unit 13: country area studies--armenia -

Unit 13: Country Area Studies--Armenia

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ObjectivesAt the end of this section, you will

Be aware of the following

• Restrictions placed on adherents of faithsother than the Armenian Apostolic Church

• Emigration or expulsion of Azerbaijans fromArmenia during the late Soviet period

• Prevalence of the Russian language in SovietArmenia

• Highly conservative, patriarchal nature ofArmenia

• U.S. policy of a secure Armenia to ensure astable Caucasus/Caspian oil region

Identify

• Nagorno-Karabakh• PfP, JCTP, SPP, IMET• Vartanants, April 24, Lustration

Realize

• Classical Armenian language (Grabar) is usedonly as a liturgical language in the ArmenianApostolic Church

• Nature of women’s issues in Armenia• Foreign policy objective of peace in the

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

• Distance of personal space is greater forArmenians than many Americans

• Literalness with which Armenians interpretcommunication from many Americans


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Armenia(ahr-MEE-nee-ah)

Republic of Armenia (Also called Hayasdan [hi-ah-STAHN] after “land of the Hays”)

Population 3,421,775 % under 15 years 26.4%Commo TV NA Radio NA Phone NA Newspaper 23:1000Health Life Expectancy 63 male, 71 female Hospitals 1:125 Doctors 1:228 IMR 41:1000Income $2,800Literacy Rate 99%


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I. Religious Groups

1. Identity

a. Armenian Apostolic Church (94%)

b. Others Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic,Protestant denominations, Islam

2. Freedom of Religion

a. Constitutional guarantees “TheConstitution provides for freedom ofreligion; however, the law specifies somerestrictions on the religious freedom ofadherents of faiths other than theArmenian Apostolic Church” (unlessindicated otherwise, the following quotescome from Human Rights Report, 1998).

b. Apostolic Church favoritism “The 1991 Lawon Freedom of Conscience establishes the separation ofchurch and state, but grants the Armenian ApostolicChurch special status.

The law forbids "proselytizing" (undefined in thelaw) except by the Apostolic Church, and requires allreligious denominations and organizations to registerwith the State Council on Religious Affairs.Petitioning organizations must ‘be free frommaterialism and of a purely spiritual nature,’ and mustsubscribe to a doctrine based on ‘historicallyrecognized holy scriptures.’

c. Missionaries “A presidential decree issuedin 1993 supplemented the 1991 law and strengthened theposition of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The decreeenjoins the Council on Religious Affairs to investigatethe activities of the representatives of registeredreligious organizations and to ban missionaries whoengage in activities contrary to their status. Noaction was taken against missionaries during the year.”


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d. Registration “In 1997 Parliament passedlegislation tightening registration requirements byraising the minimum number required for registrationfrom 50 to 200 adult members. It banned funding forforeign-based churches from centers outside thecountry. The legislation also mandated that religiousorganizations except the Apostolic Church need priorpermission from the State Council on Religious Affairsto engage in religious activities in public places, totravel abroad, or to invite foreign guests to thecountry. Despite these mandated restrictions, inpractice there is no restriction on travel by religiouspersonnel of any denomination.”

e. Enforcement of ban “As ofyear's end, established religious groupshad reported no adverse consequences fromthe new law. The ban on foreign fundinghas not been enforced and is consideredunenforceable by the Council on ReligiousAffairs. No registered religious groupwas denied registration under the amendedlaw. All existing denominationsreregistered except the Hare Krishnas,who reportedly dropped below even theprevious 50-member threshold and hencedid not seek to reregister...

f. Jehovah’s Witness restrictions “The Councilcontinued to deny registration to Jehovah's Witnesses,no longer on the grounds that the group does not permitmilitary service, but because illegal proselytism isallegedly integral to its activity. The President'sHuman Rights Commission declined to intervene,recommending that Jehovah's Witnesses challenge theirnon-registration through the courts, as provided bylaw. At year's end, six members of Jehovah's Witnesseswere in detention and a seventh was free on probation.They were charged with draft evasion or, if forciblydrafted, with desertion. Another 20 were reportedly inhiding from the draft.

