Electric Yerevan’ is Sliding Out of Control
Armenians have taken to the streets to protest a planned 17-22% increase in their utility bills, initiated by the Armenian Electricity Network due to the Armenian dram’s dramatic depreciation over the past year (about equal in percentage to the price hike itself). While it’s understandable that some in the economically struggling country would be upset by the $85 or so cumulative increase in payments each year, many find it troubling that some individuals have resorted to arming themselves and aggressively attacking the police, and it’s confusing that the participants would reject government appeals to negotiate if all they were really after was to repeal the electricity rate increase. After hundreds of arrests over the past few days for hooligan activity, groups of individuals are now blockading the capital’s main avenue and have threatened to march on the Presidential Palace, eerily following in the footsteps of their EuroMaidan predecessors. More and more, what may have begun as a legitimate protest movement appears to have been hijacked into a Color Revolution attempt.
The Situation So Far
Opposition to the electricity rate increase had been brewing since May, but it was only on Monday that the “No to Plunder” initiative was able to bring thousands to the streets in protest. They gathered on Freedom Square, in the city’s center, and demanded that the hike be reversed. President Serzh Sargsyan suggested that they choose five representatives to speak to him about it, but the mob refused. Later that night, internal provocateurs pushed the crowd into marching on the Presidential Palace, and when they refused law enforcement’s repeated pleas to disperse their illegal manifestation, the riot police were forced to resort to water cannons and mass arrests to restore public order. The resulting tumult injured 11 police officers and 7 protesters, and some of the 237 who were arrested were reported to have been equipped with knives, knuckle dusters, batons, and metal rods.
The protests swelled the next day to 15,000 people, and the mob once more rejected President Sargsyan second request to negotiate. They may have felt emboldened by the US’ official statement on the matter, which in a style reminiscent of its early response to EuroMaidan, stated that:
“…we are concerned about reports of excessive police use of force to disperse the crowd on the morning of June 23, as well as several reports of abuse while in police custody. In addition, we are troubled by reports that journalists and their equipment were specifically targeted during the operation. It is imperative that the Government conduct a full and transparent investigation of reports of the excessive use of force by the police to the full extent of Armenian law.”
Just like in Ukraine, when the US supports an anti-government movement (which is what has essentially formed in Armenia), it completely opposes any attempt by the authorities to assert law and order in responding to their proxies’ illegal provocations. The implicit statement of support for the disorderly activity was a signal to the Yerevan organizers to stage an occupation movement on Baghramyan Avenue, the central street leading to the Presidential Palace, and block it with a combination of garbage cans and a “living wall” on Wednesday. The Minister of Education and a few opposition MPs physically partook in this activity, indicating an emerging split within the government. The individuals behind the destabilization have since branded their movement ‘Electric Yerevan’, and this was a sign for their affiliated anti-government cells all across the country to simultaneously ‘come out’ and transform the capital’s protests into a nationwide rebellion.
Behind The Scenes
The coordinated nature of ‘Electric Yerevan’ and its disturbing similarities to EuroMaidan indicate that it’s turned into a Color Revolution. All such regime change attempts need an event to galvanize the public and provide a front opportunity for carrying out their coup activities, and the unpopular increase in electricity tariffs fulfilled this basic requirement. Since there’s an element of genuine protest involved, it creates a plausibly deniable cover under which to operate among a swarm of thousands of de-facto human shield protesters, which is yet another shared element it has with EuroMaidan. But the similarities don’t stop there, since ‘Electric Yerevan’ also involves a covert organizing network dedicated to regime change as well.
In early June, a shadowy organization called “Civic Contract” was finally inaugurated as an official political party in the country. The group is led by Nikol Pashinyan, an opposition member previously convicted of organizing mass disorders, who confidently proclaimed during his party’s founding congress that “We are setting up a party that does not intend to be in opposition for long and expects to assume power in the Republic of Armenia in the foreseeable future by gaining a popular vote of confidence”, and that “Our hope is the youth, we are here to open the way to the future for young people.” Part of his party’s appeal to this targeted demographic may lay in the fact that it’s a nihilistic organization that’s seemingly against everything (both the government and the present opposition), but it doesn’t say what it supports. It supposedly plans to unveil a platform closer to the 2017 parliamentary elections, but until then, it functions as an attractive magnet for all sorts of disenchanted individuals, no matter their complaints. This makes it a capable force in organizing anti-government activity, which has evidently been proven by the large-scale disturbances seen in recent days.
Pashinyan has become the most visible face of ‘Electric Yerevan’. He’s shuffled between numerous police stations to press for the release of his jailed supporters and he continuously offers comments to the media. In fact, he was the one who ordered that a ‘human wall’ be created and that “all former and current MPs, scholars, show-biz representatives, lawyers, reporters, religious representatives and other public figures to visit the standoff site.” Keeping in mind his party’s stated vision of quickly rising to power, it’s expected that he’ll press the Civic Contract-influenced mob to demand early elections before their scheduled 2017 and 2018 dates. If he teams up with his former allies in the Armenian National Congress minority opposition coalition (7 seats out of 131), some members of which walked out of the National Assembly yesterday to show solidarity with ‘Electric Yerevan’, and can attract even more parliamentarians to his cause, then this scenario is certainly feasible. Additionally, ‘civic initiatives’ like those protesting against the electricity hike have attracted the supportive attention of George Soros’ openDemocracy network even before the current debauchery, indicating that the notorious Color Revolution-associated billionaire and his association might be playing a guiding influence over events.
