Turkey is paying dividends, and point to the agreement on wheat

Armenia and Syria remain stillbom until Turkey gives transit rights across its territory. The civil unrest in Georgia makes access to

as an example. Recent Turkish acceptance of

Turkey all the more urgent

the Black Sea through

tion that a cease-fire must precede, not follow, any

for Armenia, while at the same time weakening Yerevan's bargaining po-

settlement of the Karabakh

sition.

problem is offered as fur-

Iran, while on much better terms, is nevertheless extremely sensitive to

Armenia's repeated posi-

ther evidence.

Karabakh remains the

core issue around which

the Karabakh issue

Armenia's domestic and foreign politics revolve.

manipulation

because it fears Azerbaijani

of the l0 million Azeris living

Indeed, frustration with the

Conference on Security

within its borders.

and Cooperation in Europe talks in Rome are

said

have been the catalyst for

Hovannisian's decision to be more forceful

withTurkey. The inability to find a solution to the con-

The failure of the Sochi agreement seems to have tilted diplomatic opinion towards an

understanding that it is Azerbaijan, not Armenia, which is thwarting efforts to halt the

fighting, largely because it believes it can

Hovannisian with Ter Petrosslan and Vance, left; with former US Secretary olStateJames Baker, center; Ter Petrossian wlth lranian President AliAkbar Hashemi Rafsanlani, rlght.

AIM,NOVEMBER

1992

succeed by military force. This should help Armenia to escape at least partially from the unofficial sanctions being imposed on both

sides by the intemational

sponding to the interests of our country-a foreign policy of national harmony around which the whole nation gathered both in Armenia the

and in

community. Another foreign policy problem for Armenia is its reluctance to define its own political and cultural iden-

Diaspora,"he said.

tity sitting at the crossroad of Europe, Asia and the

determined and strong, twin peaks of peace andjustice." It'sallafarcryfromthe

"We still have

long

difficult road ahead which we must go together, until our nation, and

reaches the

Middle East. Armenia has been trying to have the best

of all worlds.

sunny optimism ofjust I 2 months ago, when new horizons seemed to be

One of the harshest criticisms against Hovannisian by those opposed to precisely that he was defin-

opening up for Armenians at home and abroad with the collapse of the Soviet

ing Armenia as in the van-

Union.

his Istanbul speech

was

guard of Europe. "The mo-

"Onceinawhile,lateat

ment we represent the West, orRussia, in the Caucasus at the edge of the Middle East,

night," admitted Hova-

then we are no longer for ourselves but for somebody else," said one official close to the president. Hovannisian, in his resignation statement, made a stout defense of his term in office. "I stand by the principled diplomacy which we developed during this one year and which secured the foundation of a state policy corre-

plate our

nnisian in an earlier, happier, time, "we contem-

surroundings-

the minister's desk and chair-and our environment and we say 'wow.' Attimes ameasureof surrealitycomes back."

Reality is colder and harder. Hovannisian's departure will undoubtedly spark a re-examination of relations between the

AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

Diaspora and the republic, and just what means to be Armenian. For the republic

means

a new face to the world.

it it

For

Hovannisian, there is disappointment and, at just 32, a difficult period of contemplation about his possible future in the republic. For the Diaspora in general, there is hard thinking ahead, as to just how to defi ne its relationship with the republic and what, realistically, it should-and should not---do in support of a democratic homeland. Speculation continues

as to

who

will

be the

next foreign minister, with rumored candidates ranging from the currentdeputy minister, Arman Kirakosian, to presidential advisors Gerard Libaridian-another ArmenianAmerican----and Ashot Manucharian. But whoever replaces Hovannisian will inherit the same dilemma, namely that the country is forced to choose among foreign policy options not of its making but rather forced upon it by interacting global and regionalpowerstruggles. Thechoiceis not what is in the nation's best interest, but what will do the least harm to it. The success orfailure of Armenia s foreign policy will depend on how well it continues tobalance itself between conficting interests of the regional powers-Iran, Turkey and Russia, and within the wider, evolving relationship between Russia and the United States.

REDEFINING

ANATION'S FABRIG

in. Nothing illustrates this situation betterthan

Armenia's dealings with Turkey. Sooner or later, Yerevan would have had to develop a policy towards Turkey. As aregional power,

By JlVAll TABIBIAil hortages, national security issues and domestic political-institutional

reform and political institution building are taking place under the srains of a blockade

conflicts pose immediate and

anon-war war. Internationally, the situation is not any simpler. Diplomatic recognition and the establishment of bilateral and multilateral relations, trade agreements, and development

seemingly insurmountable difficulties in the infant independent Republic of Armenia. The problems which impair both the building of a sovereign, secure and modem state, and the creation of a sound democratic domestic policy are clearly intenelated. While the causes of these crises may be traced to the past, the difficulties that need to be addressed are very much in the present. Singular among the immediate problems

and

is,

assistancefromthe WorldBankandtheIMF, are all being affected by the same conflict in Karabakh. It is as if Armenia were on probation-in a sort of diplomatic half-way house. Ostensibly, everyone insists on regional peace and stability, and Armenia has to convince the rest of the world that i, is not the

flict alone

villain.

ofcourse, Nagomo-Karabakh. That conaccounts for most of the other challenges facing Armenia today. Domestically, the necessary processes ofeconomic

in an orderly fashion. Ittakes timetodevelop policy, analyze options, do the groundwork, set up networks, sort out priorities, and distinguish friend from foe. However, the ongoing confrontation in Karabakh makes all semblance of normalcy fictitious. Strategic and tactical plans get mixed up, long-range options evaporate and a crisis mentality sets

In normal times, regional, diplomatic and politicalquestions wouldhavebeendealtwi*r

aneighbor, aformerenemy, andthedark icon of our past sufferings, Turkey would have to be at the core ofour foreign policy deliberations. However, what should have been a long-rangeevolution inourrelationshasbeen

transformed instead into an unavoidable, precipitous, tense and immediate hurdle to surmount. Karabakhhas forcedustoconfront the Turkish positionhead-on, on atime table and with resources that are hardly to our advantage. Caught in a bind, we are forced to make deals, accept compromises, act

forgiv-

ing

and pretend to forget in exchange for grain, for energy, for a less heavy-handed Turkish embrace of our Azeri antagonists. Being forced to choose between who "sells out" first and who "sells" for the most is not an enviable position in which to be. Suchchoices seemtohavebeen atthecore

Hovannlslan wlth French Forelgn Mlnlster Roland Dumas, left; and wlth Azerballani countsrparl Hussein Sadikhov, center,Ter Petrosslan with Frsnch Prcsldent Frangols lllttenand, rlght. AIM, NOVEMBERI92

Hovannisian outside the UN building. Aside lrom his personal merits, credentials and convictions, the young foreign minister acquired a symbolic persona as a member of the Diaspora.

of the clash between President Levon Ter Petrossian and former Foreign Minister Raffi

tion party or even the opposition-in a government of national union as in Israel fairly

Diaspora shouldhaveavoice anda role inthe political life of the Republic.

Hovannisian.

recently-the confl ictbetween the "boss" and

Even undermore ordinary circumstances. public disagreements between the chief executive and one of his ministers would be cause for concem. In democratic,

the "emissary" is a political conflict to be resolved through either intra or inter-party po-

There is however strong and dissenting opinion in this regard. There are important distinctions to be made in the tind of rolethe

pluralistic, multi-party

parliamentary systems, it is known to happen. Sometimes, as in the case of J.P. Chevenement in France,

during the Kuwaiti crisis, the minister resigns. Or, as was often the case in Bonn,

promise.

Ultimately, the govemment must speak with one voice in order to govern. The effectiveness of the executive branch in a

democratic society requires its ability to project a coherent, unitary, clear

position.

Foreign Minister H.D.

What makes the Ar-

Genscher-with his independent political base of

menian variant ambiguous and potentially crippling, is that today, Hovannisian,

support through the Free Democrats in the coalition

govemment- would.pre-

vail upon Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Otherwise, the minister is simply dis-

missed, because legitimacy is assumed to reside in the chief executive: either as a

popularly elected president as in the US, or as prime minister and leader of a majority parliamentary party coalition. If the minister is a technocrat, then he or shehas no independentpolitical constituency. If the minister represents a faction, a coali-

litical contest and com-

the foreign minister, represents no electoral con-

stituency,

domestic

political party. Furthermore, aside from his personal merits and credentials and convictions, he acquires a symbolic persona as a member of the Diaspora. To dismiss him thereforerepresents more than a policy disagreement. Unless he is replaced by another Diasporan Armenian, the reshuffle takes on a loaded significance since there are those who believe that the

AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

Diasporacan play. Is the Diaspora a stakeholder, client or constituency? These distinctions are crucial for the health and well-being of a modem, secular democratic state where political legitimacy flows from the consentof those who are able to vote, to express their approval and disapproval, who can organize, associate, pay taxes, run foroffice and be subject to coercive public decisions arrived at through legal, constitutional procedures. It is those individuals, known as citizens who constitute actually-or potentially, as in the case of children-the constituency of ademocratic political leadership, the elected officials of a govemment. These constituents are citizens. In a modem nationstate, citizenship is fundamentally territorial : birthplace, place of residence, domicile. fumenians in the Diasporaare notcitizensofthe Republic of Armenia. In the logic of the

modem nation-state, non-ethnic Armenian citizens of Armenia do and should have those political rights in Armenia that ethnic Armenians in the Diaspora do not and should not have. The popularly elected president, l.evon Ter Petrossian, is the president of the citizens of Armenia, not of all Armenians around the world, as someromantic souls wouldhave it.

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True, he is the symbol of the nation-state's political manifestation, and in that sense he is an icon of its tangible reality. But in a

strictly

serularsense,his legitimacydoesnotdepend

our

They are more than stakeholders. They have chosen to enter into a relationship

exchange. Their in-

recognition, but on the political

volvement is explicit. Cli-

choices and votes of the citizens of the Re-

ents are capable and willing to participate by offering or

public.

However, while non-constituents, Armenians-no matter how remote, inactive

and non-political-who freely identify themselves as Armenians feel aconnectedness to the land

oftheir ancestors

and share a

senseofcommonheritage withtheinhabitants of that land. Those Armenians are stakeholders.

Simply put, Armenians everywhere have a stake in Armenia. They have a stake in its continued existence, its independence, its prosperity, the well-being of its people, the security ofits border, the preservation ofits culture. As stakeholders, our interests are cultural, spiritual, traditional, affective. Our rights, onthe otherhand, are moral-notpo-

litical, not legal. While stakeholders have no formal obligations, enlightened self-interest would dictate nurturing the entity in which one holds a stake. Every Armenian who cares about Armenia, who feels affected by its destiny in one form or another, would feel compelled to support it.