Alternative nonmilitary service is sometimesavailable for persons willing to act as teachers inremote villages, an option not offered to


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members of Jehovah's Witnesses. No religiousliterature was seized, unlike in 1997.

According to the law, a religious organizationrefused registration cannot publish a newspaper ormagazine, rent a meeting place, have its own program ontelevision or radio, or officially sponsor the visas ofvisitors.

Jehovah's Witnesses have problems renting meetingplaces; lack of official visa sponsorship means thatJehovah's Witnesses' visitors must pay for a touristvisa.”

g. Others “Some other religious groupspreviously have been accused of proselytism, includingusing material inducements or offers of emigration toentice converts.

A relatively high percentage of membersof some of these religious groups,particularly Hare Krishnas but evangelicalChristians as well, joined the wave ofemigration from the country, for social,economic, and philosophical reasons. Despitethe previous Government's pledge to apprehendthose alleged "Yerkrapah" members, who stageda series of destructive attacks against adozen religious groups in 1995, theauthorities took no steps during the year tobring the perpetrators to justice.”

II. Ethnic/Racial Groups

“Ethnically the most homogeneous of the Sovietrepublics, Armenia had few problems with ethnicminorities during the Soviet period.

According to the last Soviet census, conducted in1989, Armenians made up 93.3 percent of Armenia'spopulation, Azerbaijanis 2.6 percent, Russians 1.6percent, and Muslim Kurds and Yezidi (Christian Kurds)together 1.7 percent. Fewer than 30,000 others,including Greeks and Ukrainians, lived in the republicin 1989. During the Soviet period, the republic'slargest non-Armenian group was the Azerbaijanis. By


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1989, however, almost all of the Azerbaijanis, who hadnumbered 161,000 in 1979, either had been expelled orhad emigrated from Armenia. The figure for the 1989census included 77,000 Azerbaijanis who had returned totheir native country but were still consideredresidents of Armenia” (Library of Congress CountryStudy, 1995).

1. Identity

a. Armenian (93%)

b. Azeri (3%)

c. Russian (2%)

d. Kurd and others (2%)

2. Equal Rights

a. Overview “In his inaugural address,President Kocharian made special mention of the rightsof the country's national minorities. The Governmentdoes not discriminate against the small, officiallyrecognized, ‘national’ communities, though theireconomic and social situation has deterioratedsubstantially since independence in 1991. Groups thatthe Government includes in this category are Russians,Jews, Kurds, Yezidis, Georgians, Greeks, and Assyrians.Following the protracted Nagorno Karabakh conflict,there is no significant Azeri minority. The severalhundred Azeris or persons of mixed Azeri heritage stillliving in the country maintain a low profile in theface of societal discrimination.”

b. Constitutional Rights “The Constitutiongrants national minorities the right to preserve theircultural traditions and language, and the 1992 law onlanguage provides linguistic minorities with the rightto publish and study in their native language. Thereare token publications in minority languages, but theGovernment has devoted minimal resources to maintainingminority language schools.


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The large network of Russian-language schools hasbeen reduced greatly in recent years. In practicevirtually all students, including members of the Yezidiand Greek communities, now attend Armenian-languageschools with very limited classes in their mothertongue.”

c. Yezidi “In the Yezidi community, ahigh percentage of pupils do not attendschool, partly for family economic reasonsand partly because of discrimination fromethnic Armenian schoolmates and teachers.

Yezidi leaders met with the new Government and thePresident's human rights commission in July to repeatlong-standing complaints that their community (whichspeaks a Kurdish dialect and practices a traditionalnon-Christian, non-Muslim religion) is subject todiscrimination by police and local authorities.

They cited numerous incidents of unfairadjudication of land, water, and grazing disputes; non-receipt of privatized agricultural land; and lack ofpolice response to even serious crimes committedagainst Yezidis. The Yezidi complaints likely reflectsocietal discrimination as well as the general problemof poorly functioning local governing bodies. TheCommission reaffirmed the Government's commitment toimproving the situation but took no specific steps.”

d. Nagorno Karabakh “After the NagornoKarabakh conflict erupted between Armenia andAzerbaijan in 1988, ethnic minorities on both sideswere subject to discrimination and intimidation, oftenaccompanied by violence intended to drive them from thecountry.


