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NEW & SOCIAL MEDIAIN ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION
Onnik Krikorian
Caucasus Regional Editor, Global Voices Online
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org
[email protected]
[email protected]
What is Global Voices?
Global Voices is a community of more than 300 bloggers and translators around the world who work together to bring you reports from blogs and citizen media everywhere, with emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily heard in international mainstream media.Global Voices is translated into more than 15 languages by volunteer translators, who have formed the Lingua project. Additionally, Global Voices has an Advocacy website and network to help people speak out online in places where their voices are censored. We also have an outreach project called Rising Voices to help marginalized communities use citizen media to be heard.
Global Voices Family
Global Voices
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org
Rising Voices
http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/
Global Voices Advocacy
http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/
Background
Armenia
February 2008 presidential election left 10 dead
Media censored during a 20-day state of emergency
Azerbaijan
Foreign radio stations taken off the air in January 2009
Arrest and imprisoned of two video blogging youth activists
Georgia
August 2008 war with Russia
Internet fastest and cheapest in region
Regional Developments
Growth in Internet penetration and mobile Internet
Emergence of progressive youth movements in Azerbaijan as well
as alternative voices in Armenia and Georgia
Impressive use of new/social media by alternative voices in
Azerbaijan as Internet penetration rapidly increases
$4 million USAID in Armenia for alternative resources in the media over the next four years
Obstacles to Peace
Civil society ineffective in outreach
Mistaken notion that Armenians and Azeris are ethnically incompatible put into widespread circulation
Communicating with the 'enemy' discouraged
Political forces in Armenia and Azerbaijan exploit Nagorno Karabakh conflict for short-term domestic political gain
Media generally perpetuates negative stereotypes of the 'enemy'
Media practices self-censorship
Stereotyping the 'enemy'
[A] negative context [is set] in the public consciousness, which
hinders dialogue and mutual understanding [] Without more accurate
and unbiased information [] free of negative rhetoric and
stereotypes, Armenians and Azerbaijanis will continue to see
themselves as enemies without any common ground.
Report on media in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Caucasus Resource
Research Center
Another Perspective
Nowhere in the world can you find two groups of people closer to
each other. That is why we often have these stupid disputes between
Armenians and Azeris. "This house is Armenian" or "this house is
Azeri." Or "this music is Armenian or Azeri." This is exactly
because the two have so much in common. [...] I normally say, and
people don't like this, that Armenians are just Christian Azeris
and Azeris are just Muslim Armenians. That is how much they are
alike.
Azerbaijani journalist, Re-arming the Caucasus, Al Jazeera
English
Digital media and conflict
Throughout history, war has affected media, with conflict often creating an information void. In the 21st century, media has begun to affect war more than ever before. Digital media technologies [...] have increased communication and information dissemination in conflict settings [...]. These new tools can be used to foment violence or to foster peace, and it is possible to build communication systems that encourage dialogue and nonviolent political solutions.
Ivan Sigal, Global Voices Online Executive Director, Digital media in conflict-prone societies, Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA)
Catalyst for change
Increased use of Facebook, Twitter, and blogs such as Flying
Carpets and Broken Pipelines
(http://www.flyingcarpetsandbrokenpipelines.blogspot.com)
Global Voices Online coverage
Arrest, detention and eventual imprisonment of Azeri video
blogging youth activists, Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli
Discovery of existing, but unknown, Armenian-Azeri online/offline relationships and networks. Natural growth in communication
Potential use of online tools for fact-checking by journalists in Armenia and Azerbaijan
Crossing the ceasefire line
Facebook, Internet chat, email
Skype for secure communication
Skype for interviews
Online discussion of common problems
Twitter Contact
Potential
Viral nature of online, social media
Civil Society needs contacts for its conflict resolution,
simulation, transformation programs
Increased communication and networking
Cooperation in Georgia and other third countries, such as a project on Armenian and Azerbaijani co-existence in Georgia
http://www.oneworld.am/diversity/
http://peace.facebook.com
Words of caution
New media tools will certainly help in getting people better acquainted with each other, but at the same time can also be used to reaffirm existing biases. Just search on the Internet for Armenian and Azerbaijani web sites and you can find a lot of trash and very harmful discourse from nationalist websites. Im mildly optimistic, but at the same time think we should be very cautious about what we find on the Internet as well.Bart Woord, International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) Secretary General
Holistic approach
I think you cant do it just with social media tools, but as weve
seen over the past 15 years, you definitely cant do it by meeting
in Tbilisi for a weekend every summer. It becomes an entertainment
and Ive had experience with those conferences in Georgia where its
just one big coffee break and a waste of money. However, I think
that both approaches combined could propel things along.
Micael Bogar, Projects Manager at the American University's Center
for Social Media
What next?
I would very much like to see more debate among bloggers in
Armenia and Azerbaijan. We really need some kind of initiative for
this because I would really like to see borders opened and conflict
resolved. My mother says that when she went to school she had
Armenians among her friends. I would very much like myself or my
children when they grow up to be able to say the same kind of thing
to their children.
Arzu Geybullayeva, Regional Analyst and Flying Carpets and Broken
Pipelines blogger
Recent developments
http://threatened.globalvoicesonline.org/
Barcamp Yerevan
Yerevan, Armenia, 4-6 June 2010