Welcome to GrishOyedovA's labyrinth of thoughts on Caucasus, USSR, US, Greece, Belgium and Lebanon. An oil and gas lawyer by profession, I nevertheless indulge in chocolate, dance, my son's autism, art and business. I didn't do the Western thing of choosing one thing for an Eastern compulsion has me on a constant of reflexion on several subjects. The only subject I allow myself structure is business news => a daily supply of media monitoring reports from/of/ about Russia.
The incidents in the army of our homeland have shaken us wherever we live - Armenia or Diaspora. It is shocking to see, hear stories of atrocities at times ending in death in the army at the time of no war. The reactions are always a mix of two camps - on the one hand, we are absolutely concerned with what these incidents cause in terms of the external factors of our national security; and we're concerned with what such offenses entail in terms of internal national security. Some of us even console ourselves with the amount of crimes in the army when compared to those of our neighbors. And surely, our neighbors console themselves with the same criteria. There's an arms race in the Caucasus. Is this new? No. Is it in fact predictable to suppose the period of peace the entire region may ever enjoy? No.
Historically, baptized as Terra Incognita by the Romans, the Caucasus nevertheless has been the geostrategic battleground of the North-South connection whereas the Middle East has been "managed" as a battleground of East-West dimensions. Accordingly, every single warring period has been maintained with the instillment of that period's particular tools of politically militarized games, stretching from treacherous murders of genuine leaders via buying entrusted aides (Roman business as usual), imposition of "cultural ideology" and thus bringing a rupture inside a single nation, causing final division (Persian and Greek business as usual, that caused the seemingly eternal division of Armenia into Eastern and Western), promising to defend if only we make the first move, e.g. rebel, then not showing up to deliver (the Brits, the Americans, the French) due to undisclosed parallel deals with the very same Party they suggested us to rebel against, making long-term agreements for cooperation only to provide corridors of otherwise impossible jurisdiction over internal matters vis-a-vis the international community (Russian business as usual). Now, these forms have unfortunately not vanished, they've rather florsihed over the centuries having turned into sophisticated mechanism of international affairs where small nations truly have no primary voice. Add to this the latest fashion, addition to this family of awkward factors of dominance - the arms race. yes, the Cold War de jure is over. De jure there's no cause for yet another World threatening war. But de facto, and given the many loopholes in the greatly under-achieved democracy anywhere East and South of Vienna, the arms race is on and only proves that Mr Brzezinski and Co.'s army has simply moved its fight onto another stage - the traditional ones - Caucasus and the Middle East.