Geopolitical Ends
Like all Color Revolutions, the backers of ‘Electric Yerevan’ are motivated by concrete geopolitical interests. They want to install an anti-Russian government that would withdraw Armenia from the Eurasian Economic Union and break the historical friendship between both states, following the model spearheaded by EuroMaidan’s post-coup authorities. Pashinyan is highly critical of all aspects of Armenia’s special relationship with Russia and has experience with anti-government organizing, hence his present designation as de-facto leader of the Color Revolution. The US also wants to drag Russia into a renewed military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, using post-coup newly installed nationalists like Pashinyan to aggravate the situation with Azerbaijan to the point of open warfare, which Russia, with its Collective Security Treaty Organization obligations to Armenia and its 102nd military base in Gyumri, would inevitably be sucked into. The US failed to coax a disastrous Afghan-esque military intervention out of Russia in Ukraine after the EuroMaidan events, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t try to do the same thing in the Caucasus after a potentially successful ‘Electric Yerevan’.
Chaos is the US greatest export.
These will never stop, and the targets are plentiful.
What always amazes is how many nationals are willing to sell out their nation’s sovereignty and future economic success to become chattel for the Hegemon.
Who in the world leadership stood up with Armenians and brought recognition to the Genocide?
Putin and Russia.
Thus, these Armenians in the streets are double traitors to their people.
You can be certain, in their pockets are US dollars to pay for their protests.
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity
I’ve always wondered about that saying. It seems sensible until you look at it closely. What, never? That might be sound if it seemed that, in general, there was very little malice in the world. But in fact there’s quite a bit, so there’s good reason to keep the possibility of malice in mind.
And, how adequately? You can explain an awful lot of things fairly well with stupidity, but what if the fit isn’t quite as good? What if the steps required for stupidity to cause something are much more complex than those required for malice, so there’s an “Ockham’s Razor” argument for malice? What if the “malice” explanation is no more persuasive for the situation in isolation (given the facts you know) but fits very well with a broader malicious pattern that you are aware of?
Plus, just using the word “malice” prejudices the whole thing. It implies a senseless evil with no real motive as the only alternative to error when something bad happens. What if you instead said “Never attribute to pursuit of advantage that which is adequately explained by stupidity”? Well, that wouldn’t sound nearly so persuasive, now would it? Nobody’s going to buy a worldview that says nobody ever pursues their own advantage.
This is the perfect example (once again) of what weakness can lead to.It also is the perfect opportunity to reverse that policy.And end the US color revolution strategy forever.The government in Armenia needs to crush without mercy this revolt.Close the borders and airports.Trap the “color revolutionaries” and their foreign plotters in the country.Move in and arrest the lot of them.Charge them with treason and broadcast on TV their trials.Where they confess to working for outside forces,and name them.Imprison the foreign plotters for long prison terms.This is a matter of life and death in the ex-USSR countries.And if they want to survive they will strike back,and strike back hard.
Also nationalize that electric company they stupidly sold to the American company.Without compensation,might I add.
You said about what I was thinking. Target the leaders especially, and close down US embassy and organizations. Declare martial law right away and make it stick.
When negotiations were refused that nailed it as to what is happening. It’s an invasion.
yip, unless you cut of the “heads”, this will be another successful color revolution.
Refusal to negotiate certainly seems to indicate a covert agenda: to create a confrontation and conflict situation. This looks like something that should be nipped in the bud, decisively.
And the ringleaders taken into detention while all of their financial dealings and emails etc. are investigated.
Better to be labeled authoritarian (“words will never hurt me”) than to have your country driven in a ruinous direction. Any parent understands the role of appropriate disciplinary action; otherwise children grow up to be unruly adolescents.
BTW, re “words will never hurt me,” teh USA and its allies don’t seem to mind or be stopped by the true descriptive labels that are psted on them. Why should the Russians be so delicate? I wonder why the Russians don’t develop some kind of “Monroe Doctrine” to make things clearer to outside agitators . . .
Katherine
Yeah, broadly agreed with what people are saying here.
Now, in Venezuela the opposition recently tried something similar and the Venezuelan government followed a different path. They basically let the color guys set up barricades in various places and sit there, inconveniencing people, occasionally getting violent and so on . . . for months until everyone got sick and tired of them. Then after it was all over (and they’d gathered plenty of evidence) they arrested some of the ringleaders. The Americans, of course, still got on their case for human rights violations by counting all the National Guard shot as if they were protesters–but it was pretty obviously silly.
But the Venezuelan government could get away with that because the Venezuelan government is strong–it has the active support of a very large movement. So for instance, if there was ever any threat that the color boyz were going to march on the Presidential palace or something, the government could readily mobilize a counterdemonstration, like, five times as big or something. So the barricades had to stick to relatively non-strategic locations, typically in affluent districts. The only way it could have escalated very far would have been if the government overreacted. I suspect this government doesn’t have that kind of support and leeway to draw on, so it does not have the luxury of carefully containing the protests so they rot and burn out.