Clients are another matter altogether.

promising funds, technical expertise, political support abroad, lobbying, propaganda, contacts, advice, weapons, fighters, infor-

matonand makingtherecipient mindful of the donor. All political regimes have a host of domestic and foreign clients to satisfu. Today, the Republic of Armenia and its elected officials must deal with several such "client" groups and individualspeople to be taken into account. Their worldview, their preferences, their needs, their

idiosyncracies, their favorites, their agen-

das-they all need

to be taken care of, catered

to and remembered.

But whenthese clients happen to beArmenians, they are no less demanding. They

want influence, recognition, $atitude. And

they want a say. Clients represent a political

force. They have interests but no rights. Their claims are not those ofcitizens and constituents, but those of friends, supporters, influ-

ential outsiders. Their threat to withhold is often

as persuasive as their promise to give.

The appointment of non-citizen Armenians to official govemmental positions in the executive

branch-ministers from the Diaspora to be more precise--demonsffated on

the part of the political leadership either a fundamental lack of understanding between the categories of constituency, client and stakeholder, or ahopefu I attempt to pacify the clients, tantalize the stakeholders and neutralize some constituencies. Like all high pay-off sffategies, the integration of the Armenian Diaspora into the political lifeof ttreRepublic was, andremains, a high risk proposition. Had the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Energy not been Diasporans, their removal or replacement would not entail the additional significance of Motherland-Diaspora relationships. It would have been wiser and more prudent, if, from the beginning, more secular and modem criteria had been observed and the temptation to engage the Diaspora politically had been resisted. Now that the cat is out of the bag, however, it is going to be difficult to put it back in. Butback into thebag it must be put, and the consequences of non-democratic

clientelistic maneuvers be faced. For our part, Armenidns in the Diaspora must stop negotiating with the leadership of the Republic by dangling silver carrots. The only real, juridical, political right we must have is the right of retum, through laws goveming repatriation and naturalization as citizens of theRepublic of Armenia. The sooner the law ofretum is enacted and implemented, the better it will be to clear the fog.

Meanwhile, the legitimate non-territorial bodies to whichthe Armenians can belong are the churches and the culture. What we need is a Catholicos of all Armenians, not a President of all Armenians, to express our spiritual unity and the oneness ofthe people. As to the govemment of Armenia in these trying days, the infant democracy must consolidate the structures ofthe state: a secular, modem, tenitorially based and territorially secure state, whose continued and prosperous existence should enrich the lives of all Armenians no matter where they reside, or what parties or interests they harbor.

Jlvan Tablbian, Ph.D., teaches Urban and Glendale (in The Exchange) 133 N. MarylandAvenue

(818\47-875

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610OTopangaCynRoad

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E N T E'R P R

AHARD

Abkhaz have become a minority in

BALANCING ACT Armenians and the Grisis in Abkhazia By RONALD GBIGOR SUI|Y hen it still ran, the train from Moscow to Yerevan at one point passed along f f the most beautiful stretches of the Black Sea coast. Slowing down or stopping ataseries ofresorts, with the sea to the right and mountains to the

left, the train moved through Abkhazia, an autonomous republic within Georgia. That peacefu I refteat, where the sun carried away the quotidian worries ofthe workaday world, hasrecentlybeentumed intoabloody battle zone, the newest front line in the

escalating series ofpetty warsthatare tearing apart Transcaucasia.

Abkhaziahasnever

-,.-,d

their own homeland. In the 1979 census only 17 percent of the republic's citizens were Abkhaz (83,000 people), while 43 percent (2 1 3,000) were Georgian, I 6 percent

(80,000) Russian, and 15 percent (73,000) Armenian.

The Abkhaz fought against Georgian rule during the years of the Russian Revolution and Civil War, but with the establishment of Soviet powerin Georgiain I 921, they were given their own cultural and political autonomy. During the Stalin

within Georgia. The local

years, the Abkhaz suffered the loss

people, who call themselves apsua, speak a language related to those of

of their native Communist leaders, persecution of intellectuals, forced

sat easily

themountainpeoples tothenorth and west, though their long association with the Georgians has left many cultural fraces. Georgianizedprinces ruled forcenturies in the region; the Georgian language was the principal language of govemance; and many

Abkhaz converted to Orthodox Christianity. Far more numerous in the past, before the Russian annexations and the migration of

many Abkhaz to Turkey,the

collectivization of land, and the steady imposition of Georgian culture and language. In 1932 the republic was demoted from the status of a soviet socialist republic to that of an autonomous republic. Only afterStalin's death were the local languages restored to some prominence in schools and the media. With the demise of Stalinist terror, Abkhaz

leaders pushed to make

the republic more Abkhaz. ButtheY

constantly met resistance from Georgian authorities. In 1978 Abkhaz protestors sent a petition to Moscow requesting that theirrepub-

lic be moved from Georgia into Russia. With the coming of glasnost and p e r e s tr oika, the Abkhaz again

demonstrated to join Russia, but Georgians marched in the streets against the Abkhaz demands. These demonstrations led to the brutal massacre of Georgians by Soviet ffoops in April, 1989. Led by former dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the Georgian nationalists came to powerin late I 990, and Georgia became formallY independent in 1991. Georgians and Abkhaz clashed in the streets of Sukhumi, the capital of the autonomous republic. Gamsakhurdia sent Dr. Levon Alexidze to Abkhaziato negotiate asettlement. A solutionwas worked out by which the Abkhaz, thoughaminoritY, ,rr+râ&#x201A;Ź:. W+OUId .-.,.,

Georgian National Guard soldiers in Abkhazia

receive 28 of the 65 seats in the local

parliament, while the Georgians would have26,the Armenians six, and the other nationalities--five. The chairman of the parliament would always be anAbkhaz, andtheprime minister would be Georgian. A11

major decisions

a two-thirds vote of parliament to become law. Abkhaz and Georgians had both to agrce before any referendum couldbe carried out intherepublic.

required

,-..., * fqlitRSiFQ*r4.

This arrangement,known in political sciepceas "consociationalism," is almost always an inherently unstableone. ln the bestof cases itrequires greattrust and ahigh degree oftolerance on the part of all the partners. Forover halfa year a relative, iftense, peace reigned in Abkhazia, while the Georgians waged war on anotherautonomousregion,SouthOsetia.

Gamsakhurdia himself fell from power in January 1992, a victim of his own erratic policies and alienation from powerful intellectual and political forces inthecountry. As

Georgians fought G*tgians in a lingering civil

Armenians would not be required to fight for the Abkhaz against the Georgians. The only sensible position forthe Armenians, who are isolated from larger Armenian communities in Tbilisi and Akhalkalak is neunality, but all sides seem to suspect their loyalty. Class and

culturalconflictsthatgobackatleast200years have often distanced the two peoples. The crisis in Abkhazia has had immediate repercussions in Armenia. The Black Sea railroad is the life line from Russia to Armenia, and therecent fighting has cut off supplies,

headed

by parliamentary deputy

Seyran

Bagdasarian to Tbilisi and Sukhumi to inves-

tigate the situation in August and mid-September.

"TheArmenians inAbkhaziatoldmethey wereina difhcultposition,"Bagdasarian said of his first visit. "Something that worried me very much was that there was an anti-Armenian atmosphere among Georgian soldiers there. When we spoke to the soldiers and asked whythey robbed'Armenianhomesthey said it was because Armenians there sup-

war, the opponents of the

former president chose Eduard Shevardnadze, once the

chief

Communist party

Georgia

and

fon4er foreign minister of the Soviet

Union, to head

thegovemment. Shevardnadze's task was to bring peace and unity to his small county, but the fierce resistance

the

pro-Gamsakhurdia

forces and the ongoing wars with the Osetians and the Abkhaz made this im-

possible.

The current crisis in Abkhazia began in the summer of 1992. In July

the Abkhaz

leader,

Vladislav Ardzinba, declared Abkhazia an independent state. The next month afi ve-sided srugglebegan. Followers of deposed president Gamsakhurdia fought with roops loyal to Shevardnadzp; Abkhaz stoodagainstGeorgians, aidedby volunteers from the North Caucasus; and finally, Russia intervened and took control of the railroad. Caught in the crossfue are the more than 70,000 Armenians of Abkhazia, descendants of some of the first settlers on the coast who came in the l9th century and worked to clear the disease-ridden swamps, cultivate the land, and make the area habitable. Armenians in

Abkhazia generally came from Trabzon a cenhrry ago and speakaveryparticulardialect of Armenian even compared to neighbors in nearby Sochi or Krasnodar, in Russia. The more extreme Georgian nationalists want to drive Armenians, and other minorities, from the country in order to create a ho-

mogeneous Georgia. Pro-Gamsakhurdia forces have accused Catholicos Vazgen I of planning tocreateanArmenianAutonomous Zone in Abkhazia. Many Georgians believe that Armenians are working with Ardzinba andtheAbkhaz separatists. Indeed, one small Armenian organization, Krunk (Crane in Armenian, asymbol ofArmenianlongingforttre homeland), does support ft e Abkhaz position, but the majoriry are neutral, fearing for their lives and homes. Ardzinba promised that the

particularly grain, to the besieged republic. Prime Minister Khosrov Harutunian fi avelled toTbilisitopersuade Shevardnadze toreopen therailroad. TheGeorgian leaderpromisedto do what he could, though his own hold on the situation was quite precarious.

Alexidze, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee of Georgia's interim State Council, highlighted rhe disruption of the rail link as a major factor in the decision to send fioops Abkhazia. Repeated robberies of the trains, by both Abkhazian rebels and supporters of Gamsakhurdia, had cost Georgia 12 billion rubles in lost supplies this year alone, he said. "The entire budget of Georgia's govemment is 26 billion rubles so you can imagine what losing somuch moneymeans,"he said. to

"But Armenia was even more affected.

Georgia had another corridor from the Black Sea for supplies, but Armenia had only one way-through Abkhazia. " He put Armenia's loss atbetween four and

fivebillionrubles. Addthetwobillionrubles which Armenia estimates it lost this summer when fighting in South Osetiainterrupted gas supplies and the cost of instability in Georgia becomes apparent. Concerned about the survival of Armenians both in Armenia and in Abkhazia, the Armenian govemment sent a delegation

AIM,NOVEMBER 1992

portedArdzinba.

