Salyan

 

Since the end of December, just as the new year was about to roll in, most universities in Azerbaijan went on winer break, which will last until the middle of February. As a teacher, I also get vacation time by default. One of the things we were asked to do during this vacation has been to visit American Corners in the regions, a request I was delighted oblige. It’s a great opportunity to really promote cultural exchange, my raison d’être in coming to Azerbaijan, and a chance to see Azerbaijan beyond Baku.

The first place we were sent to was Salyan, a town located about 2-hours south of Baku. To be honest, I was not expecting much of the visit and thought it would be 100% work- come in, talk to the kids, go home. I was pleasantly surprised.

We were greeted by one of the English teachers, who was very interested to know how our journey was. She took us to the American Corner, which is located in the town library. There we were greeted by a couple of really kind and welcoming young women, both of which were eager to get to know us and ask questions about the US. They were also very enthusiastic about learning English; one of the young ladies in particular was very keen on improving her skills and hopes to go the United States one day, a statement which I was really impressed by seeing as I am a great one for working and studying away from one’s home country.

After tea, the ladies took us on a tour of the town. Our first stop was one of the town’s old mosques; it was built several centuries ago, but recently had to be reconstructed due to structural damage. Next we visited the local Heydar Aliyev Center. I had been to the one in Baku, which is of course architecturally striking and has a really nice museum showcasing artifacts of Azeri culture. This one was quite different; it similarly had photos telling Mr. Aliyev’s story, but it also serves as a community center fully equipped with a computer lab, language center, library with books in at least 3 languages, a chess room, and an art studio. It’s good to know the government is investing in creating spaces for people in all parts of the country to develop themselves beyond the classroom.

My favorite part of the tour was the last one- the local art gallery. On our way there, incidentally, we ran into one of the famous local singer. “His name is Shahin, like Shakira.” One of our new friends joked. Anyway, we walked into this space full of locally painted works. The gallery owner, a famous painter in his own right, greeted us himself and showed us through the gallery. Here is one of his works:

 

It is a painting of Ismailly Rayon (a region of Azerbaijan). He is a very gifted painter, who in addition to running a gallery and creating art also teaches in the gallery studio.

The day commemorating the Khojaly Massacre is coming up in about a month, and in preparation for that the students painted on the subject:

While evidently the images are violent and unsettling, I appreciate the effort. Having worked for the Peacebuilding and the Arts program at Brandeis, I truly believe art can play a huge role in helping people deal with national trauma and conflict. It’s a medium of expression and expression is the first step of coping and moving on. I hope this serves a platform for people to confront their emotions about these awful events, pay respect to the dead, and find ways to to overcome the pain and make peace.

Upon the conclusion of our tour, we got lunch at the American Corner, which was prepared for us by our new friends. I never cease to be amazed at how kind and generous people here are.

Meeting the young students was also a lot of fun. My students in Baku are all in college, so of course they are in their late teens. These kids were ages 8-14 or so (a few were older) and I was not sure I’d be able to work with them, because I am not used to teaching children, but the meeting went swimmingly. It was the first time I faced a group of students who were not all over their iPhones the entire session. The kids were eager to play games, they were funny and cooperative, and they seemed to really enjoy all the activities we had prepared for them.

Overall, the visit was a great success. I cannot wait to check out ACs in other regions.

Further reading: 

• http://azerbaijanamericaalliance.org/Khojaly-Massacre

 

The Things I learn as a Teacher

Last week my first year students expressed a desire to dedicate the following lesson to Azeri culture. Hoping to get them really engaged and out of their shells (they speak Azeri like 70% of the time because they feel uncomfortable using English) I agreed. It would also be a good opportunity for me to hear new perspectives on the topic, which is always a plus.

So I started out the lesson by asking them a general question about national symbols of Azerbaijan. Quickly the conversation turned from an innocent discussion of food and crafts to a politically charged discussion when one student talked about Tabriz as part of Azerbaijan.

“Wait,” I asked, “you mean Tabriz in Iran?”

