Armenia—Azerbaijan Conflict Aftermath: Discord in Armenia

[Aurelius]

I hope Cathcon is ok.

Wait I thought he was from Michigan?!

He's in Armenia rn

And he arrived just a few days ago. Unfortunate timing.

[Aurelius]

I hope Cathcon is ok.

Wait I thought he was from Michigan?!

He's in Armenia rn

And he arrived just a few days ago. Unfortunate timing.

Hey, at least this gives him a great opportunity to be an Atlas war correspondent.

The... situation, depending on how it unfolds, may actually compel me to shuft my volunteer focus from agricultural and environmental topics.

Great Armenia: The History of the Catholingian Empire: 2023-2659

It all began when Cathexander the Great, then a humble American scholar seeking international opportunities, arrived in Armenia for a three month program focusing on agriculture and the environment. Only a few days later, the Azeris invaded. Suddenly, Cathexander was drawn to a very different calling. Agriculture and the environment would have to fall by the wayside for a time...

[Aurelius]

It's irrelevant whether NK is "ethnically Armenians" or "populated by Armenians" etc. – neither changes the fact that it is internationally recognized Azeri territory and illegally occupied by Armenian forces. One cannot simply ignore or invalidate this just because the Armenians appear more likable.

Objectively, Azerbaijan has the right to reclaim all of its sovereign territory (if necessarily, by force). It does not have the right to attack Armenia proper, of course.

This has nothing to do with likeability, if Armenia is defeated NK is getting ethnically cleansed.

Pure speculation on your part. Just claiming that something terrible may happen is a weak argument compared to national sovereignty/territorial integrity as core principles of international law – and since one can neither prove nor disprove it, it's a pretty pointless one as well.

I care about freedom and justice, not "territorial integrity". In many cases they align, but sure as hell not in this one. Avoiding ethnic cleansing is more important than preserving the Soviets' deliberately retarded borders that were specifically intended to do exactly this.

[Aurelius]

Armenia has just invoked CSTO’s self-defence clause:

https://www.twitter.com/NeilPHauer/status/1570042320363589634
It claims Azerbaijan now occupies its territory (presumably, not just Artsakh).

This is a win-win: helps Armenia, and hopefully diverts some Russian troops from Ukraine too.

[Aurelius]

Wait, you're out there right now? Stay safe indeed. Jesus.

Only went for a few minutes as part of my duties as observer of history. Trust me, I'm in no mood for tear gas on a work night.

Please be careful. I can easily see things turning ugly if it's realized that there's an American at this kind of protest.

[Aurelius]

It’s genuinely appalling the lack of coverage this has gotten compared to the slightest discontent between Israel-Palestine.

Well, at least you can count on Adam Schiff talking about this.

I wonder how long it'll take until we start hearing the natsec ghouls say it's okay for Azerbaijan to ethnically cleanse Armenians because Russia and Armenia are allies.

[Aurelius]

[Aurelius]

The US has taken a much stronger stance on the latest Azeri aggression than Russia and CSTO lol.
https://twitter.com/NeilPHauer/status/1570464658707947521

Iran's taken a pretty strong stance too. Strange part of the world.

[Aurelius]

Not much to report on the ground (in Yerevan at least). Apparently, Nancy Pelosi is in town, and because of this, the streets were lined with American flags on Saturday. Last Wednesday a Russian volunteer and I were placed in the awkward position of being on a patio full of Armenians lamenting their lack of external support.

Interesting thread in r/Azerbaijan this morning asking why Armenia has better diplomacy--referring to the recent expressions of public support from France, the United States, etc. Some correctly see this as primarily rhetorical support. Others have an intriguing theory that foreign powers like to prop up Armenia to create a wedge between Azerbaijan and Turkey and prevent the true, full power of a united Turkic state. That feels sort of like the Azerbaijani version of the typical Russia-originating conspiratorial views on the region.

As referred to in a separate thread from a few days ago, there apparently have been people expressing the desire to see the sons of their politicians and oligarchs die in a military engagement, apparently a reaction against the fact that Azerbaijani casualties are working class.

Top English comment: "...their existence creates severe instability in the region. Turkey and Azerbaijan are closely related and relative countries. Without Armenia, there would be a close and unrivaled cooperation."

We're not the bad guys, I swear!