"They had the

example of Krunk andalsotalkedof an Armenian businessman who had alleg-

edlygivenArdzinba

alotofmoney," said Bagdasarian. "But they saw the Armenians from Tbilisi as good Armenians becausetheyhadjoined

the troops sent to Abkhazia." The team reported that about halfthe Armenian population had already fled from Abkhazia, preferring to move to Russia rather than devastated Armenia, and that the remainder were terrorized by "bandits." Rumors of a massacre of Armenians in Gagra only increased the level ofanxiety. The delegationmet withShevardnadze, who was interestedin avoiding any conflict with the Armenians. Assurances were given that Armenian villagers in Abkhazia would be guarded

by Georgian militia and that Armenians would be armed to defend themselves. By the

time of the second visit the parliamentary delegation had noticed an improvement in the

. .-.i :::,:

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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

ARMENIANS IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA AI]II PHOTOS BY ARMINEH JOHANNES Clockwise from bottom: The villag-e ol Allastan, Akhalkalak; Armenian Catholic Church service in the village of Norshen, Akhaltsikh;a 12th Century Armenian church (destroyed by Tamerlane) in the village of Khando, Ak-halkalak

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The prestige and intemational recognition won by and credibiliry, you willbe able to tap into a market AIM since its debut has opened the door for major that will increase your exposure and solicit additional corporations to seriously consider the potential mar- business. So when you need to influence the best read, ket of Armenian consumers available throughout the disceming and perceptive crowd, associate with the world by advertising in AIM. to us! By scaling new heights in quality joumalism, AIM best. Whin you need to talk to them, talk has been uLl. to eam one of the most loyal and desirable audiences in the Armenian world. 6. \Tithin this environment of unmatched integrity

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HOOKING UP TOTHEWORLD ECONOMY A Survey of Internntionnl Organizations Offering Finnncial and Te c hnic al As si stanc e t o Arme nia By IIANGY

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US duties on Armenian imports from 50percent to five percent. In addition, Armenia was the first CIS counfiy to sign a bilateral invest-

ment treaty with the US, which provides for US govemment financial and loan guarantees to American companies investing in Armenia. It also ensures nondiscriminatory fteatrnent for American venture s operating inArmenia. Armenia has membership in the Intemational Monetary Fund G/tr) and World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and De-

t t.

Alexander Arzoumanian, Armenia's UN representative, signs the lnternational Monetary Fund membership agreement.

Ithough the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicthas exacted toll on the economy of Armenia, Yerevan has made strides in attaining important economic commitments from the international community. Those gains ina heavy

clude membership in key intemational organizations and development assistance from anumber of worldbodies. Armenia was the first of the former Soviet republics, before even Russia, to earn MostFavored Nation status from the United States. The status reduced average AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

velopment. Therepublic was chosen as one of four sites in the CIS for a permanent office of the US Agency for Intemational Development (USAID). And, by the end of the year, the Peace Corps will introduce nationwide business faining and English language insffuction programs in Armenia.

TheWodd Bank

Armenia formally become the 168th member of the World Bank on September 10.

The World Bank is actually an umbrella termforthree separate organizations, eachof which loans money to developing countries, though the interest rates vary . The institution that most people are referring to when they speak of the World Bank is the Intemational Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or the Bank, as it is commonly known. This loans money to its members forprojects that will contribute to a country's economic progress, and also provides technical assistance. To receive aid, a country must be a memberof theBank. A team from the World Bank visited Armenia in Feb,ruary and completed an initial and comprehensive report on all sectors of the country.

Helen Sutch, Counury Economist for Armenia, and the only full time staffmember assignedto the republic, describes theBank's general objective as "providing support for the Armenian govemment's economic reform program and assisting in the long term social and economic development of Arme-

nia."

In preparation for lending money for projects such as institution building and technical assistance, a team is putting together a loan proposal in conjunction with the Armenian govemment. Once the two sides agree on apackage, it

will bepresented

to the Bank's Board. Upon approval,

the

Bank can begin to lend money on a project basis in suchsectors aseducation, health, and energy.

In the longer term, Sutch envisions the Bank assisting with fast disbursement lending, critical import subsidies and support for Armenia's balance of payments. The team is working on securing a substantial lending program for Armenia, but Sutch says it's too early to say what the actual package will entail. Three missions from the Bank have visited Armenia since it applied for membership. A fourth mission will arrive this fall to discuss the draft ofthe economic report and finalize the loan documents with the Armenian govemment. The Bank does not plan to have permanent representation in Armenia, and staff from the Bank will come to Armenia from other parts of the CIS. However, if requested, the Bankmay provide some longterm advisors to help the govemment. The Karabakh conflictlooms large in the eyes ofthe Bank. Until apeace process gets SIGXS OF TIIE TIIES: Coca @las and gambling chiPs

underway, Sutch explains, the Bank's activities are limited. On a more positive note, Sutch sees some great strengths in Armenia in terms of potential for development. Her analysis was that Armenia has the ingredients for success-an entrepreneurial, highly educated and technologically astute population and a long history as an important trade route. Sutch also notes that the Armenian govemmentalreadyhas launchedan impres-

sive economic reform program which she finds encouraging.

The lnternational llonetary Fund Armenia took part in its flust IMF annual meeting in Washington, DC, on September 22, represented by Deputy Prime Minister

tlrant Bagratian, who is the republic's designated govemor to the IMF and the World Bank. Following Armenia's formal application for membership of the IMF on January 9, a

team from the Fund visited Yerevan.and began to identify priority areas for technical assistance.

The creation of the CIS prompted the IMF to create a new area department which encompasses the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Armenia comes under the auspices of the Southem Division which includes Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The goal of the IMF in Armenia is to provide technical assistance in four major areas: central banking and services; fiscal affairs; statistics department; and macro economic analysis and advice. The IMF has since sent four more missions to Armenia to begin working with the govemment in these areas. Each mission addressed at least one ofthe topics, laying the groundworkforassistance andcollecting the necessary data. The next mission, expected to visit Armenia before the end of the year, will cover multiple topics.

The IMF has established an advisory relationship with the National Bank of Armenia to help transform it into a modem central bank. Assistance includes the development of economic indicators which can be uied by the Armenian govemment to monitoreconomic development in the counuy, as well as legal advice on various aspects of banking, such as the clearing and transferring of funds between banks for credit, exchange rate regulations, and banking super-

vision.

In fiscal atrairc, the IMF is helPing to create a tax system based on Westem practices. With the Fund's assistance, the Armenian government infioduced aValue Added Tax, and is ffansforming income and busi ness taxes. The goal is to upgrade tax collection and create afair tax system which does not overburden any one sector ofthe population. The IMF is also advising the govemment on expenditure control. Particular at-

AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

2 a

LIGHTS OUT: Entertainment houses in Yerevan are often closed due to electricity cuts. tention is being paid to developing a social safety net.

As Armenia moves toward a market economy, the govemment needs to begin to compare monetary statistics, analyze data, put data in order and track how the economy is doing. The IMF is working with the National Bank of Armenia to develop a system of gathering data and analyzing

statistics provide the

which will allow the bank to govemment with information about certain economic indicators. The Fund also is working with the National Bank to help it adapt to IMF methodology, which is usedbyotherdevelopingcountries to record major economic indicators. The objective is for Armenia to include the country's vital statistics in the IMF publication, [ntemational Financial Statistics, which compares vital statistics from all developing countries. In future, the IMF will assist the Armenian govemment in designing a new accounting system. In addition to providing technical assistance in these areas, the IMF Institute in Washington, D.C., will sponsora three-month

training program for Armenian officials, to teach about balance of payments, monetary accounts, and fiscal and international methodology.

Armen Yeghiazarian, chairman of

Armenia's Agency of Economic Reforms,

currently

attending the institute. The

IMFalso plans to invite twoorthree officials 28

from Armenia to its Vienna institute to par-

ticipate in a six-month training program, which will be held in Russian for officials from the CIS. IMFeconomistGonzalo Pastornotes that Armenia was highly integrated into the Soviet economy and is surrounded by unfriendly neighbors. Two other countries in the division, Azerbaijan and

However, former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian recently criticized the IMF, saying it was unfairly holding back on a standby agreement for Armenia because of the dispute

in Karabakh.

The IMF, in a letter to

President Levon Ter Petrossian, recently ex-

Georgia, share similar

pressed concem that loans made to Armenia could be used to support the war ef-

"neighborly" problems, said Pastor, who believes they should strive toward a regional solution. Pastor says he is heartened by

fort.

The European Gommunity (EGf

Armenia's human

resources, comparing them

InJune 1992,40 experts

most favorably with those of Latin America and Africa. The process of allocating funds to Armenia for

from the EC visited Yerevan to develop an assistance

pro-

gram for 1993. Priorities are

Govemment Advice, Support for Enterprise, Human

technical assistance is an ongoing project. Through

Resources, and Food

discussions with the Armenian govemment and at the Fund, decisions will be made as to which policies need to be addressed, and what action needs to be taken. "The goal," Pastor says, "is to move the country from the point it is now to meet its development objectives, and the IMF can provide the technical assis-

AIM, NOVEMBER

tance to help the republic reach those objec-

tives."

1992

ho-

duction and Distribution. The EC has attempted to create a progr.rm that both supports

and complements the Armenian government's reforms in the various targeted sectors.The Armenian government must make specific requests to the EC for expert assistance.

The EC is particularly interested in re-

forming and sffengthening public administration. In its draft program, the EC

economic sector. Furthermore, once an infrasffucture is created, local officials will

complimented the Armenian government on

have to take on roles and responsibilities that

the high level of competence of many of its senior members. However, they noted that a large part of the public administration did not have the experience necessary for effective

they have not been required to do for 70 years." The Peace Corps' English Program will be affiliated with schools which have the greatest need for English teachers and are locatedoutside of Yerevan. Volunteers, while teaching the English language, will emphasize critical thinking skills and cooperative leaming. They will also identify whateducational resources their schools require and establish links with Westem organizations. Environmental summer camp programs in English are also on the Peace Corps' agenda.

management of a market economy. In addition to short-term technical assistance in this area, the EC plans to help the Armenian

govemment establish a School of Public Administration, to be attached to an existing Armenian institution. The EC's draft program made note of the

Armenian govemment's clear commitment

to economic reform, and described its progress as "rapid." However, the program also mentioned that the continued fighting in neighboring countries has gravely threatened economic conditions in Armenia, and stressed the need for political stability and

United States Agency for lnternational Development USAID is a government agency that ad-

energy supplies to allow the Armenian economy to develop and attract necessary

ministers US economic and humanitarian assistance programs in more than 80 countries. The goal of the agency is to promote economic growth through sound policies,

foreign investments. Armenia is eligible to receive some $7.26 million in technical assistance from the EC. Formal commitment of these funds should be voted on sometime this before the end of

democratic institutions, and the expansion of private sector participation. On April 1,1992, USAID created a special Task Force responsible for all of the Agency's operations in the newly indepen-

the year.

dent states

The United States Peace Corps A

of the former Soviet Union. Yerevan was selected as one of four locations for a permanent representative office.