It is quite possible that elements of the “police”, “judges” etc have already been “bought” by CIA, this would explain why the people “in power” seems relatively clueless or “impotent” when color revolutions show up…
Hey, Uncle Bob,
You nailed it.
Thank you Andrew – I had just read this on Sputnik which may add to your article:
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150624/1023800067.html
They really should be protesting the US backed company that took over half the hydro-electric power and – no surprise – hiked up the price!
Regards,
Veritas
Nuland made a visit to Armenia a while ago, for private meetings with NGOs. Presumably the final dretails of the strategy were delivered.
Notice the similarity of the ‘Civic Contract’ (Armenia) website and the ‘Radio Svoboda’ (Ukraine) website.
http://www.azatutyun.am/
http://www.svoboda.org/
Finally check the ‘Radio Liberty’ (US propaganda outlet).
http://www.rferl.org/
These are all clones, indicating strong US infliuence behind Civic Contract
Thank you, Anonymous. That’s the first thing I thought when I looked at the first two links: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
Radio Svoboda is obviously related to Tahnybok’s Svoboda (Freedom) party. It was originally called something like the Social Nationalism party. The US media manipulators had it changed to Svoboda (Freedom) – after all who could possibly oppose freedom?
I think it is rather a translation from RFERL, as svoboda means ´freedom´. Don´t forget the name of the party ´svoboda´ is a name change from ´social nationalist party´ for PR reasons toward the west
In this context, ´freedom´ means freedom for multinationals, the neoliberals/ neocons.
Svoboda also means liberty (same word in slavic languages), which would be a literal translation of the original american name of the outlet.
Additionally, ‘civic initiatives’ like those protesting against the electricity hike have attracted the supportive attention of George Soros’ openDemocracy network even before the current debauchery, indicating that the notorious Color Revolution-associated billionaire and his association might be playing a guiding influence over events.
Well that’s all the proof I need right there!
No doubt, this is what’s going on.
I remember seeing a very well done Chinese YouTube video explaining the mechanics of color revolutions.
For the live of me, I can’t understand why all those targeted governments can produce that type of video and broadcast it on ALL networks in prime time.
That would do two things:
-It would teach the patriots how to be vigilant (recognizing the signs, etc.)
-It would cast a shadow of shame and suspicions on all the sheep participating in those mass demonstrations on frivolous motives.
I would love to see that video you mentioned!
“I can’t understand why all those targeted governments can produce that type of video and broadcast it on ALL networks in prime time”
The Central Banking cartel has is fingers in all nations cookie jars. No nations can defend itself from the mother of all wars, the financial wars the City of London and Wall Street can unleash any time. For this reason alone all nations are easily blackmailed by the bankster’s organized crime cartel.
I was wondering when the zionazis (Soros & co.) would get to Armenia. Being between Turkey and Azerbaijan, both themselves zionazi colonies (though not so assuredly as previous), Russia friendly Armenia was a definite irritant to the ZPC/NWO establishment that needed scratching.
Time for Armenia to hunt down the agents provocateurs and make fertiliser of them. All of them.
ah, may be that’s why I gave up on “democracy”….
BTW, seen a couple mentions the electric company who raised their prices is American owned, or dominated. Does anybody have any documentation of this?
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150624/1023800067.html
“Protests over electricity price hikes in Armenia follow the June 6 privatization of Armenia’s Vorotan Hydroelectric Cascade to private US holding company ContourGlobal, reportedly financed in part by the US government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).”
http://www.contourglobal.com
in 2014, they won an award from OPIC
https://www.opic.gov/blog/events/spotlight-on-opic-impact-award-winners-contourglobal
https://www.opic.gov
Looks to be the average greedy corporation awarded by do-good government BS use of greedy corporations.
Easily twisted to raise electric rates for dual purpose: make money and cause social unrest.
Particularly, since Russia owns most of the Armenian power sources.
The crowds are angry about the Russian base and military, the soldier who murdered some folks, and now electricity rate increase.
It will be a long hot summer.
I’m not sure it will take too many Nuland cookies to heat this one into big trouble.
FSB had better be in there directing things for Russian interests.
Thanks.
Just goes to show there is no “in between”. If you give in to the global financiers, but only part of the way, it doesn’t appease them it just gives them better leverage to turf you in favour of someone who’s owned more wholly. I really don’t understand why so many can’t seem to assimilate this, like all those “social democratic” parties in Europe who think they can get away with being neoliberal, but a little less neoliberal than Goldman Sachs want them to be.
Our favorite cookie monster (nuland) was just there so is this any surprise? The power companies sold out to western interest. The Baltic States and Poland all over. Sad.
Protestors flying EU flag – check.
40 secs into this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQeX_JeIeaA
Seriously – Armenia as European? My guess is the idiots taking part think regime change will give them entry into Europe – or Nudelman has told them so?
Police should break these things up and arrest the agitators and ‘leaders’ in the front — come in with whatever trucks and such are needed and overwhelm them, using whatever force is needed to restore order. This is not a “people’s protest”. Let the US say what they like — what is it going to do about? Start yet another war and bomb the country — they can’t get away with it now. As for legitimate complaints, offer to negotiate and deal with problems peacefully and politically, but that’s it — that’s what is supposed to happen in a democracy, not uproar in the streets with provocateurs.