The student and his peers went into a long discussion of why northern Iran is actually southern Azerbaijan. I was very glad to see them turn away from their phones and stop the chatter in Azeri to try and convince me of the rightousness of their case. It definitely made for interesting discussion content wise, as well. Being a Middle East nerd I had heard about the so-called “Southern Azerbaijan” issue and even tried to research it myself, but had a hard time locating materials (if anyone reading this has recommendations I’d be delighted to hear ’em!). It would be interesting to learn if the Iranian-Azerbaijanis actually have any seperatist dreams. From the Azerbaijan proper side the view is complicated; they certainly feel strong kinship with the  Iranian-Azerbaijanis and see the Tabriz region as part of historic Azerbaijan but it is unclear whether or not they have hopes of reclaiming the territory. From what my students say they seemed to ahve resigned to the current situation and I highly doubt the government would risk conflict with Iran over this issue, but the nationalist sentiment is certainly there.

After concluding that discussion, I asked “well, since we’re on the topic of historical events, what else can you tell me, what do I need to know about the history of Azerbaijan?”

Naturally the first thing that came up was the Nagaorny-Karabakh War. One of the students started to state: “the Armenians is…”

“are. they ARE.” I corrected.

“no, I should say ‘it'” he said.

“When referring to plurals, Armenians, Americans, puppies… use are.” I said, trying to bring it back to the grammar.

I already knew that the hatred runs deep, but I was hoping to at least try and get them to think critically about their emotions. I really want to leave here with the thought that I got the next generation of potential leaders thinking about old issues differently (I’m a dreamer, I know). Therefore, I asked, “do you really thinl all Aremnians are bad?”

“My brother met an Armenian guy in Georgia and they talked and became friends.” A girl said, to my astonishment and delight. A lot of the class made disapproving sounds, so I had to applaud the girl for her courage, which also shows a glimmer of hope. Things here can change, even if it’s one person at a time. Her story also shows the importance of person-to-person diplomacy and interactions. Maybe it’s time for the international community to invest a little in efforts that would allow Armenians and Azeris to communicate and put a human face to the other side. That won’t solve the conflict, which requires a political solution, but it might give the people hope and create a popular desire for peace.

The Other Occupied Territories

Though it has recently taken a back seat to the civil war in Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has often been the topic of great discussion in international media. Not only is it an issue hotly debated and extremely well researched, peace efforts have cost the government entities and NGOs billions of dollars. There are countless organizations dedicated to bridging the gap between Israelis and Palestinians, sending their kids to fancy camps where they can learn to cooperate and see the other’s point of view or paying for scholars from both sides to attend peacemaking seminars in renowned universities. While Israel-Palestine receives this immense and almost incomprehensible global attention, other dangerous and destructive conflicts go on virtually unnoticed. This article will discuss one of them: Nagorny-Karabakh.

Background

In 1988, the Armenian population of Nagorny-Karabakh (NK) took to the streets, demanding to join Armenia; shortly, they were joined by citizens of Armenia proper. At the time, the overall population of NK was approximately 192,000 with the majority (76%) being Armenian, but the territory belonged to Azerbaijan. On 10 December, 1991 the leaders of the Armenian population in NK declared independence from the Azerbaijani state and armed conflict ensued.

The conflict escalated into a full-blown war between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the collapse of the USSR. The brutal and bloody war lasted until 1994. While the war waged on, many human rights catastrophes occurred, which most of the world remains unaware of. The Khojaly Massacre is a perfect example: the village of Khojaly was an Azeri stronghold in the territorial corridor between NK and Armenia proper. In their effort to seize it, in February 1992, the Armenian troops massacred over 600 civilians and tortured many others. Of course, Armenian civilians were also killed and injured in the 3 year war. Overall, the war cost between 24,000-36,000 lives and left over 75,000 injured. Many more civilians were displaced.

In 1994, the Russian government was able to broker a ceasefire. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic enjoys de facto autonomy, but its independence remains unrecognized by the international community. Today, the conflict is officially frozen, but could heat up again at any time.

A Lasting Impact

In Azerbaijan, where I am currently stationed, the Nagorny-Karabakh War remains a deep seated trauma and the desire for a resolution is very much alive. In fact, the conflict is almost omnipresent. Almost every person I have met here has asked me my opinion about the conflict. Furthermore, when I visited the historic palace of Shirvanshah, a 15^th century complex in Baku, I found it littered with signs about people who died there as a result of Armenian attacks in Azerbaijan proper. Relations with Armenia are so bad here that when my host got me a cell phone in his name he said “just don’t call anyone in Armenia.” Most recently, I asked my students to introduce myself and tell me where they were from; one of them said “Baku, but my family is from Karabakh. It is occupied by Armenians.”