The other cities are Alma-Ata, Moscow and Kiev. An initial $85 million was allocated by Congress for fiscal year 1992, which included nine projects covering several sectors. An additional $150 million is expected to be approved by Congress during I 992, and USAID is requesting $450 million for fiscal year 1993. USAID has targeted several sectors in

Armenia for the initial funds. Usually, it allocates funds on a contractual basis to private companies which implement a specific assistance program. Humanitarian assistance using USAID funds has been provided through Project Hope and a consortium of three private voluntaryorganizations totaling $9.8 million over three years to earthquake victims. In the agricultural sector, Armenia, through the US Department

Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation guarantees, is eligible to receive $390 million. This fund has yet to be allocated. USAIDhas also offered several programs assistance in housing, energy efficiency, agricultural extension service, farmer-to-farmer programs and the US Department of Commerce's Special American Business Intemship Training Program

of technical

(SABIT). Field Service Director Brian Kline, who recentlyvisitedArmenia, said USAID is also

Peace Corps team visited Armenia in

to begin establishing a presence. The first 40 Volunteers (as the Corps calls its

June

employees) are due to arrive in Armenia late this year to run two programs: Small Business and Economic Development, and English Language. The objective of the Small Business and Fronomic Development Program is to assist Armenia with its economic transformation

into a free market economy. Through the English hogram, Armenian citizens will

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focusing efforts on developing hospital affiliations between Armenia and the US, converting defense facilities for civilian use and encouraging the private sector. Technical assistance to the private sector will be aimed at helping to develop a viable financial base and a successful program of privatization of large and small commercial enterprises. Longer term projects include assisting Armenia in democratic institution building, health care improvement, food system restructuring and private sector initiatives. In late July, a USAID representative arrived Yerevan establish the organization's office, which will be located in the US Embassy building. Permanent USAID representatives Suzanne Olds and Richard Fraenkal arrived in Yerevan in early

September.

US Overseas Prauate lnvestment Gorporation (OPlCl OPIC provides funds for US citizens interested in investing in Armenia. According to an OPIC representative, the corporation

has received many inqufuies from Armenian-American businessmen, but so far only one loan application has been submiued. It is true that investing in Armenia is a risky proposition at this moment. But this is why various loan guarantees and political

risk insurance packages are being offered. even with this type of assistance the business

climate still appears too risky, consider the USAID and World Bank contracts that will soon become available for private companies to bid on. These contracts are excellent opportunities for diasporan Armenians to become involved in the economic development of the

republic.

z z o I 2

LAI{D OF CONTRASTS: Even though new enterprises are mushrooming, most Armenlan families lace worsening food and fuel shortages.

AIM, NOVEMBER

1992

E =

AilALYSIS

THE FOREIGN AID DILEMMA By VARTKES L. BBOUSSALIAI{ elative to its size, Armenia's demand for capital for its development and growth is enormous. And given the limited and dwindling intemal sources of finance, extemal financing of investments is critical. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have each issued reports which, though complimentary, show clearly the immensity of the task that Armenia faces in reviving its economy. Armenia is highly dependent on flows of capital from abroad for its programs of economic reforms. tn addition to this economic dependence, Armenia has no political clout. It is understandable, therefore, that the govemment of Armenia has no choice but to follow closely the recommendations of the Bank and the IMF. This strategy entails some discomfort for the govemment, for the internal political realities of the country may on occasion conflict with economic policies. The b,right spot is that Armenia cannot go too wrong in following the recommendations of the two agencies. They are free marketoriented, which is the policy of the Armenian

govemmentanyway. What can Armenia expect from these two IMF and the Bank have been workhg closely together in recent years because of their realization that macroeconomic adjustment, which is the main concem of the IMF, and economic growth, which is the main concem of the Bank, are interdependent, It has been obvious for some years that development loans succeeded most when govemments pursued appropriate macroeconomic policies. Consequently, the Bank has frequently lent money to countries so that they can adoptmacroeconomic policies supportive of its project loans, such as inflation agencies? The

reduction, trade liberalization, removal of exchange rate restrictions and encourage-

ment of competition. The IMF in tum has come to the realization that loans made to countries to adopt sound macroeconomic

policies would likely flounder unless the economies of the recipient countries grew in the meantime. "Adjustment with growth" is now the motto of the IMF. It should thus come as no surprise that the reports of the

AIM,NOVEMBER

Bank and the IMF missions to Armenia are entirely consistent if not identical. While the IMF will lend money directly to the Armenian government, the Bank may prefer, and indeed may well insist on, lending directly to private businesses. The projects funded do not even have to be guaranteed by

the govemment, whose track record and capabilities are as yet unproven. hivate enterprise not only can undertake the construc-

tion and operation of major projects more effi ciently, they are more likely to be adept at putting together project proposals acceptable to the Bank. Examples of such projects are the expansion and operation ofthe international airport in Yerevan, the development

of a tourist industry, the construction and operation of oil and gas pipelines, the addition and modemization of power generating plants, the upgrading of the telephone and waterdistribution systems, and even theconstruction and operation of toll roads. Firms in the Diaspora have an opportunity to undertake large-scale business ventures in Armenia, financed by loans from the World Bank. Neitherthe Armenian govemment northe Bank need take the initiative in identifying and planning development projects if outside corporations can come forward with sound business ideas. Notwithstanding the favorable attitude of the two intemational agencies towardArme-

nia, it is uffealistic to expect any extensive funding ofprojects soon. It takes a great deal of time to plan and write up acceptable project proposals, and it takes a great deal of time forthe two agencies to study and evaluate them. There may also be a limit to the arnount of investment capital that Armenia can absorb within any given period. The number of urgent projects and their relative size is daunting. The consffuction of housing and otherfacilities forthe thousands of earthquake victims and refugees from Azerbaijan and Karabakh, the vast enter-

prise restructuring and privatization programs, the modemization and expansion

energy resources, and the upgrading of Armenia's intemal communications facilities, are some ofthe urgent projects. It is not clear how close the govemment is to completing plans for some of these projects. It is somewhat disheartening, however, that officials of the two agencies point to Armenia's current difficulties with its neighbors as a negative factor in their lending decisions. It is here that the US and the European Community might be asked to

exert political influence to downplay this ( factor in the review ofproject proposals. In i process of project initiation, evaluation and the case of some Eastem European nations, such influence caused major projects to be funding is too long. funded in a matter of few months. Armenia's Another complication is how Armenia needs are much more critical; the normal can repay the loans it might receive. Repay-

AIM, NOVEMBER

1992

dramatic as a multi-million dollar capital project, is nonetheless important. The problem is that the republics of the former Soviet Union are diverse; to be effective, USAID

In addition to EUpTy SHELVES: ThelMFandtheWorldBankpointtoArmenia'scurrentditlicultieswith the IMF and the itsneighborsasanegativefactorintheirlendingdecisions

While food supplies are rationed, imported ggods, such as liquor cigarettes, abound on seghanikslhroughout Yerevan,

left.

ment of foreign loans depends on Armenia developing aviable export industry, which at this moment is shrouded in darkness. No one can predict in whatproducts Armeniamight develop a comparative advantage, except in the most general way. It depends largely on the initiative and skill of its indigenous people,

and several

other

missions sent by the USAID and the European Community have visited Armenia over the past year. To the extent that any money has been allocated to Armenia, actual disbursement seems tobe a long way off. In the case of the USAID,

hardly any investment money will be provided. Technical assistance, though not as

AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

technical assistance should be tailored to the circumstances of each republic. Determining the specific needs of each of the 13 republics is time-consuming and can tax the resources of the agency. In conclusion, it seems as if we have all been waiting for something to happen or to come along that would start Armenia on the road torecovery. There are no discreteevents that will do so except for the much delayed free market reforms. While foreign investmentcapital willfill afew urgentneeds,most of the burden of economic revival will fall on Armeniaiself. Recognizing this, the Diaspora can help Armenia by interacting with it on a large scale. Transfers of technological, business, andindustrialknowhow will take place as individuals go to Armenia and undertake various business and commercial activities there, and as individuals from the homeland visitforeign countries and see and absorb the methods of free market economies. If we are right in our high regard for the talents and abilities of the people of Armenia, the

economy should take but a few years to revive. This nssumes that in the meantime, the govemment will be getting on with the economicreforms withoutfurtherdelay.

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More likea living historythan atraditional publication-that's howourreaders have seen AIM for the past two years. Crisp graphics, thorough reporling, thought-provoking stories and colorful profiles have led AIM to propel the Armenian print medium into the global age. With correspondents in almost every major city around the world, bureaus in Los Angeles, and Yerevan, and a diverse editorial appeal, we thrlve on the passion to be the best. That's what has made us the most widely read publication in the Armenian world today. That's what will continue to guide AIM throughout the 90's and beyond, providing a solid medium to reach Armenians internationally.

1\INI

Month after Month. AIM captures the spirit of the Armenian nation.

lll

AMATTEROF TIMING Karlen Dallakian on the Blunders of Revolution By TONY HALPIN

lmost everybody nowadays seems to be presenting their analysis of the presentcrisis inArmenia. Not to be outdone, AIM searched out someone whoseprofessional task it was, in adifferenttime, to assess political Eends. Karlen Dallakian was Ideology Secretary of Armenia's ruling Communist Party for 10 years until 1985. Tbday, with the Parfy discredited and out of power, he heads the diasporan culture and history department of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. Like many, Dallakian, 63, sees the political crisis rooted in the Karabakh conflict, and the Armenian reverses, but he widened this perspective into a general problem of national identity in the post-SovietUnion. "When the United States, Britain, or France say 'nation,' you understand it as a state. But when we say 'nation' we understand an eth-

nicgroup.

o'Westem

nations resolved this duality a hundred and more years

AIM,NOVEMBER

1992

ago. They built their countries and got to a situation wherethe wordnationbecameequal to the state. The 'national question' does not exist for them," he said. "But in the former Soviet Union, all the nations and ethnic groups, with the exception of Russia, have yet to resolve their national question. So when the Armenian community of 200,000 in Karabakh says 'we have the right to solve our question ofnational selfdetermination,' the West says 'no, this is Azerbaijan and you can not go outside these borders.'

He believes Armenia ought to have con-

cluded a political, military and economic treaty with Russia immediately upon independence, since it could not escape its geographical position.

