MYTHS and CONFLICT in the SOUTH CAUCASUS VOLUME 2 Instrumentalisation of Conflict in Political Discourse
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MYTHS AND CONFLICT IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS VOLUME 2 Instrumentalisation of Conflict in Political Discourse Understanding conflict. Building peace. About International Alert International Alert is a 27-year-old independent peacebuilding organisation. We work with people who are directly affected by violent conflict to improve their prospects of peace. And we seek to influence the policies and ways of working of governments, international organisations like the UN and multinational companies, to reduce conflict risk and increase the prospects of peace. We work in Africa, several parts of Asia, the South Caucasus, the Middle East and Latin America, and have recently started work in the UK. Our policy work focuses on several key themes that influence prospects for peace and security – the economy, climate change, gender, the role of international institutions, the impact of development aid, and the effect of good and bad governance. We are one of the world’s leading peacebuilding NGOs with more than 200 staff based in London and 14 field offices. To learn more about how and where we work, visit www.international-alert.org. This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of International Alert and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. © International Alert 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without full attribution. Layout by D. R. ink, www.d-r-ink.com Myths and Conflict in the South Caucasus VOLUME 2 Instrumentalisation of Conflict in Political Discourse Editors Jana Javakhishvili, Liana Kvarchelia Research supervisors Jana Javakhishvili, Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan 2 | VOLUME 2 Myths and Conflict: Instrumentalisation of Conflict in Political Discourse Contents Acronyms 3 Acknowledgments 4 About the Contributors 6 Preface 8 INTRODUCTION 12 The Instrumentalisation of Conflict in Political Discourse Liana Kvarchelia CHAPTER 1 15 Use of the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict as a Theme in Abkhazia’s Election Process Liana Kvarchelia CHAPTER 2 36 “Patriot Games”: Marginalising Political Opponents in Modern Azerbaijan Ilham Abbasov CHAPTER 3 58 The Use of Images of the External Friend and Enemy in Armenian Domestic Political Discourse: An Analysis of Speeches given by the First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan (September 2007 - May 2011) Mikayel Hovhannisyan CHAPTER 4 77 Remembrance Day: Contemporary Discourse on the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict in the Georgian Media Ketevan Khapava, Ekaterina Paverman, George Gotua CHAPTER 5 92 “Working the Enemy’s Mill” – Putting the Brake on Internal Development in Nagorny Karabakh: A Media Study of the Image of the “Enemy” Gegham Baghdasaryan CHAPTER 6 109 The Exploitation of Ethnographic Myths (Hero/ Traitor) in Modern Military Conflicts and the Post-war Reconstruction of Ossetian Society Eduard Kabulov Acronyms | 3 Acronyms AGTRK Abkhaz State Television and Radio Company CoE Council of Europe CIS Commonwealth of Independent States NGO Non-governmental Organisation OSCE Organization for Co-operation and Security in Europe PACE Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe PEA New Azerbaijan Party [Yeni Azerbaijan] PNFA Azerbaijan National Front Party SSR Soviet Socialist Republic UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund 4 | VOLUME 2 Myths and Conflict: Instrumentalisation of Conflict in Political Discourse Acknowledgments This research has been conducted within the framework of the “South Caucasus Mediation and Dialogue Initiative”, which has been financed by the European Union and consisted of three phases. The first phase involved a reflection on peacebuilding work undertaken by civil society since the mid-1990s, including work with politicians, economic actors, women, media, academia and cultural figures. The aim of this reflection was to draw lessons and improve the quality of future initiatives, and the results are published in the book Mediation and Dialogue in the South Caucasus: A Reflection on 15 years of Conflict Transformation Initiatives.1 The second phase consisted of the “Myths and Conflict” strand, within which this research was conducted. The third phase comprised a training strand, using the findings of the other two strands to develop and launch a training manual designed to develop critical thinking in relation to the conflicts in the South Caucasus. The “Myths and Conflict” series came to fruition thanks to the help andinsights of a great many individuals to whom we are enormously grateful. The original idea for this research was the result of deep reflection and creative collaboration with