The war is more than memory in Azerbaijan. According to Lionel Beehner, “just under 10% of Azerbaijani’s population remains displaced in the region” as a result of the war (http://www.cfr.org/armenia/nagorno-karabakh-crisis-caucasus/p9148). While they are taken care of by the government, from what I have been told, they remain without permanent homes as an everlasting reminder of the war that never truly ended. The war has also impacted Azerbaijan’s foreign relations. For example, Iran’s support for Armenia continues to embitter the already cold relationship between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic.

Azerbaijan lost more than Nagorny-Karabakh itself in the war. The Armenian autonomy captured seven additional regions surrounding Karabakh, which were not majority-Armenian territories. these territories also remain occupied, leaving 20% of Azerbaijan under foreign occupation.

The war has also taken a toll on Armenia, as it left in its aftermath 235,000 Armenian refugees.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) established the Minsk Group in 1992 as a forum for resolving the conflict. Thus far the group, chaired by the US, France, and Russia, has been unsuccessful.

An Explosive Conflict

In addition to its lasting humanitarian impact, the conflict is far from over even though the war is not active at the moment. Shooting incidents on the border are, in fact, quite frequent according to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (http://iwpr.net/report-news/gunfire-extension-politics-azeri-armenian-border). Indeed, other than the aforementioned border incidents, the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict has been cold so far. However, escalation on the contact line could easily lead to a broader violent confrontation. The fact that Azerbaijan’s military budget has reached $3.7 billion in the last year clearly demonstrates that the possibility of conflict is on the leadership’s mind (http://en.apa.az/news/195357).

Another war between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be a costly one. In addition to losses in life and humanitarian issues on both sides, such a conflict would have serious fallout in the region and a global impact.

One of the oldest oil-producing countries in the world, Azerbaijan is a critical supplier in the European market (http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=AJ). Local violence is likely to disrupt Azerbaijan’s ability to export its oil, leading to instability and disruptions in the market. Moreover, any Azeri-Armenian conflict is likely to spill over. The major powers surrounding these two countries, Russia, Iran, and Turkey would become involved. Great power intervention would doubtlessly escalate the conflict into a wider regional confrontation. With the greater Middle East already in disarray, further violence could be catastrophic.

Furthermore, last time around Chechen radicals including the notorious Shamil Basayev fought with Azerbaijan (http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/02/24/president-interview-and-tragic-anniversary/9vpa?reloadFlag=1). Should another war break out, especially in today’s ever-more radicalized environment of the Caucuses, it is likely to happen again. Thus, in the chaos of further conflict would open a door for radicals in this country that is otherwise stable and tolerant.

What’s Next?

As it were, the conflict seems intractable. At least in Azerbaijan, there is little faith in the peace process. The popular opinion, as I heard it, is that Azerbaijan will except nothing short having Nagorny-Karabakh fully returned and that the Armenians are the exclusively hindering the peace process because they are not interested in a resolution. I am certain similar opinions are prevalent in the Armenian side. As it were, therefore, there will not be popular pressure on the Azerbaijani and Armenian governments to reach a resolution.

Thus, international intervention is called for. It is not enough for the major powers to say they are committed to a peace process in the South Caucuses, nor is it sufficient for them to declare that without progress the international community will lose faith in the leaders’ commitment to peace, as they at the G8 Summit in 2011. Words need to translate into actions, and it is especially important for the United States to be involved.

Azerbaijan has been a great ally to us. According to former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, “Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to offer support after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States […]the southwestern Asia country provided valuable access and overflight rights for coalition aircraft, and sent peacekeepers to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom” (http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=25519). This alone should promote our desire to help find a peaceful resolution to the Nagorny-Karabakh Conflict.

Furthermore, preventing the spread of violence in the region is in our interest for the reasons stated above.

Finally, Russia has been very active in this conflict. Most likely, the former leader of the USSR seeks to increase its power and influence in the South Caucuses by playing the role of peacemaker. We should strive to balance Russia’s power in this strategic region. Not to mention the recent Syria debacle, in which the Russians came up with a diplomatic solution that both alleviated the chemical weapons problem (Assad’s arsenal is being dismantled- http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/10/syria-disarmament-team-launches-mission-20131018223931432.html) while we almost got militarily involved. We need a diplomatic victory.

A just resolution to the Nagorny-Karabkh is in everyone’s best interest and it is my sincere hope to at least see some progress firsthand from here, the historic city of Baku.