"But our new

Paris.

to to is a laughable

thing when the leaders of those countries have to show us the way to Moscow." Opposition dissatisfaction with Armenia's

"Azerbaijan then has all the rights to solve this question. So we Armenians, in the eyes of the world, are the aggressors who want to make Azerbaijan collapse and

had therefore provoked the

to take thei.r territory." With Islamic fundamentalism on the rise,

ized in the

the West has an interest in maintaining Turkish influence in the region, said Dallakian, since it is Muslim and pro-democracy. This tilted the likely outcome in Karabakh.

"The United States and Europe stand behind Turkey and Turkey stands behind Azerbaijan. Armenia, which is really at war with Azerbaijan, cannot continue only with her forces. War is a mathematical business nowadays and time is playing on Azerbaijan's side."

ffThe United

lead-

ers chose to go Washington and

military policies

political crisis, symboleffon toforce President Levon Ter

Petrossian's resignation.

But despite the difficulties, Dallakian be-

talk that former Communist First Secretary Karen Demirjian might somehow retum to power. "When the situation is so hard now in Armenia, the people begin looking for a Messiah. Very many people remember that daily life was better

States and Eurcpe stand behind TUrkey and TUrkey stands

folces."

for a change." He also dismisses current fashionable

ffi EDD-]

and there is a longing those

for a retum to times.

"They also

see

Eduard Shevardnadze

behind Azerbaijan. Armenia, which is really at war with Azerbaiian, eannot continue only with her

lieves the opposition is mistaken in trying to replace Ter Petrossian. "When you are trying to cross a river, you don't change horses in midstream," he said. "Now is not the time

under the Communists,

returning to Georgia-

of Messiah there-and they think the same he is playing the role

could happen here. But

it is not serious." Dallakian is pessimistic, however, about the prospects for stability in Armenia, particularly with the enfeebled

economy heading into winter. He fears another

Georgian example-that of political polarization and civil war. "A union of national forces is the only way I can think of which will give us a chance to survive as an independent nation-I mean a coalition govemment. But I don't see it happening. "Another way would be a dictatorship. The president could go this route but it is not a good way to proceed." United Nations involvement in the Karabakh conflict offered the best hope of a solution for Armenia, he said, a policy which President Ter Petrossian has assiduously pursued. Did he think the whole Karabakh

Movement, initially

a challenge to

the

Communist regime, a mistake?

"No. It can never be a mistake because it was the historical right of the Armenian people living in Karabakh to solve their

problem

self-determination," said

Dallakian.

"But they chose a moment to begin this struggle when they were not fully prepared for events. Maybe if the leaders of this movement had been wiser, they would have been obliged to think more about who their likely allies would be and who would oppose them." Dallakian conceded, however, that the central Communist authorities carry

heavy

burden of blame for the bloodshed. "Moscow could have imposed a solution to this problem in a moment. After Sumgait, they could have settled it in a day and nobody could have said a word against them."

Yerevan Wa Recordd in Yerevan by 0hannes Salibian Balance Fngmer Sevan tricician Desigr and Tpgraphy Aranuis Andonian

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AIM. NOVEMBER 1992

Why

General Secretary Mikhail

Gorbachev shrank from such a decision is a question which still awaits satisfactory answer. Ultimately, it cost him the empire.

Armenia, and the whole Caucasus, is still paying the price.

GROSSING BOUNDARIES The Avant GardeWoy

The Right Exposure at the Right Price

Doing Business

The

By I{AI{GY NAJARIAN

n June, 1990, Armen and Tigran Petrosian registered their cooperative Avant Garde '90 in Yerevan. The story of these two brothers' efforts to develop and expand their small business amidst a rapidly changing political and economic mate is a good example of the rocky road for entrepreneurs in Armenia, for whom creativity, perseverance, and resourcefulness are basic requirements. Both brothers were just completing their

cli

Tigran had made arrangements to expand their cooperative to include a new fumiture production company and a small ceramics factory. They took out a loan of 200,000 rubles (the f,rst 100,000 rubles at 6Vo intetest, the second at \Vo) from a state bank, payable in equal portions over two years. Little did they expect that inflation would

Busiiless

sabotage many an entrepreneur's plans. The

0enter

brothers' loan payments have jumped dramatically, first to l7 To,tten 34Vo, andnow to

an advertising

higher education when they started Avant Garde '90, a design and art cooperative. They planned to do commercial and residential interior design, offer custom-made fumiture and hold art exhibitions and auctions. Tigran's education in the faculty of Industrial Design at the Institute of Fine Arts and Armen's training as a tech-

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nical trilingual (Russian, Armenian, English) interpreter, prepared the brothen to oPerate both domestically and

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During the first year of

and a check

operation, Avant Garde '90 functioned as a successful interior design firm, catering to small businesses and service companies. After estab-

for the conesponding amount.

It's that simple!

lishing themselves in

Yerevan, the brothers moved on to the next phase oftheir

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plans, which was to begin representing contemporary

Advertise in the

Armenian artists abroad.

Without any

Business Center

established

contacts, the enterprising Pair

See

Pages34 & 35

headed for Germany and France with sample works of fi ve Armenian artists. Armen and Tigran called on galleries and art dealers

in Paris and various cities in Germany. For their efforts they received offers for four art exhibitions in the fall of'91, and they sold several pieces of art. With money from the sales, they bought much-needed tools for theirdesign business, and headed home with great expectations of future exhibitions in

WestemEurope. Before they left for Germany, Armen and

an annual rate of367o.

Back in Armenia, they located space for the two new factories and proceeded to purchase the necessary equipment to start pro-

duction. The fumiture company did a brisk business in the fall of 1991, but orders and production cilme to a dead stop when the energy crisislritYerevan. Theensuinglosses were typical. Most of the Peffosians' inventory perished in poor storage facilities. The

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With space at a premium, Tigran and his family moved out of their fl at and redesigned the space for commercial use. Using some leftover materials from their fumiture business, the brothers began constructing the

ceramics supplies were useless because the factory kilns could not operate without a constant energy source. Just prior to the crisis, Avant Garde '90 had received a substantial fumiture order from Russia. The transportation crisis made it impossible to ship the furniture the brothers worked overtime to produce. They are still selling it off. In September and October of 1991, they traveled to Germany and held two successful exhibitions--in Braunschweig and Mwiichof four Armenian contemporary artists. The proceeds from the art sales gave new life to the cooperative. Looking for new avenues of business, the Petrosians saw that food stores and small trade shops continued to be viable, so they opened their own combination food-and-

store. Had theyneededto buy all new materi-

als at today's inflated prices, they could never have begun.

Still, it took them no less than four

months and the help of many "friends" to

purchase brand-new refrigerators from Russia for a price that almost left them broke.

In the face of unstable and unregulated interest rates and other financial hurdles, the Petrosians are working overtime to keep the business afloat. Tigran continues to do design work and produce custom-made fumi-

trade store.

boqnh ucbun<

find

functioning refrigerator. That deal eventually fell through and they were forced to a

ture, and Armen interprets for representatives of foreign govemments. Despite the setbacks, the Petrosians are optimistic about doing business in Armenia, though transportation problems and worsening inflation are constant sources of anxiety and confusion. As a safety measure, Armen has decided to capitalize on the experience he has gained working for foreign govemments, business people and journalists. The brothers are be-

ginning a new interpreting service that will provide technical assistance to foreign business groups in Armenia. In spite of all the hardships of a topsy-

turvy Armenian economy, the Petrosians continue to exhibit true entrepreneurial spirit and adesire to keep up wittr the ever-changing

marketplace.

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DIGGING UP

THEPAST By TONY I{ALPIN Ail MTOS

IXffTAR

KHACHAIFIAX

BC. Khanzadian calculated that the settlement covered more than 10

mma Khanzadian feels quite at home as a time ffaveler in the 35th Century BC. She scampers

hectares, and she has unearthed sec-

over the remains of more than 5,000 years of history in the Medzamor valley, near Yerevan, with a youthful enthusiasm which belies her 70 years.

Dr. Khanzadian has devoted most of her professional life to uncover-

ing the secrets of ancient civrlizaat Med zamor . Her excavations have produced, among other things,

tions

evidence of an astronomical observatory, religious temples, a fortress, and fumaces for smelting iron.

treasure trove

of 22,0fi) his-

torical artifacts, ranging from the ceremonial to the erotic, is housed in a

museum she established

at the

site

in 1968. "People were living here from 5,000 years ago until the 1Sth Century in our era," Khanzadian said, surveying the excavation site now encircled by lush farmland. "The whole place is surrounded by fresh water and has been very good for people to establish settlements on." A 4,000-year-old column known as Vishabakar, or dragon stone, stands guard near the museum. Inscribedwith a gammadion symbolizing everlasting life, it was one of many placed at sources of water bY early settlers as ffibute to the water gods they worshipped. A cave drawing carved in rock from the early Iron Age details the networkof canals and reservoirs then existing intheregion. The hean of ttre site is the Citadel, center of a flourishing Bronze Age community in the third millennium

The 4,00Gyear-old Vishabakar,or dragon

AIM,NOVEMBER 1992

tions of a large Cyclopean forffess wall built to defend this seat of govemment. Villagers lived outside around the base of the l5-feerhigh wall which, even today, towers over onlookers. "The layers I have uncovered show that a very advanced civil;zation lived here. In the third millennium BC there was a goveming body here comparable to that which we know existed in Mesopotamia." Objects unearthed at Medzamor actually came from Mesopotamia, while others carry Egyptian hieroglyphics, evidence of trading links established at that time. Khanzadian has uncovered tombs dating back 4,000 years in the necropolis, which she estimates covered 100 hectares alone. Herdiscovery of gtaves containing babies also helped her locate the religious temple. "The babies were buried with golden spiral omaments on their heads. We know from ancient times that there was a custom to bury babies in the main temple site underneath the floor," she explained. Nearby, grooves carved into the rock indicate where animal sacrifices were performed. The grooves lead to a hole chiseled into the floor, where the blood of offerings flowed and was collected. Also uncovered was an astronomical observatory cut into a mountain ridge and reached by seven Holy Steps marked by astrological symbols. A line pointing precisely stone north-south is cut into the surface of 4t

the rock, as are signs depicting ttre sky and the position of stars. The observatory func-

tioned as the equivalent of modern horoscopes, used by the head priests to

tell the

fortunes ofkings.