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Almost all of the ethnic Azerisliving in Armenia at the time, some185,000 persons, fled to Azerbaijan. Ofthe 400,000 ethnic Armenians then livingin Azerbaijan, 330,000 fled to and weregranted refugee status in Armenia. Themajority of the rest took refuge inRussia, with small numbers remaining inAzerbaijan.”

e. Refugee citizenship “The National Assemblypassed a law on citizenship in 1996 that provides forrefugees of Armenian ethnicity to gain citizenship,provided they are stateless and have resided in thecountry for the past 3 years. During the year, theGovernment implemented regulations for the law andbegan new efforts to encourage refugees to acceptArmenian citizenship. Although a few thousand havebecome citizens, most refugees are reluctant to do so,fearing the loss of housing, military exemptions, andother benefits accorded refugees.”

3. Language

a. Armenian “The Armenian language is aseparate Indo-European tongue sharing some phonetic andgrammatical features with other Caucasian languages,such as Georgian. The Iranian languages contributedmany loanwords related to cultural subjects; themajority of the Armenian word stock shows no connectionwith other existing languages, however, and someexperts believe it derives from extinctnon-Indo-European languages.

The distinct alphabet of thirty-eight letters,derived from the Greek alphabet, has existed since theearly fifth century A.D. Classical Armenian (grabar)is used today only in the Armenian Apostolic Church asa liturgical language.”


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b. Dialects “Modern spokenArmenian is divided into a number ofdialects, the most important of whichare the eastern dialect (used inArmenia, the rest of Transcaucasia,and Iran) and the western dialect(used extensively in Turkey and amongWestern émigrés). The two majordialects differ in some vocabulary,pronunciation, grammar, andorthography.”

c. Soviet practice “In the Soviet period,schools in Armenia taught in both Armenian and Russian;in a republic where over 95 percent of the peopleclaimed Armenian as their native language, almost allof the urban population and much of the ruralpopulation knew at least some Russian. At the end ofthe Soviet period, 91.6 percent of Armenians throughoutthe Soviet Union considered Armenian to be their nativelanguage, and 47.1 percent of Armenians were fluent inRussian.”

III. Gender Issues

1. Women

a. Constitutional safeguards “There is nospecific law banning violence against women. Few casesof rape, spousal abuse, or other violence against womenwere reported in this conservative, patriarchalsociety; however, their number is likely higher thanthe statistics indicate.


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In the first 11 months of the year, theProsecutor's Office registered 25 cases of rape. Thereare no separate statistics for other instances ofviolence against women. The law (the old Soviet code)cites specific punishments for rape, forced abortion,forbidding a woman from marrying, and discrimination inhiring due to pregnancy.”

b. Prostitution “In view of the phenomenon ofArmenian women working as prostitutes in the MiddleEast, it is likely that trafficking in women and girlsis more of a problem than the Government and women'sorganizations have recognized.”

c. Workplace “In the workplace, women receiveequal pay for equal work, but generally are notafforded the same professional opportunities given tomen and often are relegated to more menial or low-skilljobs.

d. Employment discrimination “The 1992 Law onEmployment prohibits discrimination in employment, butthe extremely high unemployment rate makes it difficultto gauge how effectively the law has been implementedto prevent discrimination. According to a women'sgroup, women make up 69 percent of those officiallyregistered as unemployed.”

e. Education “Currently there are more womenreceiving university and postgraduate education thanmen.”

2. Children

a. Governmental approach “TheGovernment does not have the economicmeans to provide fully for the welfareof children. Education is free,universal, and compulsory through age16, but facilities are poor and teachersare forced to tutor pupils privately tosurvive.


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Free children's health care is available, but ofpoor quality, with an increasing trend toward overt orconcealed payment of fees for service. Girls and boysreceive equal educational opportunities.”

b. Family togetherness “The Government focusesits efforts on children's rights and welfare withmeasures to insulate large families--those with four ormore children--from the effects of the country'scurrent difficult circumstances. The Governmentsimilarly directs foreign humanitarian aid programstoward large families. Despite social programs, theproblem of street children remains significant. Thefamily tradition is strong, and child abuse does notappear to be a serious problem.”

