Photo: Dn. Ezras Tellalian
Shushi is being dismantled. Perhaps worst of all, there are hundreds of Armenian soldiers and civilians being held, tortured, and killed as “captives” by Azerbaijan, rather than returning these people as POWs. How? By the same argument that this is an internal conflict based on the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani government is rightfully detaining and punishing these people. Once again, the definition of borders affects the lives of individuals in active, tangible ways.
This is certainly not the only conflict of its kind happening today, nor are competing territorial claims a new phenomenon, but is it possible to improve what appears to be an inherent part of the human condition? The answer, I would suggest, is directly related to the construct of a border. In some ways borders unite people, but the definition of an ingroup necessarily also defines an out-group, allowing for social psychological processes like stereotyping and its ugly corollary, dehumanization. But borders are, as we have seen, fuzzier than we might want or expect them to be. As with many jacob's well
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social constructs, our tendency to impose binary psychological distinctions, rather than appreciate the complexity of human experiences and subjectivity, gets us into trouble. And if border, a construct that ought to provide clarity, is itself so unclear, what are we to make of more abstract concepts as sovereignty and self-determination of nations? Let’s take a big step back. It is natural for us to desire clarity—a better understanding of our environment may make it seem less threatening—but I submit that if we seek clarity about relationships between groups of humans, trying to find it in the physical demarcation of commodified land will not prove fruitful. If competing claims are being made on land based on past occupancy, usage, and importance (and there is little reason to believe these claims will cease anytime soon), borders will remain unstable. The concept of land borders, therefore, is inherently problematic. How about another big step back, this time all the way to the foot of the Cross? Yes, that is a huge step back, but from this perspective, where was the division between Jesus Christ and humanity? His arms were opened wide to embrace the world as He prayed for His persecutors to be forgiven. Notice the
