Today’s Op-Ed reaction comes from the article:
California’s Armenian diaspora sees another genocide happening in homeland published on September 23 written BY MARK GERAGOS AND SEVAG TATEOSIAN
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/article279660689.html
I selected this article primarily because I don’t think it is an issue that has received a lot of attention. Fresno, California has a large Armenian diaspora so it makes sense that the Fresno Bee would run an opinion article regarding Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The authors start by making reference to the Armenian genocide that started in 1915 and then quickly compare that to the events of the last 10 months including the blockade of the Lachin Cooridor.
The authors also point out the financial aid Ukraine and Azerbaijan have received from the United States while noting that Armenia has not received aid.
The authors also outline the authoritarian nature of the Azerbaijani government. Finally they conclude that the Armenian diaspora watches “In horror but are determined never again.”
In general I think it is important to bring awareness to situations where violence is used to oppress people. It also highlights the dangers of autonomous regions within countries.
William Wilberforce has been called an agitator for his commitment to ending the slave trade. One of his well known speeches on the subject was given on May 12, 1789.
Cardinal Richelieu has been hailed as a great statesman and as a subversive authoritarian. Depending on who you talk to he was a man needed to strengthen the monarchy in France, or he was a tyrant seeking personal power. Next week I will have a book review that may shed more light on Cardinal Richelieu.
When Lenin was working on his major writing projects he would often pace across the room formulating the ideas that he would write down by saying them out loud. Once he had the idea for what he wanted to write he would often repeat the idea to Nadezhda Krupskaya, who would provide feedback. Once this process was complete he would then write the ideas down.
Here is an AI rendering of what that might have looked like when he was drafting What is to be Done.
This month this community will focus on political subversion. What is subversion? When is it justified? What is the interplay between subversion and agitation? These are some of the topics to be discussed this month.
“You get used to the despot’s shortcomings, when they are not great vices, and the change of an autocratic ruler leads to involuntary fear.”
Sergei Trubetskoi