3. Disabilities

a. Constitutional guarantees “The Constitutionprovides for the right to social security in the eventof disability. The 1993 Law on Invalids provides forthe social, political, and individual rights of thedisabled but does not mandate the provision ofaccessibility for the disabled. In its currenteconomic circumstances, the Government has difficultyfulfilling its commitments in this area. TheGovernment's enforcement of the rights of the disabledremains rudimentary. Legal safeguards for those withpsychiatric problems are inadequate to protectpatients' rights.”

b. Discrimination “There is societaldiscrimination against the disabled.Hospitals, residential care, and otherfacilities for the seriously disabled do notmeet international norms. The HealthMinistry and the U.N. Children's Fund hosteda conference on disabilities in August thatbrought useful new attention to the subjectfrom various international organizations.”


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IV. Conflicts

International Disputes Armeniasupports ethnic Armenians in NagornoKarabakh in their separatist movementagainst the Azerbaijani government.Demands on Armenians lands in Turkey havesubsided.

V. U.S. Policy

1. Objectives

a. Overview “A democratic, independent, secureand prosperous Armenia will help ensure the stabilityof the Caucasus as a whole and help the region fulfillits potential as a gateway from the Caspian Sea andCentral Asia to the West.

Our relationship with Armenia will influence thecourse of our bilateral relationship with Russia andaffect the role that Iran is able to play in theCaucasus. U.S. leadership, as a co-chair in theOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE) Minsk Group peace process, is vital to achievinga resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. A peacesettlement would significantly boost regionalcooperation as well as Armenia’s economic development.

Other U.S. objectives include assistingdemocratization, human rights, and market reform, andpromoting U.S. exports to and investment in Armenia.Providing humanitarian assistance to the mostvulnerable segments of Armenian society will remainimportant.

We also need to encourage Armenia to develop aneffective export control system to prevent bothproliferation of weapons of mass destruction andnarcotics trafficking” (unless stated otherwise, thefollowing quotes are taken from the Secretary of StateCongressional Presentation for Foreign Operations,Fiscal Year 1999).


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b. Strategy FY 1999

(1) Democracy building “Wewill continue our extensive democracybuilding programs that seek to developindependent media and enhanceparliament’s role in Armenianpolitics...”

(2) Economics “Our economic reform programswill seek to promote sustained economic growth byencouraging development of the private sector inArmenia...”

(3) Science “The U.S. will continue toincrease scientific exchanges with Armenian scientiststhrough the Civilian Research and DevelopmentFoundation (CRDF) and will support projects thatcontribute to the transition to a market-based economy.We also plan to expand our health programs in Armeniain FY99. Key areas of focus will include reproductivehealth and surveillance of infectious diseases.”

(4) Scientists and Weapons of Mass Destruction“We will continue to encourage Armenia’s constructivesupport of nonproliferation activities and willcontinue support through the Science Centers, toprovide opportunities to redirect the expertise offormer Soviet weapons scientists in Armenia tomeaningful civilian scientific research and commercialprojects.”

(5) Regional stability “We willstrive to assist Armenia’s efforts tostrengthen regional stability. We hopeto encourage peaceful reconciliation inNagorno-Karabakh through programs aimedat addressing the humanitarian needs ofthe victims of that conflict...”


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2. Defense Armenia is engaged in the followingdefense relationships with the United States.

a. Partnership for Peace (PfP) The NATOinitiated PfP program seeks to build improved ties withformer Communist nations in Central and Eastern Europe(CEE) and the NIS. On 5 October 1994, Armenia signedthe NATO PfP initiative. To date, no PfP activitieshave taken place (Sep 1997).

b. Joint Contact TeamProgram (JCTP) This programprovides a full-time military liaisonteam (MLT) in 14 of the formerCommunist PfP countries.Armenia has not participated in thisUnited States Army Europe JCTP program.

c. State Partnership Program (SPP) ThisNational Guard Bureau initiated program pairs anemerging democracy nation with a U.S. Guard Unit.Armenia does not participate in this program.

d. International Military Education andTraining (IMET) Program Professional linkagebetween U.S. military officers and their NewIndependent States partners is the goal of thisprogram. Armenia does not participate in this programthough three Armenian officers attended the George C.Marshall European Center for Security Studies inGarmish, Germany.