Otherwise the government and country is destroyed anyway.
Other nations to be targeted had better prepare for these invasions now — expect them.
Wait, so it wasn’t the government, but a private corporation, that hiked the prices?
Privatisation was a terrible idea, but shouldn’t they be protesting the CORPORATION now?
The privatization of the company to ContourGlobal violated multiple Armenian laws, including Armenia’s laws on water resources and its privatization law. The deal, which required parliamentary approval to sell the holding, was negotiated on the executive level by the country’s president and its Ambassador to the US, Tigran Sargsyan.
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150624/1023800067.html
It appears that the Armenia’s president is just as stupid as Yanukovich and was not thinking about the consequences unless he was bought by the empire already.
Russia is awake to what’s going on in Armenia and will have prepared for this. Stirring up Armenia was an obvious move for the US given the ‘handmaiden of death’ Victoria Nuland visited Armenia in February this year.
What was she doing there? Clearly laying the groundwork for a color revolution!
It would be extremely naive to think Russia (& Armenia) were not following every move she made in Armenia and closely watching who she was associating with in Armenia to prevent any sort of color revolution taking place in Armenia.
There is no chance of a ‘successful’ color revolution in Armenia five this preparation.
Russia has called for a “legal” solution to the continuing standoff over electricity prices in Armenia and warned against a destabilization of the political situation in the South Caucasus country allied to it.
…
“We are very closely monitoring what is going on there and hope the situation will be settled in the near future in strict accordance with the law and that there will be no violations of the law,” Peskov said, according to the RIA Novosti agency.
Russia’s ambassador to Armenia, Ivan Volynkin, also reacted on Wednesday to the ongoing street protests in Yerevan against a controversial rise in electricity prices. “This situation can be settled only at a negotiating table, which is what has been repeatedly proposed by Armenian President Serzh Sarkissian,” Volynkin told journalists.
“We want to see a stable situation in Yerevan and Armenia in general and are against any conflicts here. Armenia can develop only in stable conditions,” he said in what appeared to be a warning addressed to scores of mostly young people demonstrating in Yerevan.
A civic group leading the protests has twice rejected Sarkissian’s offers to meet with its leaders and discuss their demands. It says that the president knows their views and should simply reverse the price hike.
Unlike the United States and the European Union, the Russian officials did not criticize the Armenian authorities for using force against protesters and some journalists on Tuesday morning.
If one is going to go to the trouble of posting many lines of material, the decent thing to do is source the material with where it originates from.
“There is no chance of a ‘successful’ color revolution in Armenia five this preparation.”
I’m not so sanguine. “Following every move…” is an academic exercise unless the govt took concrete steps to neutralize the threat. They had the Maidan example in front of them for almost 2 years, but apparently did nothing. At this stage, Electric Yerevan appears to be well underway and accelerating. Having sat on their hands, the govt’s options are reduced to the use of “excessive force” to stop it. I wonder if they have the stomach for it.
I rather suspect that alan on June 24, 2015 · at 9:47 pm UTC is correct. In addition to a strong 5th column in government, it is quite likely that the state security apparatus has also been compromised.
Does Armenia have special interior forces, and are they loyal to the state? If not, Armenia looks to be a goner frankly.
It’s not excessive force if they refuse to obey lawful orders to disperse, refuse to negotiate, and are fomenting revolution, threatening the existence of the country (end up like Libya, Ukraine, Iraq, etc.?).
And yes, the privatization and rate hike should be investigated and perhaps legally prohibited and reversed or modified, especially if given to foreign owners, but that can’t be allowed to destroy the (yet another) nation as the US continues it’s campaign to destroy real democracy under the pretense of bringing it’s neoliberal fake ‘democracy. It seems that most observant people understand what this is really about: the US infiltrating countries to take them over or destroy them. We already know how the US responds violently to protests and dissent within the US, and it has set precedents.
Sorry, this makes no sense. The organizers want to install an Anti-Russian government to withdraw from the EEU, and simultaneously drag Russia into a South Caucasus’ war to defend it? Why would an anti-Russian government allow Russia to keep a military base on its territory? The whole idea of a color revolution is to get NATO bases on its territory.
Please educate me if you see an error to my logic.
Excellent overview Andrew – thanks.
Wonder if the ‘electric’ revolutionaries – the foots, not the organizers – realize the ‘change’ they will really get is the neo-liberal ideology that wilk privatize even more public resources?
Which will lead to even greater hikes in public utilities?
The fact that Pashinyan has no ideological manifesto, much less an economic solution to resource-distribution definitely points to an agent provocateur. He is likely on a Soros-proxy pay-roll.
Now, will the Armenians wise-up and demand to know what his solutions are before he appropriates control?
As for the US Embassy’s concerns over police ‘brutality’ ..how about some tough Armenian journalists point out their ‘concerns’ might be better directed at their own turf, where 500 people have been killed by US cops for the first six months of this year alone?
I just cannot understand the insatiable appetite for US hypocrisy.
