I was browsing through the internet on this Saturday morning, indulging my A.D.H.D. with random link hopping, when I ran across news of the recent presidential election in Armenia. The winning candidate, Serzh Sargsyan, belongs to the Republican Party of Armenia. The image leading this post is their party symbol.
Does anyone else find that symbol disturbingly fascist? I read the rhetoric on their party web page … and became even more disturbed. I’m glad Armenia is not a military power player, but I fear this election does not bode well for the stability of Central Asia the Caucasus region or minority groups residing in Armenia.
8 responses so far ↓
1
Paul
// Feb 23, 2008 at 12:12 pm
There are no minority groups in Armenia, lol. It’s a small area with no more than a couple thousand Kurds who keep to themselves to make up any sort of real minority. Beyond them, a handful of Russians, Greeks, and a hundred or two Jews live there but that’s really it. There used to be a large Azeri population but they were forced out when a war between the two started in 1988 after Armenians were ethnically cleansed from Azerbaijan. So with that only real minorty displaced by war there really is no minority ethnicity in Armenia. Armenia is not necessarily anti-Muslim or fascist, they get along well with Muslim Persians who often visit there. In fact Armenians probably get along better with Muslim Persians than they do Christian Georgians to the north. Armenia is a small area boxed in by atrocities dating back to before the 1915 genocide by the Ottoman Turks and essentially those that weren’t scattered throughout a diaspora congregated in that one tiny area of land, much of it having been torn away by Turkey. So the mentality that prevails there is one of survival at all costs after so many attempts at destroying them, and with blockades by two of it’s four neighbors it really is fighting for their lives. I would give the party platform a break there, what you read there is more about survival than fascism and would come across much differently to someone living there.
Also the Republican Party was the same party in power for the past 10 years so no destabalization of the region from it, at least not any more than it has been for the past decade. The fact the election is disputed for obvious fraud will cause more disruption than any perceived fascist nature of the winners.
2
Knight in Dragonland
// Feb 23, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I understand the political exigencies that might spur Armenians to such rhetoric, but that doesn’t make the party platform or the party symbol any less disturbing to me.
It’s the picked on little guy who brings the guns to school.
3
Webstan
// Feb 23, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I’d like to highlight that Armenia is a part of Eastern Europe, specifically Caucasus, and it has never been counted as a part of Central Asian region.
Thank you.
4
Knight in Dragonland
// Feb 23, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Webstan … point taken that Armenia is specifically in the Caucasus region and not one of the “stans” of Central Asia, but I would disagree that this region is “Eastern Europe.” The majority of Turkey east of the Bosporus is considered to be part of Asia, and Armenia lies yet further East. The Caucasus Mountains are also considered a dividing line between Europe and Asia, and Armenia lies south of that border.
Nonetheless, it’s all semantics. Europe and Asia shouldn’t even be considered separate continents at all, IMO. It’s one landmass without any clear geographic divisions.
5
l
// Feb 24, 2008 at 6:59 pm
No, I don’t find this nearly as disturbing as politicians that keep using the word “Homeland” it sounds fascist. Just my two cents.
6
Knight in Dragonland
// Feb 24, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Read the rhetoric on the the Republican Party of Armenia website, “I” … it describes the Armenian plateau as “the godsent Fatherland of the Armenians.”
“Godsent Fatherland” sounds a heck of a lot more fascist than “Homeland” … but I see your point.
7
slbill
// Mar 4, 2008 at 4:37 pm
As far as the logo goes – it doesn’t look much different from some the insignias I’ve seen the skatepunks wear.
8
Knight in Dragonland
// Mar 6, 2008 at 8:16 am
Would you want those skate-punk Neo-Nazi wannabes running the country? This is the symbol of the ruling political party in Armenia.
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