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VI. Holidays/Observances“Major Armenian holidays

commemorate both religious andhistorical events. Besides Christmasand Easter, the most important holidaysare Vartanants, the day marking the fifth-century defense of Christianity againstthe Persians, and April 24, whichcommemorates the 1915 genocide of theArmenians in Turkey.

At times of celebration, Armenians enjoytraditional circle dances and distinctive Easternmusic. Their music and their cuisine are similar tothose of other Middle Eastern peoples. A typicalArmenian meal might include lamb, rice pilaf, eggplant,yogurt, and a sweet dessert such as paklava (baklava).Armenians pride themselves on their close family ties,hospitality, and reverence for their national languageand culture, an appreciation that is passed from onegeneration to the next.”

VII. Manners and Customs

1. Overview

a. Demeanor Loud and boisterous talk, whichdraws attention to oneself, will be a distracter inArmenia. Practice civility and courtesy. MostArmenians have a genuine interest and feeling ofcamaraderie with America.

b. Curiosity People from foreign lands are oftenthe objects of curiosity within Armenia. AfricanAmericans may be viewed with particular interest.Patience and tolerance will get you far.

c. Language English is widely spokenthroughout the country. Political, business andmilitary personnel also speak Russian.


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d. Driving Caution and careoften “go to the wind” in Armeniandriving practices. Drivedefensively. Use extreme care andcaution.

e. Water Use bottled water. Tap water and thatfrom streams, wells and springs may not be potable.

2. Greetings

a. Handshakes Frequent hand shakes are thecustom. Weak shakes may be taken as a sign oftimidity.

b. Personal space Withofficials and strangers, keep to yourown personal space. Close contact ispermissible when boarding buses or inlines.

3. Visiting

a. Smokers Smoking restrictions are few withinArmenia. Be tolerant of smokers.

b. Crime Avoid carrying large sums of money.Crime is not much of a problem. Personal caution isthe guideword however.

c. Conversations Armenians may take youliterally at your word. Avoid casual, off-the-cuffremarks which you have no intent to fulfill. Whentalking with Armenian officials, use caution andpreciseness in terminology. An offer of assistance may


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be taken as an invitation for U.S. governmentcommitment.

d. Ethnic differences Armenia, Azerbaijan andTurkey have a history of animosities and conflicts.Avoid comments associating Armenia with Azerbaijan orTurkey.

e. Tips In restaurants, a tip is usuallyincluded in the price of the meal.

f. Crowds Avoid disturbancesin crowded parts of cities, towns orvillages.

4. Hazing “Under pressure from human rightsgroups, the military took some steps to improve theinvestigation of peacetime deaths of servicemen due tomistreatment. A human rights group alleged that in1997 as many as one soldier a day died of non-combatcauses, but noted that such deaths declined in 1998.According to the military prosecutor, stricter controlon military units led to a 33 percent reduction inmilitary deaths in 1997, and a further 25 percentreduction in such deaths in the first 6 months of 1998,but he provided no figures.

Military officers are held accountable forwidespread abuse of troops under their authority onlyin rare cases, generally when death or serious injuryhas provoked a significant reaction from relatives andhuman rights organizations. A military murder-suicidein February led to lengthy prison sentences in Octoberfor soldiers and officers implicated in seriousmistreatment of conscripts.”


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5. Prisons“Prison conditions are poor. Facilities are often

overcrowded, and food is inadequate to preserve healthunless supplemented by assistance from families.Medical and sanitary facilities in prisons areinadequate.