By the kon Age,

3,0(X) years ago,

Medzamor was a major city covering 1,000 hectares. Then the Urartian invaders came, conquering the area and setting fire to the city. "We have found remains of charred wooden beams," noted Khanzadian. The basementof the museum houses four skulls and a complete human skeleton unearthed from an Urartian tomb dating to tlre eighth century BC. Khanzadian explained that the skulls probably belonged to prison-

early konAgecomplex of seven holyplaces. Khanzadian has excavated a temple measuring 80 square meters, at the center of which was a sacrificial table. Statues of humans stood at the back of the temple, which dates back to the I lth century BC, she said. "This whole complex was tied in with the four seasons. Ihave foundinscriptions in the Hittirc language which tell of all the ceremonies that took place here." These ceremonies, and the whole complex, werc reserved exclusively for royalty and ftehigh priests ofthe community. Part of the ritual included the preparation of sacred bread which the king or queen would then divide among those prresent, and later distrib-

ute to the common people. Khanzadian has found rock formations used to ground wheat and templates used by the priests to stamp designs on the bread.

Animals were sacrificed in another part of the complex, and inscriptions were found prescribing which parts of the flesh may be eaten by the king. The discovery ofhorses' skulls indicated that sun worshipping ceremonies took place, and mysterious rocks shaped like human eyeballs were also found. Khanzadian's discoveries here gained some unwanted visitors: vandals damaged

the excavated temple and particularly an oven she uncovered. Fear of further attack and theft has prompted her to cover up some of her excavations at the site with dirt after recording information about them.

Her success in unlocking the secrcts of Medzamor is evident in the museum, which displays delicate jewelery , weapons, large pottery and intiguing religious symbols. Ceramics and glazed decorative tiles hint

at the omamentation of the palaces

and

temples, while idols and tall phallic sculptures give an earthy impression of religious beliefs. Much of the jewelery found in the burial mounds was made of tin, a metal symbolically associated with death. The large quantities of the metal were evidence of the sophisticated frade pattems in the region, since the natives did not have the means to make tin

locally. Pride ofplace in the collection goes to an

exquisite agate weight in the shape ofa frog, which belonged to theBabylonian rulerUlam Vurarish in the l6th century BC, and a seal

with Egyptian hieroglyphics owned by the Babylonian ruler Kurigalz a century later. Again, this was proof ofMedzamor's impor-

Khanzadian at the liledzamor stte, top; the

artllacts are housed

!n the

mu-saum

Khanzadlan lounded near the 3eilloment,

tance as a trading crossroads.

bottom

Coins excavated from Medzamor's medieval period showed that it kept this cenral position in trade. A coin minted in Tavriz in the I 6th century ofour era was found, as was a West European example dated to the l3th or l4thcentury. But Khanzadian's devotion to preserving the past is running into some modem-day problems of survival. Her museum was established underthe Soviets, as was herright to excavate on farmland around the site. Now, with the farmland privatized, she must negotiate with individual owners for the right tocontinue searching for gravesites. Armenia's economic crisis has also severely curtailed govemment support for her museum: on the day we visited there was not even electricity to Iight the display c:rses. Khanzadian frets about the future of the museum and the historical treasures which may still be out there but will now be harder to find. Her one-woman quest for knowledge has yielded remarkable results for Armenia' s understanding of its past. Now she waits for an indication that her counfiry values its his-

ers sacrificed by the conquerers and whose heads were buried. "Urartians had ahabitof

dissecting bodies," she added matter-offactly.

Strong local resistance saw off the Urartians after a relatively short occupation and the people got back to developing ttreir civilization. Khanzadian pointed to tha Citadel wall where a new fortress was constructed on top of the old by a second generation of builders. That civilization included an iron smelting operation, from which a large amount of slag remains. The inhabiants developed an ingenious solution to the technical problem of making temperatures hot enough to melt the ore.

'"They bumed wood and animal dung but . this was not hot enough, So they devised a method mixing powdered bone and clay into brickettes which raised the temperatrire in the fumaces to thousands of degrees," said Khanzadian. The powdered bone was the key because it contained phosphorous. A little way from the main site stands an 42

toryenoughtokeepthecollectionsafe. AIM,NOVEMBER

1992

RITESOFPASSAGE

A Critique of Armenian-American Literature

Literature By Margaret Bedrosian

Her lyrical voice celebrates the Armenians' paganreligious past: "Their sacraments were to the earth, to the waters and sun, to the mysteries of matter spiraling through the

Wayne State University Press,

seasons."

The Magical Pine Ring: Culture and I ma gination in Arme nian - Amer ic an

The modem representatives of this ancient culture had a hard time of it in California, and the author's memories of her high school years struckaresponsivechordin me, for as a boy of Armenian-French ancestry growing up in L,os Angeles, I also felt the

1991,249pp. Armenian N orth-American Literature : A C ritic al I ntroduc t i on By Lorne Shirinian The Edwin Mellen Press, I 990, 303PP.

By DAVID STEPHEN CALONI|E argaret Bedrosian recounts her

own awakening to her Armenian ancesEry when her father told her stories ofPersia: "I was

off

and running; these simple words unlocked a world as enticing as an Arabian night's tale, archaic and sensual like a Babylonian garden, charged with mystery like a Zoroastrian fire." This personal approach often works quite well in the book, and is a refreshing deparnre from the "objective," depersonalized tone of much modem literary scholarship. Both volumes under consideration here attempt to survey the body of English-language literature created by Armenians living in the North American diaspora. While t ome Shirinian's book is often heavily theoretical, Margaret Bedrosian stays close to the works she studies and is not guilty of using that famous French term, "discourse." She discusses, among prose writers, Emmanuel Varandyan, Peter Sourian, Peter Najarian, Michael J. Arlen, Richard Hagopian and Wiltiam Saroyan; and the poets Diana Der Hovanessian, David Kherdian, Harold Bond and Peter Balakian. The book concludes with an essay on the great painter, Arshile Gorky. Shirinianexplores Najarian, Saroyan, Sourian, Hagopian and Agop Hacikyan.

Bedrosian's introduction gives a b,road

oddness of"beginning each school day, five days a week, thirty-six weeks a year, pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes." This was a routine designed to melt us dl into the

same American pot, and of course, many Armenians were never fully "assimilated." As Bedrosian emphasizes, no matter how often one said the Pledge, the "primary loyalty to farnily and feeling" was never undermined.

In a chapter entitled "Transplantation," Bedrosian offers a social history ofthe Armenians' anival in America, concenrating on the ignominy of her father Avedis Bedrosian's experience on arriving at Ellis Island and the family's subsequent difficulties surviving in Depression Califomia. She

covers the various social institutions-

church, compatriotic groups, newspaperswhich held the new immigrants together in their new land. The "anthropology" of the Armenians is discussedin sections on family life, courtship, marriage and child rearing. A Stanford dissertation on the Armenians in Califomia,

called"nada." Shirinian's book is heavily indebted to recent French critical theory, and this is its greatest weakness. In the section entitled "The Armenian Diaspora and Its Literature," for example, we read the following fanslation from the critic Pierre Bourdieu: '"The

structures which make up a particular type of environment... and which can beunderstood empirically in the form of regularities associated with a socially structured environment, producing habitus, systems of durable dispositions, struc-

tured structures tionassructuring

disposedtofuncstructures." There

are the center and the very purpose of home life... The Armenian home develops finer values, higher ethical codes, and stronger moral

Americanhomeforitis

stronger influence in the

countrymen is underscored in aquotation

from [,eon Sur-

story of aculture crossed and double-crossed because ofher Christianity and her idealistic expectations of otherChristian powers." The question of the impact of the Genocide on the Armenian consciousness has not been fully

melian's story"The Sombrero," in which the

Armenian heritage is transferred to the next generation?

Why is

a "split" that will haunt other Armenian-

their fathers?

AIM,NOVEMBER 1992

esoteric lingo

throughout the book,

these texts, the fathers seem to die early." Thus the questions arise: How is it that the

hero"muses on the splitbetween his poet nature, comfortable with the emotions, and his American self, which is trying to be 'all utilitatarian logic and iron will."' This is American writers as well. The Saroyan chapter contains interesting

amples of this kind

such as the theme of fatherhood in Armenian writing. He correctly remarks that "in many of

menians and their new

temporal counterpart of the cross stone, the

are numerous ex-

and they detact immensely from Shirinian's real insights,

qualities than the typical

lifeofthepeople." The contrast between Ar-

explored, and Bedrosian asks: "What role did the Armenians' myths, the stories they had told themselves about who they were, play in their response to near annihilation?"

nian. Saroyan is battling his demons here in hard, swift prose, and these are among his finest works. Bedrosian, however, declares that "his preoccupation with anger and denial simply blocked interest in persons and social forces removed from his struggles... he hurtled between the poles of a flabby acceptance ofthe 'all' and a self-punishing denial of human closeness." But this reading is ill-construed: Saroyan did not "deny" human closeness; rather, he found it fiendishly difficult to achieve in real life, but never stopped singing its possibilities (as well as its impossibilities) in his work. In this respect, he was rather like one of his masters, Walt *all," but only Whitrnan, who accepted the because he also sruggled with the terrrible doubt of appearances, with what Hemingway

dating from the '30s, is aptly

cations of the Genocide on the literature produced in America by Armenian writers. She takes the khachl<ar as symbolic of Armenian history: "In a sense, Armenian histhe

Vargramian's name means "swift" in Arme-

quoted: "To the Armenian the home is sacred, the children

overview of Armenian history and the impli-

tory-particularly post-Christian-is

discussions of Rock Wagram, The Assyrian andThe Inughing Matter, three works unified in their depiction of a middle-aged writer in the bull ring, battling with deattr, a failed marriage and emotional chaos. Bedrosian makes an excellent point when she describes "the pain of Saroyan's characten who can only find a healthy outlet in swift motionflying, gambling, racing" and points out that in the novel RockWagram, the hero Arak

By whom is it transferred?

that so many writers feel the necessity to work out their lives in relation to Shirinian is also perceptive regarding the effect of the Genocide on the Armenians. "[n

?-r,i

real as well as symbolic terms, the genocide took language away from the Armenians." The creation of literature is thus "a way of fighting thenot so unconscious fearofdisappearing without atace." The Armenian writer feels lost in a kind of limbo because "for

Armenians, there is the homeland, and there

is the Diaspora. There is nothing in

be-

tween." Shirinian's analysis of the Diaspora/ Homeland dialectic is insightful and central to the texts he discusses.

