These questions are analyzed in the next episode of the program “Dilemma”, dedicated to security issues, by Mikayel Zolyan, PhD in history and publicist, Edgar Vardanyan, political scientist and independent researcher, and Areg Kochinyan, head of the Research Center on Security Policy.
- What are the main fears of Armenian society?
- Which of our fears are rational, and which are irrational, and why?
- Which fears trouble nearly the entire population?
- What are the key factors that shape the fears of our society?
- What is the social function of fear, and how do certain external forces exploit our fears and influence public opinion?
- Do broad sections of Armenian society still view Russia as an allied country?
- What are the main fears present in Azerbaijani society?
Edgar Vardanyan
“Many people stated as a result of the research that Russia is not our ally. This is a phenomenal result, something that would have been unimaginable a few years ago. This means we must note that there has been a radical change in public perceptions and understandings.”
Mikayel Zolyan
“On one hand, we scare ourselves by saying, ‘Such a thing could happen,’ and based on those fears, we take certain actions or, conversely, refrain from acting, resulting in exactly what we were afraid of. I believe we are dealing with the irrational nature of fear. Fear itself can serve a certain positive function, as it warns us that there is a problem; however, when that fear becomes excessively strong and starts to dictate all your actions, you can no longer respond adequately to threats. Unfortunately, I see this trend in Armenian society today.”
Areg Kochinyan
“I believe that in our case, the issue is that this instinct, this fear, which has an irrational nature, is being exploited, and exploited maliciously.
Half-truth is the most dangerous lie, because it is undeniable that it contains clear truths. It is clear, for example, that the Armenian people have been subjected to genocide, and it is evident that there have been very few crimes of that magnitude in the history of humanity. All of this is clear, and no one questions it.
But for instance, how clear is it that the Russians are preventing the recurrence of genocide? I believe that is absolutely not clear. Or how clear is it that it is only those 2,000 Russian soldiers standing on the Armenian side of the Araks River who are blocking the Turkish army from crossing? I think this is also absolutely not clear.
And this is the problem: by using half-truths, where the first part of the statement or thought is correct, relevant, and justified, but the second part is absolutely untrue, it grossly exploits the legitimacy of the first part.”