Andrew Korybko: Of course it is a color revolution…and what works is to organize a counter color revolution. Jeez. First of all secure the armed forces–have the Generals stand up to assure everyone that they will support legitimate government and process plus defend the borders and integrity of Armenia against undue outside influences as well as sneak attack etc. etc. Then, set up a fund for those who will be seriously impacted ( old, poor, pensioners etc) by the rate hikes and encourage Soros and those who can pay their own increased bills to throw in an extra $5 or so a month when they pay their bills. Make it like a domestic NGO and put someone impeccable in charge of it. Get creative and have nothing to hide and most of all DO NOT BE INDECISiVE..that is what almost killed Yanycovich.
It is the colossal failure of the imagination which will doom us all on this planet. Make some South Front videos ( quick, commission them now!) explaining the situation and then run them 24X7 on State TV network. Meet with the different student organizations—surely they are not all that united–and ask them what they would do—take it under advisement and get back to them. Divide the opposition.. set up a commission to study the problem, publicize it, put good people on it and put a deadline to report back to the people of Armenia. Is it that hard?
And if anyone comes in with snipers?—well if they don’t have a counter for that shady maneuver then perhaps they deserve to be colored over. No one in history has yet to set up popular people
s councils over an electric bill hike and it would make Armenia the laughing stock of the world if it happened there now.
Your program is wonderful, but presupposes a patriotic govt and that the game is just beginning. Indeed, a patriotic govt would have started such a program as soon as they saw Maidan, however, the evidence suggests Armenia has already been bought and sold.
Anon on June 24, 2015 · at 11:37 pm UTC posted this link http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150624/1023800067.html. The article is a little incoherent, but one can glean some salient facts.
Sargsyan sold the Vorotan Hydroelectric Cascade, generator of 50% of Armenia’s electricity, to an American company illegally. The parliamentary opposition objected, but was subsequently “restructured” and went quiet.
Despite a 23% profit rate, VHC’s new owners raised its selling prices to Electric Network of Armenia, the Russian-owned distributor. If the price hikes are rolled back at the distribution level, ENA will implode. No doubt, there’s a ready (American) buyer for its assets. That leaves the other hydro generator, Russian owned the Sevano-Radzan Cascade vulnerable.
Unless there’s a hidden “cunning plan” between the Kremlin and Yerevan, it looks like the US will get Armenia’s electrical system on the cheap. Once they have that hook in hand, they can lead Armenia where they will.
Your program would be valuable should any patriots arise wishing to start a Counter Colour Revolution. Perhaps the military would be involved, but as we know they’re almost as easily corrupted as politicians.
Mr Korybk0 stop spreading disinformation about the legitimate struggle of the Armenian youth. Armenia is not a vassal state of Russia nor it is an autonomous republic of Russian Federation. For the sake of good Russian-Armenian relations try to understand the issues very well and not look from Russia-US perspective. You are repeating the mistakes of Soviet journalists of 1980;s who could not understand the importance of the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh for the Armenians and spread wrong news and antagonized many Armenians. Whay are you hiding the corrupt nature of the Russian company, trying to refill its coffers a t the expense of the Armenian citizens. Armenia is going through important changes for the better. Remember well, by supporting corrupt and authoritarian regime in Armenia, you stand to harm Russian-Armenian relations. Please widen your scope. If this comment does not get published, then I am going to change my mind about the Vineyard of the Saker. So far, I respect the reporting, but as far as Armenia is concerned, the reporting on this site is biased and tends towards disinformation.
Sorry to rock your boat, but as we saw it is an AMERICAN company you’re talking about. Purchased illegitimately to boot.
“…Whay are you hiding the corrupt nature of the Russian company, trying to refill its coffers …”
You have been conned already.
The electric company got SOLD to a US-backed one, and it is that company that is putting up the prices. So a US backed private company increases prices, how do you guys blame Russia for that?
Good very detailed explanation of who owns what electricity in this saga. The GRID is Russian so people re blaming that, while one supplier (sold to US interests) is the one upping the prices.
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150624/1023800067.html
Googled the name
… interesting background information.
https://www.facebook.com/public/Antranig-Bedrossian
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[…]
International ramifications of the protocols
The major international forces, United States, Russia and the European Union, each acting according to their global and regional interests, are using the internal situation of Armenia in order to impose some kind of ‘settlement’ on the long standing issues between Turkey and Armenia, and proceed later, to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We note that this is not the first instance since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Attempts in early nineties, the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation Commission (TARC) in early 21st century, were actions taken by the American various administrations to channel the Turkish-Armenian issues in accordance with the American objectives and interests, aiming at excluding Russia from South Caucasus, securing pipeline interests for Western multinationals and constituting a platform for further penetration in Eurasia from the Caucasus.
What is the possible role of president Serj Sarkissian under these circumstances? By acquiescing to the demands of the international players, he hopes to gain a legitimacy from abroad, which he does not currently possess. And because of that same lack of legitimacy, willingly or unwillingly, he is a perfect tool in the hands of international players, like some heads of state of third world countries, who after being used by the international players, were later dumped.
[…]
Yes — tools in the hands of the international players — which are largely controlled by US / international corporations, who use local issues and dissatisfaction to ‘divide and conquer’, as has been frequently seen, infiltrating all factions and making the people and protesters tools too. Classic methodology and strategy for empires when taking over or destroying an area.
