Had to do a round of introductions today on issues in Democracy for an international group of people representing various countries with similar or worse democratic problems than those of ARmenia. As we had 12 presenters, the speaches had to be done in 5 minutes max, and had to include our vision of Democracy in the UK and Democracy Problems in our countries. Really really tight - isn’t it? I had to choose carefully what to say and how to convey a more or less general picture. As we didn’t really have time to prepare the little impromptu speech I made was rather one sided, still, I guess I ought to publish it here - for public shame and comments… more…

Today as I read the newspaper, Serzh Sarkisyan’s comments struck me as unbelievably short sighted and almost comical. I was reading a week old paper and in it Serzh said that he does not see Russia’s acquiring of Armenia’s utilities as dangerous. He continued to say that he does not see Russia using its economic interests, implying that Russia is not using its economic power to control Armenia. What? Serzh, are you living in the same country as I am?

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The interview of Mr. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the scandalously infamous leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia, aired on October 8th, during the evening newscast of the Armenian Shant TV, was designed to scare. And it was definitely designed in Kremlin, like we have seen in so many cases in the past. The problem is - it didn’t scare, but rather aroused mixed feelings of disgust, and a vague understanding of - “So that’s what role Russia has prepared for all of us, the ‘little brother nations’! (He mentioned Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic States among the lucky ones to go worship the Big Brother)
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Microsoft has opened its office in Armenia, with the well-known IT specialist Grigory Barsegyan appointed as director. The office will be officially presented, after a number of organizational and technical preparations. CIS HUB Director John White and CIS Business Development Manager Yuri Omelchenko paid a short visit to Armenia recently. Mr. White, who is responsible for big corporate projects, donor organizations and education, has kindly agreed to give an interview to ARMINFO.

Would you tell me please what are the functions of Microsoft CIS HUB?

The key function of Microsoft CIS HUB is to support Microsoft’s business development in the CIS, that is, in the countries where there is no developed Microsoft business. In the CIS, besides Russia, we have big offices in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, which are some kind of autonomies, while in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Belarus we are actively working to develop our business. Grigory Barsegyan is our new man, whom we have appointed to direct the Microsoft Armenia Office, and we are here to help him to start up. Now he has to solve some small administrative tasks to lay a basis for our future business in Armenia. We hope that in the coming months this all will be solved and we will organize a special event to publicly announce the opening of the office.

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As the international awareness of XX century atrocities grow, more and more instances of genocide are being discussed and being raised. One such issue is the Holodomor, the policy of famine carried out by the Soviet authorities in then-Soviet Ukraine in 1930’s.

As a matter of fact, this instance of genocide is also recognized by many foreign governments, including the United States. President Yuschenko this week called for a wider recognition. The anniversary is marked on November 26.

Just like the Turkish government is fighting the Armenian genocide recognition campaign, the Holodomor as a subject is not welcomed by the Russian political elite which has increasingly embraced all aspects of the Soviet historical propaganda.

BBC notes:

Roman Serbyn, professor of history and a Ukrainian expert at the University of Quebec in Montreal, says: “Ukraine did not make a technically clear case.” He believes the “genocide” designation has proved elusive because the famine is often considered to have been aimed at a social group (peasants) rather than a national or ethnic group. However, a strong case can be put showing that by closing the borders so Ukrainians could not escape to Russia, Stalin was targeting Ukrainian nationals, he says.

Russia opposes designation as genocide, he says, and “the biggest reason is national pride. But also the political and economic consequences… if you recognise a crime you might have to pay compensation”.

In 2003 Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin, was quoted by Interfax news agency dismissing talk of an apology or compensation, saying: “We’re not going to apologise… there is nobody to apologise to.”

I think the Tsitsernakaberd Museum must include an exhibit on the Holodomor, as well as other atrocities of the Stalin regime that targeted specific nationalities.

Commoner Sense has the new Carnival of Revolutions.

Am I A Pundit Now? has a Carnival of Revolutions up!

Via Siberian Light, David at A Step Out of Time has excerpted a recent Stratfor piece looking at shifts in US policy towards Russia and linking them to Condoleezza Rice’s appointment of Secretary of State.

The State Department is now “staffed by a team that helped knock the Soviet Union off its superpower perch. Russia can look forward to four years of a State Department with the resources and the will to ratchet back Moscow’s influence throughout the Baltics, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia and even its western Slavic flank. The confrontation over Ukraine was just the beginning.”

Anyone have any inside scoop with the folks focusing on the Caucasus?

WELCOME TO THE CARNIVAL OF REVOLUTIONS, the blogosphere’s weekly roundup of news related to the global struggle for democracy and freedom.

First, some advice to our revolutionaries out there: Revolution is not a onetime event. - Audre Lorde

And second, some advice to those who oppose: Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. - John F. Kennedy, 1962

And finally, seeing as this is a carnival, Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage. - H. L. Mencken

On with the show!

The three most important sources for the world of revolutions must be, IMHO: Gateway Pundit, Publius Pundit, and Global Voices Online. Thanks to all three for constant inspiration.

A few general links:

As a start, the Foreign Policy Institute released its Failed States Index this week.

What are the clearest early warning signs of a failing state? Among the 12 indicators we use, two consistently rank near the top. Uneven development is high in almost all the states in the index, suggesting that inequality within states—and not merely poverty—increases instability. Criminalization or delegitimization of the state, which occurs when state institutions are regarded as corrupt, illegal, or ineffective, also figured prominently. Facing this condition, people often shift their allegiances to other leaders—opposition parties, warlords, ethnic nationalists, clergy, or rebel forces. Demographic factors, especially population pressures stemming from refugees, internally displaced populations, and environmental degradation, are also found in most at-risk countries, as are consistent human rights violations. Identifying the signs of state failure is easier than crafting solutions, but pinpointing where state collapse is likely is a necessary first step.

And IEFS has a useful Election Watch reference page.

Some elections to keep your eyes on in the next month:
Burundi Presidential Aug 19, 2005
Singapore Presidential Aug 2005
Egypt Presidential (First Round) Sept 7, 2005
Egypt Presidential (Second Round) Sept 17, 2005
Afghanistan Parliamentary Sept 18, 2005
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Russian President Putin today hinted at a possibility of a third term for himself when his current term ends in 2008. This is the first (or one of the first) public statement from him on this subject that does not contain a categorical denial of the possibility.

The venue, incidentally, was his meeting with the President of neighboring Finland.

According to the Moscow Times,

Asked whether he would like to continue as president after his second term ends in 2008, Putin said, “Maybe I would have liked to, but the Constitution does not allow it.

“I’m of the opinion that the most important issue in Russia now is stability, and the only way to achieve this is by respecting the Constitution.”

There has been persistent speculation that Putin or his supporters in parliament might seek to amend the Constitution to allow a third term, although Putin himself has denied intentions of seeking a change to the Constitution.

Of course Putin lately has become a role model for many CIS leaders, so this may spark a school of thought in certain other CIS republics. Although Russia can get away with it, unlike, say, Armenia.

This week’s Carnival of Revolutions is up! Next week, we’ll be hosting, so please share your democracy-related news with us here.