The status of the Armenian writer in America has been, and continues to be, that of the "outsider." [n reading these books, I thoughtoften of Henry DavidThoreau, whose

isolation from the dominant American culture of his time was a distinguishing feature of his life and art. Thoreau's last words were said to have been "moose... Indians," and it is no accident that one of Aram Garoghlanian's best friends in Saroyan's My Name Is Aram is an Ojibway Indian who buys a Packard automobile. Aram connects immediately to him, and they have a fine time driving around Fresno together. Although Aram has certainly become "Americanized" (he Ojibway comments on Aram's inrmediate skill behind the wheel), it is perfectly natural that a lively boy from an originally pagan, rock-, fire- and water-worshippingculture wouldhavemore incommon with his Native American compatriot than his White Anglo Saxon, Christian neighbors. Wandering in the Maine woods, Thoreau, a

kind of Harvard-educated Ojibway him-

self,would have understood. Neither Bedrosian nor Shirinian enters the fray of the ongoing debate conceming the

Bronze

24' "Love Affoiy''

literary canon as taught in American universites. But one wonders how Armenian-American culture fits into the question of multiculturalism. There is, it would seem, a place in the curriculum for ArmenianAmerican literature, analogous to that now found for Afro-American, Asian-American, Native American and Hispanic literature. The Armenian-American community can now boast of a number of writers who are both artistically and intellectually ofthe very highest quality and achievement: William Saroyan, Emmanuel Varandyan, Leon Surmelian, Peter Balakian, Eric Boghosian, Peter Najarian and others. [n fact, Armenian culture has directly influenced the develop-

Limited Edition

ment of contemporary American literary style

through the influence of Saroyan on Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Generation. Saroyan was considered hip back in the '30s, and it took another 20 years for American writers to catch up with him. AVAIIABLE FROM

E&G FINEARTSTUDIO TELIFAX

503-4413

The appearance of these two books signals the fact that Armenian scholars are beginning to catch up, too.

David Stephen Calonne is the author ot Saroyan: My Real Work ls Being. He is a lecturcr in Armenian studies at University of Michigan.

AIM. NOVEMBER

1992

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TI{A.I\TTH(Or' IN GBAYYEREVAil, A RESPITE OF A DIFFEREI{T CUT Atex, a recenfly founded Armenian fashion house, made its show debut in Yerevan at a sold-out July 4 American Independence day concert. Their three catwalk displays, interspersed between the singing acts, were the sensation of the evening, with people literally standing on their chain and clapping the models and the creations. The designs, while recognizably Westem, are shocking to the senses in the grey Yerevan context and present a dazzlng visual display backed up by modem music and choreography. The whole effect is simultaneously provocative, cheeky and of-the-moment. The second outing was another sold-out fashion show staged by the company itself at the Film House in central Yerevan in September.

-Reportd

by Gourgen Khalaglan ln Yercvan

AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

A MARTIANROVER Driving Lessons for the Red Planet By JUDY PASTEBNAK slow. Operators on Earthfoundtheprocessof

"driving" exasperating. A two- or three-second lag between the time when a radio command was sentand theLunokhodrelayedthat it had obeyed may not seem like much, but every tum of a wheel had to be directed. It seemed to take forever to make any progress. In the early I 970s, Soviet missions to Mars carried more Kermurdian creations-robots mounted on skis, attached by a tether to a

help in the clean-up effort. Helicopters loweredthe big robots tothereactor's roof, where no human dared travel.

From less than two miles away, Kermurdiian and a colleague directed the Lunokhods to push radioactive debri s through ahole intothebuilding. They spentfourto five hours at a time at the control point, during two five-day stints at the scene. Kermurdian recalls thathepassed the time

Aleksandr Kermurdiian and the testing of

by teasing his companion. "You're glowing,"

the Marsokhod in Death Valley, California

he'd say. Now comes the Marsokhod, slated for launch to the Red Planet as pafl of a Russian mission in 1996. At I 50 pounds, it is supposed to explore the rocky Martian landscape with greater intelligence than previous models. Marsokhod, it is hoped, will be able to move from PointX to Point Y without detailed instructions. It will be powered by radioisotope thermal generators that can keep it going as long as two years. Already, the robot has contributed to a science, but scientific cooperation. Kermur-djian complained to an American visitor that rain in Siberia, which of coursewouldbenoproblemondry Mars, was

breakthrough-not in

slowing the testing of this robot. Consequently,

Califomia-based group, The Plan-

Kermurdjian was originally a designer of tanks for Vnittransmash, the Mobile Vehicle

etary

in what was then Leningrad, whenheadvancedtheradicalidea that vehicles could roam the surface of the moon and send back valuable data from beyond the reach ofa landing craft's monitors. "He was a young fi rebrand," recalls Roald Sagdeev, the former head ofthe Soviet space science program and now a University of Maryland physicist. The first ever rover was

bringtheroverand

Engineering Institute

the

the research team to Death Valley.

There, at Mars

Hill-named for its eerie resemblance to photographs taken by Viking lander crafrs in 1975Kerm urdj i an's latest rover was put through its paces, performing the

Lunokhod-literally, the Moonmobile.

Lunokhod I joumeyed to the moon aboard the Luna l7 lander, which touched down on November I 7, 1970. The moon buggy rolled offthe lander, sending TV pictures ofits surroundings while its instruments detected cosmic rays, determined the chemical composition of lunar rocks and bounced laser beams back to Earth so that scientists could calculate the exact distance between the two planets. The Lunokhod traveled more than 34,0fi) feet on the moon, sometimes moving in and out ofcraters. Lunokhod II went to the moon on Luna2 I . arriving January I 5, 1973. Itcovered23 miles inside a crater known as Le Monnier. There

were drawbacks. The moonmobiles were heavy, weighing nearly a ton, and they were

Society,

raised $ 150,000 to

admirably.

In the trailer where the commands

landing craft. They could range for 45 yards and weighed less than 10 pounds. They contained instruments for testing how much pressure the soil could take and the chemical makeup of the surface. But the landers failed to send back any data.

The next test came on Earth, at the Chemobyl nuclear reactor after the 1986 accident. Kermurdjian built two Lunokhods to

AIM, NOVEMBER I992

werebeing

issued, a researcher decided to add a dose of computer-generated "reality" to the blackand-white images Marsokhod was sending

from the nearby hill. He added Mars-authentic color. Andforjustamoment,therobotwas moving over red Martian soil under the pink Martian sky. Judy Pasternak is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles.

LIFEON THE

Baku Refugees Renald and Alek Tlrmasov Paint from Sea to Sea ByJANET SAIIIUELIAN AIIPHOTOS

AY ABMEN PETFOSIAN

enald Tumasov was a successful artistinAzerbaijan, where hi s family had thrived for almost 60 years, before the Karabakh conflict cut him off from his roots, like hundreds of thousands of refugees.

After five years at Baku Technical Arts College and six at Moscow's Art Academy,he retumed in l966to Baku. Family and city life were the focus of his early works.

Life on the Outskirts of Baku shows men relaxing outdoors under huge shade trees, drinking coffee at square tables,listening to a musician play kemancha, a samovar, filled with aromatic tea, nearby. Forms are rounded, calm and peacetuI. those days, says Tumasov, 450,000 Armenians lived in the flat metropolis next to the Caspian Sea. "We had professionals in every field, including the

ministries." His wife Alla

taught university-level AIM, NOVEMBER I992

OUTSKIRTS son Alek, and a tenderlyevoked mother seated beside her sleeping child as they await a missing World War II seaman-her hus-

band-pictured with her at top center. The 1985 oil contrasts past, present and future of that family.

The 1980s

brought

Renald Tumasov recognition at home and abroad. He was exhibited in Sweden and Norway. Collec-

tors took his paintings to

Algiers, Egypt,

Israel,

Belgium and Japan. With non-existent English but broad hand gestures, he enthusiastically recalls

August 1987 when

he spent l7 impassioneddays

questions about harassment-"lt was a very difficult service with the Russians." He brightens up when remembering life in Yerevan, where the familytook refuge. He spent several happy years at the Arts And Theatre Institute. While his father had once visited Armenia in 1978, Alek had not. The younger Tumasov immersed himself in the cultural life of the capital and discovered the architecture and music of ancient Armenia.

"Baku was not beautiful like Armenia. When I painted Lake Sevan, I mixed its sand into my oils," he recalls. In l990he painted an allegorical Beauty and t he B e ast."The beast represents pain and evil. Although he suffers, he still tries holding on to beauty."

Azerbaijan, the highest arts award of the republic. But then came the 1988 events in Armenia and Karabakh.

A detached leg of the beast sprouts a nebulous female while his oozing eyes and tail lie under a buming cactus. The ideal of unreachablebeauty hovers above the beast in the pale form of Botticelli's Venns. Since then he has added frontal abstract female figures to his Bosch-like realism. With some humorAlekrenders the two lives in each man in a split canvas of half-clown

"After that, it died. Half the people changed to-

alongside.

in Italy. At home he was about to receive the nomination

People's Artist of

wards us then," he said.

Some young Azeris broke in and vandalized his art studio, destroying some works and stealing others. It was only through the intervention of Azerbaijani friends that 15 paintings were retumed. "The worst towards us were the Communists and those Azeris who left Armenia-

Alek (left) and Renald Tumasov in their San Francisco studio Russian to European residents, daughter Stella graduated from Ukraine's Textile [nstitute, and his son Alek, a budding artist, was the tennis champion of Azerbaijan in 1985. Among the many visiting intelligentsia who became family friends was filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov at workon "Ashoug Kerib." Today, his face is captured on an unfinished canvas Renald is painting in remembrance. Renald is one of eight Armenian painters whose works are installed in the Baku Art Museum-his parents' wedding portrait and a 1972 industrial landscape of Sumgait included. Of six paintings in Moscow's Cultural Museum, two stand out: a self-porrait of the strong young father with I 0-year-old

He studied for a year at the Technical Art

College in Baku before he was required to complete army service. He nods obliquely to

full ofhatred," he said. When they were forced to flee Baku, leaving all their property behind, it was a close Azeri friend who drove them to the they were

airport for asylum in Armenia. While the elder Tumasov proudly takes credit for his son's development in art and sports, making him play tennis at age nine, nevertheless it's clear that Alek is something of a prodigy. Often in his father's studio, he drew fanciful sketches. At six, he says in careful English, his horses had theirheads on wrong.

AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

mask and a rendition

of intemal turmoil

When Intemational Rescue Committee transplanted them all from Moscow to San Francisco in August 1991, an emigr6 Russian music and art lover, sympathetic to the family's refugee situation, took their paintings to galleries. At first Mary Pofi of Cobra Fine Arts responded with the usual "send in slides and resum6." But ultimately she and Belgian partner William Goegebeur were convinced of the Tumasovs' talent. Twenty

of their paintings now fill the big, bright Sutter Street gallery. The father and son artists have divergent reactions to their new life. Delighted at "being in such a civilized city," Renald paints entwined pomegranate branches with leaves and birds above a round blue fishbowl. Alek, deep in figurative abstraction, calls himself a laughing pessimist in a "place more beautiful than its people, so money-conscious they have forgotten love. It's not the fault ofyoung people they're not happy, but it makes me melancholy." His accomplished, luminous paintings belie his

words. I

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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) 1A. Title of publication: Armenian lnternationat Magazine (AIM). lB. Publication No. 10503471. 2. Date of fi ling: September 30, I 992. 3. Frequency of issue: Moothly. 3A. No.ofissuespublishedannually: l2issues. 38. Amua.lsubscriptionprice: $45 US & Canada, $50 Australia& Middle East, $55Eruope&Other, $30Amenia. 4. Complete mailing address ofknownofficeof publication: 109E. Haruard, #305, Glendale,CA 91205. 5. Complete mailing address of headquarters of general businessofficesofthepublisher: l09E.Htrvdd#305,Clendale,CA 91205. 6. Full nmes and complete mailing address of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor. Publisher: Armenian Intemational Magazine, lnc.109 E. Hryud, #305 Glendale, CA 91205. Editor: Vartan Oskanio 109 E. Hwed. #305 Clendale. CA 91205. Mmaging Editor: Ishkhil Jinbashian 109E. Hflard, #305 Glendale,CA 91205. 7. Owner: Ameniil Intemational Magazine, lnc. Michael Nahabet, Vatche Oknaian, Vman Oskanian, Thomas Yeterim, zreh Bastajian,Vartan Karaoghlanian, Zareh Sarkissian, Zarouhi Madikian, Krikor Krikorian, Vahe Fattal, Sona Hamalian, Shahe Keheyan, NorairOskanim, Khachig Babaym andNoubtr Khaabiil l09E.Hmvard,#305 Glendale,CA91205. 8. KnownBondholdes, Mortgages, and Other Security Holdes Owning or Holding I Percent or More ofTotal Amount ofBonds, Mortgages orOtherSecurities: None. 9. For Completion by Nonprofit Orgmizations AuthorizedToMailatSpecialRates: notapplicable. 10. Extentodnature of circulation. A. Totalnumberofcopies. Averagenumberof copies each issue during preceding l2 months 10,000. Actual numbâ&#x201A;Źr oI copiesof singleissuepublishednearesttofilingdate 13,500. B. Paid and/or requested circulation: 1. Sales through dealers md cuiers, street vendors, md countersales. Average numberofcopies each issue during prcceding 1 2 months: none. Actual number ofcopies ofsingle issue published nerestto filing date: none. 2. Mail subscription (paid and/orrequested),

resurgent nationalist fervor and mass psychological manipulation. Himself a physicist and historian, Cassidy documents Heisenberg's development of the "uncertainty principle" within a larger context of the Nobel Prize winner's personal, political and scientific background. The writing of the biography had an added significance for Cassidy, who is part Armenian. Greatly affected by the history of the Genocide, which almost completely annihilated his mother's family, the Shamalians, Cassidy sought to shed light on Heisenberg's decision to stay in Nazi Germany and in effect become an instrument of the Third Reich. "What strikes me is the capacity for self-serving rationalism or self-delusion," says Cassidy,referring to Heisenberg's belief that by gaining favors working forthe regime he was really gaining favors for German science. Heisenberg's motivation, Cassidy believes, is of a universal nature-falling into the grip of extreme nationalism when it serves one's own interests. "You see that with the Nazis and the Turks and, today, the Serbians: how they look at other peoples as less than human-which makes it easier to do away with them." Upon eaming a master's degree in physics from Rutgers University, Cassidy cast aside his lab work to research Heisenberg. He traveled to Germany, and was the only historian granted full access to Heisenberg's papers, private letters and photographs. Cassidy put the biography together , while serving as associate edi tor of the C oll e c t e d P ap e r s of Albert Einstein. Now teaching science for non-science majors at Hofstra University, Cassidy affirms that "the nature of science as a whole and its inherent problems are more interesting to me than physics itself." Always in-. ',;',.; trigued by his Armenian heritage, Cassidy plans to leam enough Armenian to plunge into Armenian scientific texts of the Middle Ages. ,:,

erineChiljan

A Healer For AII Seasons Spiritual healing, like homeopathy and acupuncture, is an ancient art form that is gaining new respectability in light of changing attitudes toward holistic medicine. Spiritual healer Peter Ulikhanov, an Armenian emigr6 now living in Glendale, Califomia, believes he is an open channel for divine energy. Without actually touching his patients' bodies, Ulikhanov monitors their blood pressure and temperature, then scans the body from head to toe with his hands. He claims he can see inside the body, like an x-ray machine. "I see not with the eyes but with the mind," he says. He then notes where the problem is and makes his "diagnosis," which is based upon a thorough knowledge of physiology. Often he will refer his clients to medical doctors, instructing them on what the physician should specifically look for. "A healer can't

help all the time,"

that's about where he draws the line, claiming he can heal everything from stuttering tocancer, as well as helping to quit smoking, manage stress and improve athletic prowess. "The

Average number of copies each issue during pre-

ceding I 2 months 7000. Actual number of copies of single issue published nerest to filing date 8209. C. Totat paid and/or requested circulation. Avemge number of copies each issue during preceding I 2 months 7000. Acutal number of copies of single issue published nedest to filing date 8209. D. Free distribution by mail, caftier or other means, samples,complimentary, and other free copies, Average number of copies each issue during preceding I 2 months 2500. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 3500. E. Totaldistdbution. Average numberof copieseach issue during preceding l2 months 9500. Actual number ofcopies ofsingle issue published neuest to fiiing date I 1709. F. Copies not disributed: l Office use, left over, unaccounted, spoiled after printing. Average numberofcopies each issue during preceding I 2 months 500. Actual number ofcopies of single issue published neuest to filing date l'191. 2. Retums from news agents. Average number ofcopies schissueduringpreceding l2months: none. Actual numberof copies ofsingle issue published nerest to filing date: none. G. Total. AveBge numbâ&#x201A;Źrofcopies each issue during preceding I 2 months 10,000. Actual number ofcopies of single issue published nearest to filing date 13500. I l. I certify that the statements made by me above ue corectmd complete.

Michael Nahabet- President

says

Ulikhanov. an ordained minister. "I can stop bleeding, but some things are only surgically successful; I also believe in emergency medicine." But

secret

is that energy flows

through meridians in the nervous system, ductless glands and the bloodstream-through 720.000 channels." he explains. According to Ulikhanov, these channels can become blocked by such things as resentment, anger andjealousy, as well as genetic predispositions, which then cause physical matter to deteriorate. A clinical hypnotist trained at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Tarzana, Califomiathe world's largest-Ulikhanov works seven days a week, and though he never advertises, his

clientele has grown steadily. AIM. NOVEMBER 1992

Eighryear-old Leo Balalian was brought to Ulikhanov a year ago; the child suffered from epilepsy and was under surveillance at the Children's Hospital in Hollywood. Since then, he has had only one seizure, which his mother Lida says was very mild and due to drug intoxication. Before it happened, Peter had suggested she ask the doctor to decrease the medication, which she didn't dare do until the doctor directed her himself. "If I had listened to Peter's advice, the child wouldn't have had even that one." A Glendale resident, Lida herself was cured of a malignant breast tumor. After her doctor told her the news, she went straight to Ulikhanov, who after scanning her, pinpointed the exact location of the tumor. "I was stunned," said Lida, and let him perform a healing. Four days later she went to another doctor. "He asked me why I was sent to him. I told him some formations had been detected in my left breast. He was surprised and said my doctor had probably been mistaken, because there was nothing wrong with my breast." Bom in Kirovabad, Azerbaijan, Ulikhanov studied sculpture as a child with the renowned Yervant Kochar. At the tender age of seven, he started seeing into the future, which was not considered unusual, since psychic ability was in the family. His father, Michael Ulikhanov, was a famous stage hypnotist who performed throughout the Soviet Union. By age 12, Peter's curiosity about the supematural started him on a quest for esoteric knowledge, a search he maintained while completing his engineering studies at the Polytechnic Institute in Armenia. He read voraciously, often laying his hands on banned works, and studied yoga. He also traveled back and forth to Russia to discuss the nature and possibilities of energy with nuclear physicists. After studying with five different masters, Ulikhanov believes that his healing ability ultimately derives from his Christian faith. However, fully aware of the skepticism his story could elicit, Ulikhanov will tell you that "I am a very scientific man. This is all practical experience, this is no hallucination; as a hypnotist, I know the difference." Last May, Ulikhanov, who claims he can cure patients via the telephone, conducted a healing session on cable television. According to the show's producer, Elvira Bohle, "Many people watching experienced healing of back pain. Others were able to easily move hands and fingers after years ofpain and stiffness, and several people reported relieffrom head and neck pain." Bohle herself was cured of migraine headaches. Russ Phelps, another patient, has had over 60 sessions with Ulikhanov. The therapy not onlyhelpedhim lose 30pounds, butgavehimmoreenergy andimproved his intuitive abilities. "I think Peter is a forerunner of what is possible in altemative methods of health care," Phelps says. "As in any field, there are pioneers, controversial figures like him, who pave the way for

'Xb.e

better understanding.

"Icanrememberclearly when I was alittle boy of two,Icould look at the trees and animals and love them," Ulikhanov says. "That is divine love. You can only heal through divine love."

-KC

King Tlickster

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Turks; his father fled to Yerevan holding the newbom Harutiun. As a boy, he sold jugs of cold water in the streets, and worked as a bricklayer. One day in Moscow, Hakobian saw a conjurer weaving his magic, which marked the start of a long and lucky career.

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If you ask a dozen citizens from the former Soviet Union to name a famous writer, sportsmanorpolitician, you will probably getadozen differentanswers. But if you ask them to name a juggler, there will probably be only one answer-Harutiun Hakobian. Beforehis downfall, formerSovietpresidentMikhail Gorbachev's political adroitness and dexteritywere comparedtotheartofHakobianinaseriousanalyticalreviewintheinfluential Novy Mir (New World) magazine. Winner of seven intemational awards, Hakobian was proclaimed "King of Intemational Magic" in Czechoslavakia in 1989. Bom in Igdir, Turkey, in 1918, he was only six months old when his mother was murdered by the Ottoman

'IVOL4

He fondly remembers performing tricks for Armenian orphans of the 1988 earthquake in Moscow hospitals. He did his best to make them laugh, but the children could not even smile. Hakobian never uses any special props for his tricks, only sleight-of-hand. "The secret of my art is simple," he says. "I practice my hands every day for two or three hours. And I have been doing that for more than 50 years."

-Tigran AIM, NOVEMBER 1992

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