Remember that Duo went not so long ago for talks with Russia about Ukraine in Sochi?
Remember that queen Victoria Nuland stated that US was not interested in Ukraine (IMO, while finally they discovered they lost the plot), thanks to:
a)the Freedom fighters of South East Ukraine and
b)the clever politics used and in style by Russia/Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Putin as one United Front against “their Western Partners”‘ aggression?
You cannot and are not allowed to trust US and its “peaceful” statements. Their statements are meant as opium for the world.
In the meantime queen Nuland had planned and organised the next color revolution, this time in Armenia. Armenia Government, do not give in to these socalled demonstrators.
All the hallmarks of Kiev are present. Better be called harsh after reaction than loosing your country in war and destruction to UK/US/NATO.
(Soros) George and his gang will never rest. They have plenty of areas in mind to keep targeting Russia. Chaos is their peace and profit.
Nuland and other tribe members do not work for the interests of the USA, it is a front they have created the so called hegemony. They work for the Chabad-Lubivitchers, the same people who own the FED, the people who want a Khazar 2.0. Their mortal enemy are the Rus and Persians.
RT interviews Paul Craig Roberts on the color revolution in Armenia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPQNmO38nTw&feature=youtu.be
Why do they even stooping down to dignifying with attention what the Jewnited States is saying?
Are Armenian Protests Aimed At Russia?
Paul Craig Roberts
As I expected, protests have broken out in the capital of Armenia. The pretext is a rise in electricity rates. Apparently, the rise was not budget-breaking, which puts the pretext under suspicion. Moreover, videos of the protesters show an overwhelming young component, which suggests that the protesters are not the ones who pay the electricity bills.
The protest may be innocent and legitimate, but on the surface looks yet again like National Endowment for Democracy-funded NGOs calling the gullible and naive students into the streets.
Even if the protest is innocent, Washington will jump on it in order to turn it to Washington’s purpose.
Protests are Washington’s method of putting pressure on governments that do not adhere to Washington’s foreign policy and of effecting regime change, as in the former Georgian and Ukrainian provinces of Russia and the Soviet Union.
“Color revolutions” and regime change are the purpose of the National Endowment for Democracy. This US government agency was set up in 1983 in order to spread political dissent in Soviet Eastern Europe. NED is funded by the federal budget via the Department of State.
Washington has its NGOs in all former constituent parts of the Soviet Union and inside Russia herself. By using “color revolutions” or, as in the case of Ukraine, regime change via an outright coup, Washington removes governments friendly to Russia and replaces them with its vassals. Once Russia’s periphery is in Washington’s hands, Washington will begin to break up the Russian Federation itself.
The Russian people and their government have been slow to understand this threat to their sovereignty. Having emerged from the authoritarian rule of the Communist Party, Russians thought that their country would be welcomed and supported by the United States. Russia would be as long as Russia is willing to be a US vassal like all of Europe, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
Once the Russian government acted in defense of its national interest and international law and blocked Washington’s intentions against Syria and Iran, the neoconservatives shifted their focus from the Middle East to Russia. Having spent $5 billion cultivating Ukrainian politicians and financing NGOs in Ukraine, Washington grabbed Ukraine while the Russian government, trusting to Western good will, was focused on the Sochi Olympics.
Washington has used its coup in Kiev to foment an European-Russian crisis that harms Europeans more than Russia, but serves to keep Europe under Washington’s thumb. The Russian government’s response to the crisis has not been sufficiently strong to make Europeans see the error of their ways.
The weak Russian response, relying on diplomacy which Washington has rejected and replaced with force, has encouraged Washington to further surround Russia with regime changes. Armenia was predictable, as is Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan would be the big prize as the country also borders China. Indeed, if Washington can grab Kazakhstan, Washington will also have Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan, all of which sits atop Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As far as I can tell, a number of influential Russians believe that their prestige and self-esteem depend on being a part of the West. Russians of this ilk are willing to give up Russian independence for Western acceptance. These are the Russians on whom Washington is relying. And these Russians are Russia’s main enemy.
What defeats me is the ineptitude of the politicians faced by these colour revolutions. The obvious response is to:
i) suspend the planned electricity price hike (removing the original cause for the protest)
ii) launch criminal investigation over the privatisation – the root cause of the problem
iii) follow the Russian examples of squeezing out foreign NGOs.
iv) launch a relentless propaganda campaign highlighting the basket case that has become Ukraine since their own colour revolution.
Instead they decide to try and impose their authority via the police and army which only galvanises the protesters and guarantees the downfall of the government.
Strange expectations, being that this very government sold the elec company to the US and is the actual suspect to be investigated.
I suppose they all got some nice pieces of land in Chile or such already.
Historically, police action, and violence by ‘goons’ — company hired militia (such as Pinkerton) is rather effective in thwarting uprising of people, legitimate or not. Non-violent and informational actions is effective in changing things over time where as disruption must be truly massive to be effective — but then counter-revolution kicks in as well as abuses by the revolutionaries who generally turn to be just as corrupt, repressive and authoritarian, or more so, than the original company or government.