International Alert’s partners in the “mediation” initiative: Jana (Darejan) Javakhishvili (Global Initiative on Psychiatry, Tbilisi), who became the “myths” strand coordinator and methodological supervisor; and Batal Kobakhia (Centre for Humanitarian Programmes, Abkhazia), to whom we would like to express our deep appreciation. Secondly, we would like to thank the researchers themselves, who are listed in full on pages 6-7, for undertaking such a momentous task. The themes researched within this series are quite taboo within the societies from which the researchers come. Therefore, entering into a cross-conflict, multi-component process required significant courage on behalf of the researchers. We would also like to extend our appreciation to the methodological advisers, who played a crucial role in encouraging and coordinating the respective research teams, providing tailored support where necessary: Oksana Karpenko (Centre for Independent Social Research, St. Petersburg) for her supervision of the textbooks research; Philip Gamaghelyan (George Mason University) for the blogosphere strand; and Tina Tsomaia (Georgian Institute of Public Affairs) for the journalist strand. Special thanks also to long-time partners and colleagues Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan (Eurasia Partnership Foundation), Liana Kvarchelia and Arda Inal-Ipa (Centre for Humanitarian Programmes, Abkhazia) for their overall expert advice on and support in moving the process along – whether through their vision and strategic overview, methodological support, facilitation and editing skills, or simply moral support. 1 Available at http://www.international-alert.org/es/node/4529. Acknowledgments | 5 We are also grateful for the time, advice and support of our colleagues at International Alert, whose professional expertise has informed this process and the resulting publication in many ways: Larisa Sotieva, the author of the original project concept, without whose vision this initiative would never have been realised; Juliet Schofield as project manager; and more recently Mana Farooghi and Nargiza Saipidinova for their editorial and logistical support. Thanks also to the editors and translators – Simon Paul Hinchliff, Mikhail Minevich and Stuart Moir – for their painstaking work. Last but not least, Alert would like to thank the European Union for funding the “South Caucasus Mediation and Dialogue Initiative” and the UK Conflict Pool for their unerring support to Alert. Without their help, this work would not have been possible. 6 | VOLUME 2 Myths and Conflict: Instrumentalisation of Conflict in Political Discourse About the Contributors Ilham Abbasov graduated in Sociology from Baku State University in 1997. Since 2006, he is a Research Fellow at the Sociology and Social Psychology Department of the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law at the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. Since 2007, Ilham has been a doctoral student in Philosophy at Baku State University. His main research interests include: nationalism studies, ethnicity and history education. Gegham Baghdasaryan has a background in journalism and politics and is the founder and president of the Stepanakert Press Club, an NGO that has been a centre for media freedom in Nagorny Karabakh since 1998. He headed the publication of the popular independent newspaper Demo in 2004–08, and is currently editor-in-chief of the monthly analytical journal Analyticon, published in Armenian, Russian and English. Gegham also co-chairs the regional NGO ‘South Caucasus’. George Gotua graduated with a first degree in Political Science from Tbilisi State University and a Master’s degree from the Center for Social Studies in Warsaw, Poland. George previously worked for the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development, a Tbilisi–based think-tank. He has also been involved in a number of research projects on topics including: political parties, civil society, ethnic conflict and local elites and conducted evaluations for several internationally-funded projects. Currently, he is engaged in a joint Ilia State University-University of Fribourg research project on informal political institutions in Georgia and Armenia. Mikayel Hovhannisyan is head of the Europe Programme at the Eurasia Partnership Foundation in Yerevan. He has been involved in both formal and non-formal civil society organisations and initiatives in spheres of youth, education, public participation, peace building, human rights and democratisation. His previous experience includes working in human rights and media projects at the UNDP Armenian Office, the diaspora-funded Birthright Armenia Foundation and different civic initiatives in the spheres of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, democracy and higher education. Dr. Hovhannisyan is also