TERROR AS A NATIONAL POLICY

Research shows that Armenian terrorism, which is part of international terrorism, has existed for over 100 years. Back in 1982, the term "Armenian terrorism" was officially used in the monthly bulletin of the US State Department. However, despite the fact that over three decades have passed since Armenian terrorism was recognized, no particular efforts have been made to fight the phenomenon. R+ has interviewed Christopher Gunn, historian and research fellow at the Florida State University to discuss sources of Armenian terrorist organizations and their role in the Karabakh war. Mr Gunn is a researcher of Armenian terrorism.

- Tell us about your research on Armenian terrorism and its roots. What sparked your interest to the topic?

- My interest to research Armenian terrorist organizations of the 1970s and 1980s, in particular, the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's terrorist wing, who are also known as the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) and the Armenian Revolutionary Army (ARA), was accidental. I was researching the crisis in Cyprus of 1974 when I came across the reference to "Armenian terrorism". This was something I had not heard anything about before. The more I delved into the topic, the more engaging it was becoming. In 1982, the US administration recognized these Armenian groups as representing a great terrorist threat yet now it seems nobody remembers about this today. The IRA, ETA (Basques), Baader-Meinhof, the Red Brigades, Black September, PFLP, Abu Nidal - all of these groups are still discussed, but Armenian terrorism has gone into oblivion. I was lucky to have been able to obtain thousands of documents from the US State Department, the FBI, as well as from the CIA to a lesser extent, which enabled me to form a sufficiently clear picture about the origins and the operation of these organizations.

- What can you say about the role of Armenian terrorist organizations in the Karabakh war?

- By the time the issue of Karabakh began to capture the undivided attention of the Armenian diaspora, Armenian terrorism had essentially run its course. ASALA was disorganized and its leaders were either dead (Akop Akopyan was murdered in Athens in April 1988), or in prison (such as Melkoyan in France). Therefore, the Karabakh crisis proved an opportune moment as it provided them with the first opportunity to score a symbolic victory: claim lands for Armenia. The problem attracted terrorists from ASALA who had been chased out of Western Europe. The collapse of Communism meant that Eastern Europe could no longer offer them asylum and Beirut was also proving an unsafe place for them. Armenia was the only place that was not only ready to accept them but to welcome them as heroes. I could identify at least eight ASALA veterans who arrived in Armenia at the time to participate in Karabakh combats. Their actual number was certainly more.

The ARF's terrorists are much harder to identify as this is a rather big and diverse organization. In addition, it was almost impossible to say with certainty which representatives of the diaspora who arrived in Armenia to participate in the war were veterans of JCAG or APA.

Despite this, I think that their role was insignificant in the conflict, particularly those from ASALA. Monte Melkoyan was the most notorious member of the group. However, given that these terrorists who had been murdering innocent civilians across North America, Europe, the Middle East and even Southeast Asia for many years, eventually became national heroes, I would say that the war in Karabakh gave the terrorists much more than they gave in return.

- Is it possible to say that ASALA, which was formerly well known for its terrorist attacks against Turkish diplomats and Azerbaijani citizens, is still alive? What can be the main target of Armenian terrorists today?

- I think ASALA, which existed in the 1970s and 1980s, died together with Akop Akopyan (also known as Arutyun Takoshyan) in April 1988. All ideological leaders and founders of the organizations are also dead: Simon Simonyan (1986), Gevork Achemyan (1977) and James Karsunyan (1998).

In addition, after 9/11, such organization as ARF, will lose a lot from legal, as well as the public relations viewpoint, if they resume terrorist acts. Despite the FBI's firm belief that ARF was behind JCAG and APA, as far as I know, ARF never officially admitted its links with the terrorist organizations.

In addition, the conditions that would allow them to carry out the attacks, such as the bipolar Cold War system, d?tente, the collapse of the Lebanese state, Turkey's closeness to a civil war, the Cyprus issue, embargo on arms supplies, success and force of the Greek and Armenian lobby, etc, which engendered an apathy regarding Turkey in the West, coupled with the traditional sympathies with the Armenian issue, no longer exist. 

In addition, the underlying source of Armenian terrorism and violence remains very much in place: fanatical anti-Turkish (and, naturally, anti-Azerbaijani) sentiments, the glorification of violence and the fedayeen culture (Tehlirian, Melkonian, etc.) and the unshakeable belief that their cause is righteous, and whatever means used to pursue it is justified.

- What do you think about the threats Azerbaijani embassies received from ASALA in Hungary and a number of other countries in connection with Ramil Aafarov's case? Should these threats be taken seriously into account?

- For the abovementioned reasons, I think that despite the fact that there is still potential for a fresh wave of Armenian terrorism, particularly sporadic acts of violence, such as the recent attacks in Boston, it is unlikely that organized terrorist campaigns will resume. As far as I remember, the latest letter from ASALA mentioned "600,000 Armenians killed in 1915". This alone was sufficient to doubt the authenticity of the document. Armenian organizations would never quote a figure that low about the lives lost in Eastern Anatolia in 1915.

Nevertheless, anything can happen. These groups tended to kill innocent people in connection to the events that unfolded dozens of years before they themselves were born.

- The international community, as you mentioned at the beginning of our conversation, does not pay serious attention to Armenian terrorism and these organizations are not included in lists of terrorist organizations. What should Azerbaijan and Turkey do to attract a greater attention to the danger they pose?

- It is a difficult question but I think the recent events, such as the memorial in Canada, will attract greater attention to Armenian terrorism. I also hope that my research will raise greater awareness about the problem. Many of these terrorist acts took place here in the USA: twice in Los Angeles, in Boston, and so forth. Monte Melkoyan graduated one of our best universities with distinction.

Despite evidence to the contrary, Americans continue to think that terrorism is a relatively recent phenomenon linked to Islam in the Middle East. However, exposing Armenian terrorism is only the beginning. It is necessary to conduct a more objective, thorough and comprehensive research of the history of the Caucasus of the 19th-20th centuries. This will make it possible to assess the events of the recent past, such as the Karabakh war, in a more appropriate manner.