The one advantage of government repression of mass movements is that it buys the government some time by discouraging people from disrupting. As we have seen from imperialist history, however, movements involving genuine and legitimate popular dissatisfaction get hijacked by foreign governments or rival gangs and corporations. We saw it in El Salvador, Ukraine, Libya, with ISIS, and the attempt in Russia, and now in Syria, and Armenia. It’s standard strategy for the US empire. When this happens it may well be that government scheduled to be overthrown is legitimate while the ‘color revolutionaries’ are tools of the empire.
The US may fund, train, and arm both (or multiple) factions just to get everyone fighting chaotically and then move in after to pick over the bones like vultures (‘vulture capitalism’). We all need to be aware of how this works.
Keep in mind there is a heavy zionist/israeli influence in Armenia, much like as there is in the Ukraine, (even though there are few Jews in Armenia – it’s not a Jewish thing, it’s geo-political/economic) when trying to decipher weird Armenian moves that seem counter-productive and illogical.
One of the first colour “revolution” was in China in spring 1989. Deng Xiaoping did exactly what needed to be done when he crushed it completely after trying first to negotiate with the traitors.
I wish the ex soviet countries would follow this blueprint but they seem much too week for this.
How come?
China and Russia were never fully slaves to the Central Banking cartel. Only Syria, North Korea and Iran share this rare characteristic.
Music. Music. Music.
Protests are always held in fairly obvious places. So the Government should install huge powerful loudspeakers in those areas, ideally hidden or disguised.
If people start getting silly, play them some eerie “UFOs landing” type of crazy sound, fluctuating so after a bit they have to keep quiet to work out what it is (or if it exists at all).. Accompanied by a few police helicopters, this sound just might be some mystery new weapon, who knows?
If they start running and hurling things play them MARCHING MUSIC. Very hard to resist keeping in time with it. Drop it down into a slow arm in arm side to side swaying type of ballad, culturally appropriate, ideally one with easy words everyone knows. Hypnotise them into dreamily drifting away in peace.
Arrest anyone wearing earplugs.
The empire has them now:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/08/14/lrad_long_range_acoustic_device_sound_cannons_were_used_for_crowd_control.html
in place of armenian government i would switch off electricity to all. until everybody goes home. if people think that everything around belong to 21 st century is God given, then they can ask Him for lower prices. it was not good in Libya where electricity was free for all and there is not good now in Armenia where people have to pay for electricity. government has to be honest with people. if government think that is some colour revolution underway it has to inform loud protesters about that conclusion and that it would have to use extreme force to suppress protests to save country. so last useful idiot in crowd would know exactly what would happen in case of violence.
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/electric-yerevan-will-not-change-armenias-pro-russian-orientation/ri8310
Good article by Mercouris:
‘Electric Yerevan’ Will Not Change Armenia’s Pro-Russian Orientation
Attempted “colour revolution” in Armenia runs so far counter to Armenia’s national interests that its ultimate failure is a certainty.
Alexander Mercouris
9 hours ago |
Another piece of disinformation. This is a public protest, it is not a failure nor it is an orange revolution. The country belongs to the people not to the oligarchs who control the state institutions. Disinformation emanating from Russian and Ukrainian sources is counterproductive. That again shows that Russian media and analysts do not understand or do not want to understand the legitimacy of public protests and seek vainly the hand of Washington. This counterproductive stance by some Russian circles angers many Armenians in Armenia and in the Diaspora and provides food for thought. Who benefits from this. The Americans, who appear to be the good guys. Both Mercouris and Korybko should visit Armenia, get acquainted with the situation, learn history of Armenia and get informed about the aspirations of its people, before making judgments and conclusions.
@AB
You might try reading the Sputnik article – probably the best primary source of the Kremlin’s perspective – before jumping to conclusions yourself. Most other ‘Russian’ perspectives are personal/peripheral.
And the Kremlin is not the cause of Armenia’s electricity bill hike.
The most salient aspect of this protest is that it is a response to symptom – increase in energy bills – not to cause – privatization of public utilities/resources.
Why did the protest not take place when the illegitimate sale was originally made
There is absolutely no point in protesting merely the symptom.
A comparison:
The Irish government allowed a semi-private company to be set up to manage and supply water, which would be financed by charges to users. But there already is a national delivery/management system in place, paid for by taxes.
The necessary infrastructure upgrade should not have necessitated any dilution of public ownership. That was a political decision.
A protest movement started. More than a hundred thousand marched on the Dail (Irish gov.) The President (who has the power of legislative veto) and government deputies were heckled. Various concessions were made. But the company is yet to be disbanded, because that solution is political/legal. Most haven’t paid the charges. The issue is ongoing.
Because the Irish gov follows neo-liberal EU policy, the country is not targeted for colour revolution. The Irish Water debacle will, however, have Left-leaning political outcomes as the socialist Sinn Fein have been hostile to its set-up from inception.
The point?
Where were the protests against the * sale* of a public utility (illegal under Armenian law) ? Why merely protest the inevitable outcome which is increased prices? That’s why it points to a colour revolution scenario, particularly as the main opposition political figure is not making clear whether he opposes privatisation of public utilities ideologically, this sale in particular, or merely using popular discontent as political leverage for personal gain.
It’s not just the Russians (Kremlin) who bro wondering.
