In the story of “Horton Hears a Who!”, Horton, an elephant, tries to convince the other animals that there is a community of people, the Whos, living on a speck of dust. He is met with curiosity, then disbelief and ultimately rage from the animals, who scorn his pleas. It is not until the Whos gather their resources and scream as loudly as they can, “We are here! We are here! We are here!” that the animals finally recognize the countless people living on the speck.
In many ways, the people of Armenia and in the Armenian diaspora today are a lot like the Whos, except they have very few Hortons in the world to advocate for their lives. With every passing day, Armenians’ screams go unheard as they die in an underreported war of aggression.
With the backing of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijan has launched a full-blown attack on the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), a sovereign Armenian-governed and ethnically Armenian republic. Not only has there been minimal coverage of the attacks by Western media, but any attempts to cover this violence have been exceedingly meager and grossly incompetent. For instance, this article from Reuters fails to mention that Armenians are indigenous to Artsakh and also fails to attempt to confirm any of the claims it makes.
Artsakh is a historically and ethnically Armenian republic living today within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders. Artsakh’s population is 99% Armenian, it has its own constitution, it uses Armenian currency and it is independent of Azerbaijan with its own Armenian president. Despite their similar ethnic compositions, Artsakh is not part of the Republic of Armenia due to Stalin’s arbitrary boundary designation in 1921 as a part of the Soviet divide-and-conquer strategy.
In 1988, in an attempt to squander efforts of reunification between Armenia and Artsakh, Azerbaijan launched an attack on the Armenians living in Artsakh. This conflict lasted for six years until a ceasefire agreement in 1994. However, Azerbaijan has since breached the ceasefire numerous times. It not only shells the Armenians living in Artsakh continuously and without provocation, but it also refuses to pull back its snipers, add monitors along the line of defense to oversee the magnitude and direction of attacks or add monitoring equipment along the line of contact.
On Sept. 27, after another attack by Azerbaijan, both Artsakh and Armenia deployed their troops to protect their people and their land. Armenian volunteers from around the world boarded planes to fight alongside their brothers and sisters. People, both in Armenia and the diaspora, began fundraising, collecting military supplies and sending direct aid to the troops on the front lines. Like the Whos, they are pooling their resources in a cry for help, but this is not a Dr. Seuss story — these events are happening right now, to real people, and no one is hearing their pleas. We are here! We are here! We have been here for over 3,000 years!
It is wrong for foreign governments and media, including the United States, to ignore injustice merely for the sake of preserving a tactical political relationship with a corrupt leader. Erdogan, who has on multiple occasions expressed his hatred toward Armenians, is known for his unjust treatment of his own country’s people and of Armenians. He has Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev swimming in his pocket and wrapped around his finger all at the same time. Together, Aliyev and Erdogan have breached customary international law with their planned and deliberate attack on Artsakh, and still the Armenian calls for recognition of Artsakh as a sovereign state and public condemnation of these deliberate attacks are not heard.
I have been to Artsakh twice — once in 2012, and a second time in 2018. I have never felt more at home, welcome or happy than when I was there. Artsakh’s people are connected to their land as if it is their lifeline. They would rather fight and die than see it taken from them. It is their home — it is where they have grown up, gotten married, raised their children, sent them to war, welcomed them home from war and grieved losses. No one should ever be denied the right to live in their home.
All people deserve the right to live in peace, without the threat of war being waged against them at any moment. These are real people going to war without question in order to defend what has long belonged to them. Foreign governments must recognize Artsakh as a sovereign republic for the people of Artsakh to take a meaningful step toward justice and peace.
Tamar Gharibian is a graduate student in the School of Continuing Studies.
AW shad • Dec 4, 2020 at 11:25 pm
I sympathize and empathize with the Areminan plight over the last century. I admire them for their love of faith, language and culture. An amazing nation despite the genocide, exile and all the hardships the followed.
The issue of Nagorno-Kharabakh, however, is more complicated than the writer’s understanding of it.
The “cries of the whos” in this case is also extended to all the ethnic Azeris that were killed and forcefully exiled from the region by Armenian forces. One cannot simply extended a nations’ victimhood over every future conflict and assume its transcendicy. The article has portraited a false narrative to tickle the feelings of the ill informed.
The region has been multi-ethnic over centuries. Exiling an entire group of ethnic people to then call the region 99% Armenian is the core of the problem.
We can argue over the turcic presence in the region all day long. But two wrongs dont make a right. You cannot call this an aggression when refugees in Azerbijan are moving back to their homes.
Thank you.
Tamar • Jan 14, 2021 at 5:01 pm
I encourage you to look up Armenian history and Azeri history prior to commenting. Armenians have lived in the caucuses for centuries and millennia. If you visit the region yourself, it is plain to see the evidence of Armenian presence in the region since well before Azerbaijan was given the territory by foreign nations. Churches, cross-stones, and graveyards that have been dated back as early as the 9th century with Armenian inscriptions inside are found all over Artsakh.
Since I wrote this article, many of these holy, ancient sites have been teared down or damaged, and the corrupt government of Azerbaijan is committing cultural genocide by attempting to spread false information about the origins and history of these sites. Please conduct adequate research before accusing me of portraying a “false narrative.”
