How Do You Prepare for War?

The New York Times has just published an article titled 'Frozen Conflict' Between Azerbaijan and Armenia Begins to Boil. The entire article is a pity piece for Azerbaijan's refugees who have been brainwashed by anti-Armenia propoganda to believe that the "cursed Armenians" are responsible:

Though conditions vary widely and some resettlement is now taking place, a visit to a dormitory in Baku found children growing up in squalor. Roughly 100 refugees were living along a dank, fetid hallway, on one floor of a former office building. Three rough, foul-smelling holes in the concrete floor served as toilets for 21 families, residents said. The hallway was open to the elements, exposing residents to bitter cold in the winter. In the summer, mosquitoes breed in stagnant water in the building’s basement, rising in a cloud to the floors above them, they said.

“They cannot stand it anymore, they want war,” said Jamila, 41, of her neighbors. “They don’t believe the promises anymore.”

The journalist either irresponsibly or quite intentionally neglected the Armenian side to this story. Unfortunately it seems to be the case where the side who screams the loudest for attention wins. Armenians don't want war, nor do they spew out hate propoganda towards the Azeris. Surprisingly, I find Armenians to be somewhat peaceful towards our neighbors to the East.

The irony is that every talking point the Azeris provide seem to be replicas of our own in our claims of genocide against Turkey. There's one big difference. We suffered genocide. Every legitimate historian in the world will agree, and some may provide evidence. Your refugees mirror our refugees who suffered the Sumgait pograms and escaped Baku. Azerbaijan did not suffer a genocide. The Armenian government did not order their men to find every man, woman and child of Azeri heritage and wipe them out, as did the Turks to Armenians. It was war. There were terrible losses on both sides which are all truly regretful.

The author did not allow comments which leads me to believe that he knows just what people have to say in response to his poorly written article, and he has no interest in hearing it. This with the bias portrayal of a highly complex conflict leads me to believe one thing: this is a planted article with the deliberate intent of sparking new conflict. It's very convincing, too:

It is tempting to forget about the “frozen conflicts.” The enclaves of Nagorno-Karabakh, Transdniester in Moldova, and Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia are among the most headache-inducing legacies of the Soviet Union. The Soviets granted them a sort of semi-statehood, a status that ceased to exist just as nationalism flared in the ideological void. But the 2008 war in Georgia serves as a reminder of how quickly and terribly they can come unfrozen.

No Ms. Barry, YOU serve as a reminder of how quickly and terribly they can come unfrozen by publishing such articles like this one.

No citizens wants war, I am sure of it. I guarantee you that absolutely no one in Armenia wants war. I'm quite sure if their government provided proper housing for the refugees, perhaps one of Aliyev's mansions around the world, the refugees would not want war either. So what is this article about? Is this a game being played out by the US and Russia? Does Aliyev need anger management? Whatever the truth is, the reality on the ground is that the people are bracing themselves for war, just 17 years after a ceasefire. And how does one prepare for war? What do you do? What happens to businesses, do they close down? Will the banks remain open? Do I need to arm myself? It amazes me that in today's day and age, I am actually thinking this way. I would have figured the human race would have found a way by now to make war obsolete.