When the sale was made,there was no civil society in post soviet Armenia, as part of the soviet legacy. There is new generation and the civil society is showing signs of getting organized and formalize its demands. This is just the beginning. There are calls for nationalization of the company. Armenia needs a Chavez style leader who would take majority control or nationalize foreign-owned assets. All post soviet countries, including Russia, have similar problems and symptoms, also accounting for national peculiarities. The example of Iceland are Ireland are now being discussed by many university youth. Any repressive measures taken by holders of power (oligarchy and their supportive state bureaucracy) will only strengthen the determination of the new generations and their parents to resist further. This new generation of youth will mature by the time, will get experience and bring about changes in Armenia, that is long awaited by people of Armenia and the Diaspora. Russians must change their course of supporting the corrupt regime in Armenia and stop labeling every local move as a Maidan set up by Washington or Mrs Nuland. I have read the article in Sputnik, it is not convincing as it put the problem within RUSSIA-USA perspective. There were more than price hikes before, all before the takeover of the Vorodan Energy production company by the Americans. Sputnik article ignores this and persists in seeing the invisible hand of the Americans.The same criticism goes for the article by Paul Craig Roberts who does not know Armenia and is unaware of the realities in the country. Both Russians and Americans will face Armenian resistance should they try to press for suppression of the protest (Russian side) or try to create a Maidan with anti-Russian colors (American side). Large segments of Diaspora are supporting the move and will oppose suppression of protests by police brutality.
@AB
Thanks for your illuminating reply.
Your response is similar to the one I got from a Macedonian in the wake of anti-government protests in Macedonia.
It is good to know Armenians want to stamp out corruption and even better that they understand the importance of keeping natural resources/public utilities under electorate control/national ownership.
But it is equally important that they educate themselves about geopolitical dimensions. Such dimensions are often obscured by the issue of internal corruption. Most oligarchys are operating in a transnational context. Local placemen get financial leverage from transnational banks, who then manipulate internal weakness politically. ( The post-Soviet space saw this opportunism in spades, with much that was valuable being effectively looted by global operators.)
This is exactly what happened in the Ukraine. The subsequent corruption of its homegrown oligarchy made conditions ripe for Maidan. But the poison fruit of the European Association Agreement wasn’t taken by the otherwise-corrupt president. The globalists (who control EU structures, especially the Commission) didn’t expect that, so a violent coup was initiated. And now look at the situation: resistance from the South East has exposed much of the machinations that once been palmed off by the Western media as ‘spontaneous.’. The country has gone from the bread-basket of Europe to jury plain basket -case.
Control over the Earth’s resources is the international oligarchy’s end-game. Sovereignty means nothing, as a series of open invasions – Iraq, Libya – and covert destabilization – Syria, the Ukraine, the Balkans (Macedonia most recently) clearly show. All are pawns in the move to dominate energy-supply. The chief axis of control, through a combination of political/economic subversion and military intervention is Washington/Tel Aviv /Riyadh, with London providing money-laundering service through the City. A sound analysis of Armenia ‘s likely geopolitical relevance to this energy cartel is essential to protect against manipulations.
The loss of countless lives and an emigration crisis will otherwise be the likely legacy.
Ask the Latin Americans about colour revolutions. They have long experience of El Norte”s sense of ongoing colonial ‘entitlement’.
Good to see Chavez is a role-model: the Venezuelans know the Empire of Chaos better than anyone.
“The Americans, who appear to be the good guys”
Not at all, to me — but rather as yet another typical US imperialist attack, which divides people regardless of what some of the reasons are behind the differences in factions, legitimate or not, may be. This is especially so when a US corporation is involved.
Just marching in the street accomplishes nothing when the marchers shut down communications by refusing negotiations. This has Nuland, Otpor, and company, written all over it. To think that the Americans will be the ‘good guys’ in any of these things is as ridiculous as thinking that the mice in the house are there just to help Cinderella sew clothing. It’s a fairy tale.
Local experience shows that dragging in negotiations with corrupt criminal oligarchs, who control the state paves the way for treacherous results. Popular struggles do not negotiate but through direct democracy achieve people’s will.
There are still relatively few people marching, so it would hardly be democratic if the government just gave in to demands. It’s direct democracy with a minority, and not by marching in the street. Negotiations can use the threat of growing popular dissatisfaction, if it’s there, but that’s after negotiations fail. The proper procedures and order needs to be followed for democracy to work or one ends up with chaos, breakdown of law, or maybe color revolutions, coups and regime change, and civil war — which the US would love here.
An article looking at the Armenian unrest from an Iran-Armenia relations angle:
http://www.online-translator.com/url/widetranslation.aspx?pName=mobileapps&url=http://news.day.az/politics/591462.html&template=General&direction=re&prmtlang=en
The source of this aticle is Azeri media, therefore it is obvious why they write in this tone. There is no occupation. Armenian Artsakh (NKR) is liberated from Azeri domination, which was aranged by Stalin, in Soviet-Turkish secret deals. Now the correction is done. Karabakh Armeniasn are the natives of those lands and they are de facto independent, with the support of Armenia and the world Armenian diaspora. No retreat from the position of self determination of peoples.
This is bad!!! Very bad. Serj in an ass hole, but color revolution will end Armenian as we know it!!! Stop the NWO!