Tuberculosis and othercommunicable diseases are common andthere were a number of deaths duringthe year. Although agreement inprinciple has been reached totransfer responsibility for prisonsto the Ministry of Justice from theMinistry of Internal and NationalSecurity Affairs with a goal ofimproved oversight, no formal actionto that effect was taken by year'send.”

6. Lustration This practice refers to formerauthoritarian governments (Soviets) which now have moredemocratic ways. Lustration occurs when authoritarianleaders are permitted to hold office in the new, moredemocratic government. Apparently, Armenia allows suchpractice to take place.

7. Cultural Literacy Concepts“The international Armenian community remains

loyal to strong cultural traditions, many of which haveenriched the societies into which Armenians emigrated.Cultural tradition has been a means of maintaining asense of national unity among widely dispersed groupsof Armenians.”

8. Art

a. Early endeavors “The Armenians became activein literature and many art forms at a very early pointin their civilization. Urartian metalworking andarchitecture have been traced back to about 1000 B.C.The beginning of truly national art is usually fixed atthe onset of the Christian era.


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The three great artistic periodscoincided with times of independence orsemi-independence: from the fifth tothe seventh century; the Bagratidgolden age of the ninth and tenthcenturies; and the era of the kingdomof Lesser Armenia in the twelfth tofourteenth centuries.”

Of especially high quality in the earlier periodswere work in gold and bronze, as well as temples,military fortifications, and aqueducts. In the earlyChristian era, classical church architecture wasadapted in a series of cathedrals.”

b. Church architecture “The circular domestypical of Armenian churches were copied in WesternEurope and in Ottoman Turkey. The best example of thedistinctive architectural sculpture used to adorn suchchurches is the early tenth-century Church of the HolyCross on an island in Lake Van. The architecture ofcontemporary Erevan is distinguished by the use ofpinkish tufa stone and a combination of traditionalArmenian and Russian styles.”

c. Painting “Armenian painting is generallyconsidered to have originated with the illumination ofreligious manuscripts that thrived from the ninth tothe seventeenth century. Armenian painters in Ciliciaand elsewhere enriched Byzantine and Western formulaswith their unique use of color and their inclusion ofOriental themes acquired from the Mongols. Many uniqueArmenian illuminated manuscripts remain in museums inthe West.

The nineteenth century saw a blooming of Armenianpainting. Artists from that period, such as theportrait painter Hacop Hovnatanian and the seascapeartist Ivan Aivazovsky, continue to enjoy internationalreputations. Notable figures of the twentieth centuryhave included the unorthodox AlexanderBazhbeuk-Melikian, who lived a persecuted existence in


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Tbilisi, and the émigré surrealist Arshile Gorky(pseudonym of Vosdanik Adoian), who greatly influenceda generation of young American artists in New York.Other émigré painters in various countries havecontinued the tradition as well.”

9. Literature “The Armenian literary tradition beganearly in the fifth century A.D. with religious tractsand histories of the Armenians. The most important ofthese were written by Agathangelos, Egishe, MovsesKhorenatsi, and Pavstos Buzand. A secular literaturedeveloped in the early modern period, and in theeighteenth century Armenian Catholic monks of theMekhitarist order began publishing ancient texts,modern histories, grammars, and literature.

In the nineteenth century,Armenians developed their own journalismand public theater. Khachatur Abovianwrote the first Armenian novel, VerkHaiastani (The Wounds of Armenia), inthe early 1840s. Armenian literatureand drama often depict struggles againstreligious and ethnic oppression and theaspirations of Armenians for securityand self-expression.

“Share the credit.”


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Vocabulary List: Country Area Studies--Armenia

April 24 National Day of Remembrance, commemorating the 1915 genocide of Armenians in Turkey

IMET International Military Education and Training Program. This educational initiative links U.S. military officers andcounterparts in the New Independent States.

JCTP Joint Contact Team Program. A full-time military liaisonteam program where four U.S. military personnel coordinate actions with one of the 14 PfP countries.

Lustration Practice where former authoritarian rulers (Communists) are able to hold office in new, more democraticgovernments of the former Soviet block countries

Nagorno--Karabakh (nah-GAHR-nah KAHR-ah-bahk) Self-governingenclave in Azerbaijan which is home to many Armenians. It is an area of conflict and violence.

