04.07.2013
"21st CENTURY", N 1, 2013
The 1st issue of “21st Century” journal for 2013 was published. It covered wide range of issues such as challenges Armenia may face in the globalizing world (Gagik Harutyunyan), dynamics of Turkey-Azerbaijan relations (Lia Evoyan), the results of the “reset” in the relations of the US and Russia (Ashot Margaryan), lessons of Lee Kuan Yew for Armenia (Monica Harutyunyan, Simon Saradzhyan) as well as lessons which can be drawn from the Cuban Missile Crisis in regard to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (Simon Saradzhyan, Artur Saradzhyan). The issue also included articles dealing with invisible cyber war (Yiannos Charalambides) and statements of the press-secretary of President (Victor Soghomonyan).
Below you can find the annotations of the articles in English.
Gagik Harutyunyan
CHALLENGES TO ARMENIA IN THE GLOBALIZING WORLD
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Annotation
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| In Arnold Toynbee’s classical formulation, the viability of civilizations depends on their ability to adequately respond to challenges. In this sense it can be stated that for several millennia Armenia has been able to face (to various extent) its challenges. Globalization accompanied humankind since ages and at times took the shape and essence of so-called “local globalization/unification”. However, we shall examine the last wave of globalization, which resulted, inter alia, in collapse of the socialist system and the USSR. Undoubtedly, this phenomenon was a geopolitical, civilizational, humanitarian and economic catastrophe and as such, it was a serious challenge for Armenia. Nevertheless, Armenia adequately responded to the threats, won the war against Azerbaijan, liberated Artsakh, as it was the most accomplished state in the region (which above all, stemmed from our civilizational, state and military traditions and the spiritual, intellectual, scientific, technological and industrial potential created in the Second Republic). |
Yiannos Charalambides
THE INVISIBLE CYBER WAR
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Annotation
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| The international system is still dominated by sovereign nation states which constitute the main structural actors of the global system. However, nation states are not the only players acting in the global landscape. Markets or multinational colossi, even terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda also operate in the international field (Charalambides, 2013, pp.71-77; Katzman, 2005 pp.4-5, 7-8; Bjelopera, 2011 pp. 36-37) with the purpose of changing the structure of the international system. In this respect, these international actors pursue to replace the dominant role that states retain in the international arena (Charalambides, 2013, pp. 71-75, 45-52). Technology constitutes one of the main constituent elements of power and therefore what remains to be examined is the role that technology can play in the international system in terms of the power game that is evolving. (Charalambides, 2010, pp. 34-35; Ifestos and Platias, 1992, pp. 83-84; Morgenthau, 1978pp. 9-14; Dougherty and Pfaltzgraff 1992, p 115). |
Lia Evoyan
TURKEY-AZERBAIJAN RELATIONS: THE DYNAMICS OF THE DEVELOPMENT
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Annotation
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| The dissolution of the USSR and escalation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict together with Bulgarian and Bosnian crisis’s highly activated Turkey’s foreign policy towards the South Caucasus and Central Asia in general, and Azerbaijan in particular. Demonstrating political, military, economic support to the latter, Turkey aimed to spread its influence over it and gain access to the Caspian oil and natural gas resources, thus hoping to fill the power vacuum created by Russia after 1991 and to become a regional superpower. Azerbaijan, especially during the first years of its independence, was favorable to Turkey’s regional ambitions relying on its willingness to support in solving Nagorno Karabakh problem in Azerbaijan’s favor. Besides, due to Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s consistent cultural policy, Azerbaijani and Turkish people had special emotional connections with each other, considering themselves as ‘brethren’ that speak almost the same language, share the same ethno-cultural and religious traditions. |
Monica Harutyunyan, Simon Saradzhyan
LEE KUAN YEW’S LESSONS FOR ARMENIA
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Annotation
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There is hardly a statesman left in the world who has not heard about Singapore’s economic miracle, which began almost 50 years ago and continues to date. If there is a single person without whom Singapore’s phenomenal transformation would not have been possible, that person is Lee Kuan Yew.
Lee’s record of transforming Singapore has become the subject of dozens of books, but there is one recent book that stands out, written by U.S. statesmen Graham Allison and Robert D. Blackwill, with the help of Harvard University researcher Ali Wyne. Published in March 2013, Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World mostly focuses on China’s rise. However, the book also represents a comprehensive collection of practical advice from the founding father of Singapore on how to build and run an effective public administration system that every statesman of any country would find useful. |
Simon Saradzhyan, Artur Saradzhyan
SEVEN LESSONS OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS FOR THE KARABAKH CONFLICT
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Annotation
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This paper explores some lessons of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis the Armenian and Azeri leaders should consider institutionalizing if they wish to prevent reheating of their conflict over Nagorny Karabakh into a war.
The October 1962 crisis stands out as not only one of the most dangerous moments in human history, but also as the most thoroughly researched case of a confrontation between two great powers that ended up being peacefully resolved.
Scores of scholarly articles and documentary books have been written on lessons of the events that unfolded some 50 years ago. And this paper does not aspire to extract new lessons from that seminal event. |
Victor Soghomonyan
STATEMENTS BY THE PRESS SECRETARY OF THE PRESIDENT
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Annotation
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| The journalists’ remark “… stated the Press Secretary” has long become some kind of an “idiomatic” phrase, a permanent attribute in the stories of journalists about the statements made by the President’s spokesman. It is quite acceptable, as the Press Secretary’s statement is one of the pivots of the spokesman’s job, primary product of his activity in respect of political informing, to put it figuratively – his “language.” If we divide the contents of press conferences, briefings, interviews, etc. into constituent parts, the statement will happen to be in line with similar purely informational spots. Statements may be in form of texts and sentences, which carry the maximum of semantic load. Though limited in their size, the statements of the President’s Press Secretary are at the given moment conclusive descriptions of elements of policy of the current authorities on this or that issue. |
Ashot Margaryan
U.S – RUSSIAN RELATIONS UNDER THE OBAMA-MEDVEDEV PRESIDENCIES: THE RESULTS OF ‘RESET’
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Annotation
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U.S. – Russian relations have always been at the forefront of academic debates, particularly since the advent of World War II. For better or worse, the people who have not experienced the worst phase of the Cold War were obliged to bring about rapprochement to this often complicated relationship. ‘Hope’, ‘Yes We Can’ and ‘reset’ slogans made their way into our lives and greatly enriched our diplomatic vocabulary. A new promising era seemed to be underway with the Presidents Barack H. Obama and Dmitri A. Medvedev since they were both encouraging prospects of rapprochement and engagement.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relations between the two states during Obama – Medvedev presidencies, the hurdles that the two presidents had to overcome and their willingness to do it. Furthermore, special attention will be placed upon Russia’s view on the international system since 1992 and its impact during Medvedev’s presidency. |
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