Monte melkonian biography books

When Azerbaijan went to war this week with Armenia over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, it might have appeared as an obscure conflict with little resonance outside the south Caucasus.

Until you turned to the Twitter account of one of the most famous people in the world, Kim Kardashian.

Or that of her husband, Kanye West. Metal fans might have seen tweets about the war from Serj Tankian, the lead singer of System of a Down. If you missed those, there were also posts by Alexis Ohanian Sr, the founder of Reddit and husband of Serena Williams, and former Arsenal footballer Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The prominent names were among members of the Armenian diaspora who sprang into action when the conflict erupted on Sunday morning, publicising Armenia’s cause in its long-running dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory that is legally Azeri but has been run by a self-declared government of ethnic Armenians since

Armenia has a population of about 3 million people.

But its diaspora, concentrated in the US, with significant hubs in Lebanon, Australia, France and Russia, extends to at least double that size. Woven deeply into its culture are the events of , when historians estimate as many as million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in a campaign widely consider by scholars (and stridently denied by Turkey) to be genocidal.

Generations of displacement has nurtured a resilient national identity-in-exile, and a powerful political machine to match.

Its heart is southern California, with an Armenian-origin population of at least , people, according to one estimate, though Armenian advocacy groups say their numbers are twice as many in Los Angeles county alone.

“In a city like LA … you have Armenian schools, Armenian businesses, Armenian churches,” said Alex Galitsky, from the LA-based Armenian National Committee of America’s western region.

“Someone could grow up living in LA and never be exposed to anything other than Armenian culture.”

“In the consciousness of the Armenian diaspora, the reason for our community’s existence in these places outside of Armenia is directly a result of the genocide,” Galitsky added.

Since the outbreak of fighting on Sunday – which many analysts say appears to have been instigated by Azerbaijan, albeit after months of tensions being ratcheted up on both sides – Armenian lobby groups have been holding protests, asking Armenian-Americans to lobby their representatives and briefing congresspeople and the media.

Azerbaijan sees the conflict as an effort to reclaim land illegally occupied by Armenian separatists, who forcibly displaced about 7% of its population – roughly , people – when they took control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas during a s war.

For Armenians, the involvement of Turkey in backing Azerbaijan has confirmed their view that it is an existential conflict.

Monte melkonian biography books in order Embattled Dreamlands. A clean white screen returns my gaze. The most famous of them, Monte Melkonian of Vesalia, California, became a legend in Karabakh and Armenia by the time he was killed in fighting in June ; an estimated 50, people including the Armenian President, Ter-Petrosyan attended his funeral in Yerevan. Melkonian was an Armenian nationalist and a revolutionary socialist.

“We view this as a continuation of the genocide,” Galitsky said.

In recent years, the Armenian government has stepped up efforts to persuade the diaspora to resettle in the country. Birthright Armenia – which is modelled on a similar Israeli organisation – has since helped to pay for young diaspora Armenians to live and volunteer in the country.

About 50, diaspora Armenians have moved to the country since , according to Repat Armenia, an NGO that assists with the resettlement.

Those numbers have surged by 15, since a peaceful revolution in , according to one estimate.

Since the start of the Syrian civil war, about 22, Syrians of Armenian origin have also resettled in the south Caucasus, according to the Migration Service of Armenia. Many have made their new homes in Nagorno-Karabakh – a trend considered highly provocative and an “illegal settlement policy” by Azerbaijan.

Some of the Armenians who return to the Caucasus do more than settle.

Monte melkonian biography books A song from the bride! I'd rather be a terrorist". My Brother? Article Talk.

During the s war with Azerbaijan, many formed ragtag fighting units that took an active part in the war. One of those who returned wasMonte Melkonian, who was born in California and learned Armenian only as an adult, but died in the battle for Nagorno-Karabakh in Melkonian is considered a national hero.

The fighting this week is the latest spur for many young diaspora Armenians to return.

“As diaspora everyone feels the same: we have been waiting for this moment our whole lives,” said one Armenian law student born and raised Beirut, Lebanon, who is leaving for the Armenian capital, Yerevan, next week.

“The idea of fighting for the motherland is very romantic and we are raised with that,” he said. “If the perpetrators of genocide are back we have to go back to the battle field, we don’t have a choice.

“When I say that I mean that could be picking up a gun, helping with logistics, doing aid or water deliveries to [Nagorno-Karabakh’s main city] Stepanakert.

I don’t want to say that I’m going to go and pick up a gun and go to the frontline. But I am definitely a step closer to it. I know a lot of people who are doing that.”

Galitsky discusses the phenomenon of returning to take up arms carefully – inciting people to join foreign militias is a serious offence in many jurisdictions.

Biography books for 4th graders It is totally irrational and illogical. When Perestroika and Glastnost present the opportunity for Monte? Melkonian spent over three years in Fresnes and Poissy prisons. I slide my right index finger over my cell phone, up and down, right and left.

But he acknowledges it happens in Armenian diaspora communities in France and the US, too.

“It’s a tricky situation because of the legal issues around it, but we’ve seen diaspora brigades in the past, especially from Syria, Lebanon and France mobilise and go to Armenia. I’ve anecdotally heard reports of people from our communities here returning [to Armenia].”

“It is not surprising” he continued.

“I think a lot of people see themselves as bearing some responsibility for the defence of our nation.”