PfP Partnership for Peace initiative to build improved ties withformer Communist nations and the United States.

SPP State Partnership Program. National Guard Bureau initiative which matches one of the former Communist nationswith a National Guard state in the U.S.

Vartanants National holiday celebrating the fifth-century defense of Christianity against the Persians


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Review Quiz: Country Area Studies--Armenia

Multiple Choice Place the letter of themost correct answer in the blank provided.

1. _____ The Armenian Constitution guarantees freedom ofreligion, a law which in practice

A. is rigorously enforced.B. shows favoritism to the Armenian Apostolic Church.C. receives little societal attention.

2. _____ During the Soviet period, Armenia had _____________problems with ethnic minorities.

A. manyB. noC. few

3. _____ The largest non-Armenian group in Armenia during the Soviet period was the

A. Cossacks.B. Azerbaijanis.C. Perestroikers.

4. _____ Nagorno-Karabakh, an autonomous region within Azerbaijan,

A. contains some Armenian people.B. is of little consequence to Armenia today.C. currently exists in peace and harmony with Armenia

and Azerbaijan.


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5. _____ The classical Armenian language (Grabar) is used today

A. at rock concerts and student demonstrations.B. in the Armenian Apostolic Church.

C. amongst Armenians of the diaspora.

6. _____ Rape, spousal abuse, and violence against women

A. often goes unreported in the conservative, patriarchal society of Armenia.

B. is expressly outlawed by the Armenian Constitution.C. is routinely reported to police units.

7. _____ U.S. policy towards Armenia sees

A. a secure and prosperous Armenia as key to Caucasus stability and Caspian Sea oil reserves.

B. Nagorno-Karabakh as a problem between Armenia and Russia alone.

C. narcotics and weapons of mass destruction trafficking as little consequence in the region.

8. _____ Armenia’s State Partnership Program (SPP) partner is

A. Alabama.B. Washington (state).C. none at this time.

9. _____ In Armenia, the date April 24 remembers

A. the fifth century defense of Christianity against the Persians.

B. the 1915 genocide of Armenians within Turkey.C. the introduction of baklava and yogurt into

Armenian society.

10. _____ Concerning discussions with Armenians, remember that

A. much of what you say will be taken literally. Say only what you know you can fulfill.

B. casual, off-the-cuff, shoot-from-the-hip exaggeration is welcomed and promotes good friendships.

C. you are taken for who you are. National identity (being an American) plays little role in perceptions ofwhat is communicated.


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Resources for Further Study:Country Area Studies--Armenia

Friedrich, Paul and Norma Diamond. Encyclopedia of WorldCultures, Vol. VI, Russia and Eurasia/China. New York: G.K.Hall, 1994. (Article on Armenia, [pp. 27-31]).

Kaiser, Phillip ed. Country Profile of the Republic of Armenia.McLean, Virginia: Science Applications International Corporation,1997.

Kinzer, Stephen. “Where Kurds Seek a Land, Turks Want theWater.” New York Times, 28 Feb 99, p. 3.

Library of Congress Country Study--Armenia, 1995.<www://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html>

Secretary of State. Congressional Presentation for ForeignOperations, Fiscal Year 1999. Washington, D.C.: Offices ofResources, Plans and Policy, U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Department of State, Background Notes, Belarus.<http://www.state.gov/www/>

U.S. Department of State, Belarus Country Report on Human RightsPractices for 1998. Released by the Bureau of Democracy, HumanRights, and Labor, 30 January, 1999.<http://www.state.gov/www/global/hu...ights/1998_report/>

“As Commandant of the Marine Corps, I am charged with two basictasks--to make Marines and to win battles. The two are

inextricably linked. Patriotic men and women from the strongstock of America are drawn to service, are recast in the whitehot crucible of the recruit depots, and are sustained through

training, education, and leadership. They are instilled with ourcherished core values: honor, courage, commitment; and they are

forever changed. Indeed, they are transformed and they areeminently prepared to win America’s battles at home and abroad.”

General Charles Krulak


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unit 13: country area studies--armenia -

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