Elizabeth Antonyan • Oct 24, 2020 at 12:36 pm
Thank you Tamar for this informative account of what is happening in Artsakh today. Juxtaposing the very real crisis against a fictional yet symbolic one was very clever in getting those who don’t feel the immediate urgency of the matter to pause and contemplate the veracity of this existential threat. I too had the honor of visiting Artsakh twice in my lifetime. I was headed back this year but had to cancel the trip due to the pandemic. While there, each moment consisted of the highest highs and the lowest lows. From visiting the Ghazanchetsots Church and meeting the most friendly and welcoming people I’ve ever come across to visiting the homes of survivors of our fallen soldiers whose ages raged from 17 on up to their 60s — each moment induced awe inspiring emotions. I am so proud of you and all the Armenians speaking up and speaking loudly to inform and educate those who simply do not know. There is no crime in not knowing, but there is definitely a responsibility in educating ourselves when the opportunities arise and ultimately standing up for humanity! Thank you!
Haramyan • Oct 24, 2020 at 11:57 am
Out of context but would Armenians ever agree to give back the internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories while keeping Nagorno-Karabakh where the referendum was held in 1991? To me this seems like the most logical solution where both sides benefit.
Haramyan • Oct 23, 2020 at 5:26 pm
Artsakh is literally part of Armenia, it is not an autonomous nor a self-determined republic. It is literally a modern-day conquered territory of Armenia. The only reason why Artsakh claims to be an autonomous republic is to adhere to the principle of self-determination. However, no legitimate country recognizes Arstakh as an independent republic or as part of Armenia, even Armenia does not recognize Artsakh’s independence from Azerbaijan.
Yes, in 1991, Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh did hold a referendum and decided to break from Azerbaijan but what about the surrounding territories, populated mostly by ethnic Azerbaijanis which the Armenian military took over shortly after and included in the claimed borders of Artsakh?
What you have written reminds me of the Crimean situation. The West has continuously blamed Russia for enforcing a referendum in Crimea and refused to recognize it as an autonomous region or part of Russia, while Russian news outlets kept referring Crimea’s historic relation with Russia, the legitimacy of their referendum and right of self-determination in an attempt to justify and legitimize Crimea’s breakaway from Ukraine.
Why should the world now or ever recognize Artsakh’s legitimacy when it is clear that the 1991 referendum was enforced and facilitated by Armenian forces and other regions that were ethnically populated by Azerbaijanis beyond Nagorno-Karabakh were taken over by Armenian forces.
You claim that Artsakh is historically Armenian but it has been ruled and populated by Turkic, Persian, Turco-Persian and Turco-Mongol peoples as well. The Safavid empire, the Timurids, and most recently the Karabakh Khanate which was a Turkic Muslim khanate ruled over the region before the Russian empire’s conquest. Right before Russia’s conquest, the whole region of Karabakh including Nagorno-Karabakh was mostly populated by Azerbaijanis. Yes, Armenians are ethnic to this region and so are Azerbaijanis but it does not mean that Armenians can claim more territories than their original borders since the break up of the Soviet Union. For centuries, this whole region has been ruled by large Persian and Turkic powers, it was under Soviet rule and many Armenians and Azerbaijanis constantly migrated from and to the region of Karabakh. Therefore, claiming that Artsakh belongs to Armenians because it has been historically populated by ethnic Armenians is improper.
One fact that is clear is that Armenia has recently attacked numerous Azerbaijani cities far from the conflict zone and caused deliberate civilian casualties. This act alone is enough to condemn Armenian forces of war crimes as targeting civilians and civilian territories far from the conflict zone is a violation of international humanitarian law. Have Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian cities off the conflict zone? No they have not. So who are the aggressors?
Arsen • Oct 23, 2020 at 6:54 pm
One only needs to take a look at the behavior of the leadership, to draw reasonable conclusions on the validity of claims being made. Let’s examine the level transparency exhibited by each side. Turkey and Azerbaijan do not allow monitors or journalists near their front line. Armenia has had numerous journalists from all over the world documenting war crimes. I keep seeing diversion tactics being used by Turkish and Azerbaijani sources about Armenian targeting of civilians and using Syrian terrorists and mercenaries. Enough with this crap. Azerbaijan started this aggression on September 27 by attacking Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh. This is not a military zone. Let’s also have an outside agency examine the use of internationally banned cluster munitions. Anybody can say anything they want. But this is not a stupid game. When there’s no validity to your claims, you should not be allowed to continue with your savage ways. And savage ways are not new to this race. The history of conquering through rape, murder, and the slaughter of innocent people dates much further back than the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It goes back to the days of Ganges Khan.
David Boyajian • Oct 23, 2020 at 3:47 pm
This is a great article by Ms. Gharibian that supports Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabagh) right to self-determination and independence.
France is now considering officially recognizing Artsakh, as are several other countries. Some legal subdivisions of Australia have already done so, as have some U.S. states.
Example:
“Legislative Assembly of New South Wales in Australia Recognises the Republic of Artsakh, Condemns Azerbaijan and Turkey.”
There are many articles and even statements from members of Congress as to why official U.S. recognition of Artsakh should happen.
That the U.S. has done nothing about Azerbaijan and Turkey’s deployment of thousands of foreign terrorists (yes, including ISIS) to fight Armenians while at the same time declaring that America has a “Global War on Terror” is simply breathtaking.
Turkey has even sent America-built F-16 jets to Azerbaijan. This violates U.S. law.
If I may, my article of a week ago on why Artsakh should be recognized is my contribution and goes into somewhat more detail.
“The Case for Affirming the Independence of the Armenian Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh:
https://countercurrents.org/2020/10/the-case-for-affirming-the-independence-of-the-armenian-republic-of-artsakh-nagorno-karabagh/
jirair jerry tutunjian • Oct 23, 2020 at 7:18 am
A good and truthful article which Trump and Pompeo and every American politician should read to understand what’s going on and make the right decision by supporting 3 million Armenia against 93 million Azerbaijan/Turkey/Mercenary terrorists from Syria.