Videos by Ara Sanjian
Արա Սանճեանը խոսում է պատմագիտական նյութի ներկայացման սկզբունքների, դարերի ընթացքում փոփոխության ... more Արա Սանճեանը խոսում է պատմագիտական նյութի ներկայացման սկզբունքների, դարերի ընթացքում փոփոխության ենթարկված հայոց պատմության տարբեր համակարգերի, պատմության պարբերացման ու համաշխարհային գետնի վրա «պատմություն» հասկացության տեսադաշտի ընդլայնման մասին։ Դասախոսությունը տեղի է ունեցել 2021-ի հուլիսի 27-ին, «Բարձունք» հասարակական կազմակերպության սրահում։ 33 views
I talk about the status of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire and changes witnessed because of d... more I talk about the status of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire and changes witnessed because of developments after the French Revolution of 1789. The rise of parallel nationalisms led the Turks to view Armenians as rebellious and as allies of Imperialist Europe. After the Ottoman entry to World War I, the government blamed the Armenians for its early reverses. It deported and massacred them to establish a clear ethnic Turkish majority in areas inhabited by Armenians for millennia. The economically active Armenian class was wiped out and its wealth redistributed among Turkish supporters of the government. Armenian churches, monasteries, and community institutions were destroyed. Many young Armenian women and children were forcibly assimilated. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were either killed or forcibly assimilated. These horrors led to the codification of the crime of genocide. However, successive Turkish governments continue to deny any wrongdoing. 121 views
Books by Ara Sanjian
Turkey's determined attempt after 1954 to improve her relations with the Arab world should be see... more Turkey's determined attempt after 1954 to improve her relations with the Arab world should be seen in the context of a wider search for security against the perceived Soviet threat to her independence and territorial integrity. It was encouraged by Washington's proposal to set up a Middle East defence organisation based on the countries of the 'Northern Tier,' which paved the way for the creation of the Baghdad Pact with Turkish, Iraqi, British, Banian and Pakistani membership. The USA, however, ultimately declined all invitations for full pactmembership. Her equivocal attitude encouraged Egypt and Syria not only to resist all attempts to lure them into the pact but also to embark on a determined counter-policy to block the adherence of other non-committed Arab states. The thesis argues that Turkish leaders failed in then rather high-handed bid to expand the pact's Arab membership and to isolate Egypt because they were ill-informed about the latest political trends in the Arab world and ignored any alternative and differing advice coming fiom then diplomatic missions and lower echelons in then Foreign Ministry. Moreover, none of Turkey's allies were fully convinced that her proposals were necessarily the best on offer. The thesis also tries to shed light on some of the alternative policies attempted by Turkey after the Suez war to stem the tide of pro-Communist and radical pan-Arab nationalist tendencies in the region. It argues that the toppling of the Iraqi monarchy, despite being a short-term setback for Turkey, proved in the long run to be a panacea to her attempts to retain her alliance with NATO and preserve in the meantime a workable relationship with her Arab neighbours. It also discusses Turkey's changing attitude towards Israel and the Palestine question as well as the changes in the official Turkish evaluation of'Abd al-Nasir's policies.
This is the scanned edition of the unpublished diary I kept as an ethnic Armenian foreign student... more This is the scanned edition of the unpublished diary I kept as an ethnic Armenian foreign student from Lebanon at Yerevan State University during the first months of the Karabagh Movement between February and July 1988. It is written in Armenian and was published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the movement on February 20, 2018. The diaries are based on personal observations, rumors and other information circulating in Yerevan at the time, plus reports which appeared in the Soviet Armenian and the Armenian Diasporan press.
Turkey and Her Arab Neighbours 1953-1958: A Study in the Origins and Failure of the Baghdad Pact
“Turkey and Her Arab Neighbours, 1954-1958” studied Turkey’s relations with Syria and Iraq, and, ... more “Turkey and Her Arab Neighbours, 1954-1958” studied Turkey’s relations with Syria and Iraq, and, to a lesser extent, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan during the period of the formulation and eventual collapse of the Baghdad Pact. The dissertation was a case study of the correlation between the Cold War concerns of the Great Powers in the Middle East and the national policies pursued by the lesser states in the region. It analyzed how Cold War pressures affected those relations at one of its tense periods and how Turkey, Iraq and Syria tried to accommodate, not to say manipulate, the prevailing global Cold War climate to pursue their own national aspirations. These relations were studied in the dissertation on three different levels: (a) the international/regional level, i.e. the Cold War atmosphere and its repercussions in the area; (b) the bilateral level, including the historical legacy inherited by Turkish, Iraqi and Syrian leaders, which made their task of tackling thorny issues difficult or easy according to the prevailing different circumstances; and (c) the individual country level, i.e. the analysis of the various strategies pursued by different political forces within each of the three countries concerned, the solutions they advocated to particular problems, and the roles they played in shaping the foreign policy of their respective countries in general, and relations with individual neighboring states in particular.
The emphasis throughout the dissertation was on Turkey. It analyzed the development of its foreign policy towards its Arab neighbors and scrutinized the factors behind it. The thesis also paid appropriate attention to the study of some of the specific characteristics of the Turkish foreign policy decision-making process during the period under review. It touched upon issues concerning Turkey’s Arab neighbors only as far as they were crucial to an understanding of the atmosphere prevailing in the Middle East during that period, and provided the readers with the background against which the Turkish actions could be judged and evaluated.
In preparing this dissertation, I relied mainly on West European and US archival material, especially the British Foreign Office General Correspondence (FO371) files kept at the Public Record Office (now the British National Archives) in London. I also made limited use of the private papers of successive British Foreign Secretaries (FO800) of the time. Published US and French documents, the series Foreign Relations of the United States and Documents Diplomatiques Français, were also consulted. Unfortunately, no first-hand archival material from Turkey, Iraq or Syria was available to me, when preparing the dissertation. I had to rely on the printed memoirs of some Turkish, Iraqi, Syrian, Egyptian, British and American politicians and diplomats of the time, as well as certain issues of relevant newspapers and periodicals. In order to put the results of my research within a broad context, I also endeavored to read the relevant “background” and secondary literature in English, French, Arabic, Turkish and Russian.
I argued in my Ph.D. dissertation that Turkey’s determined attempt after 1954 to improve its relations with the Arab world should be seen in the context of a wider search for security against the perceived Soviet threat to its independence and territorial integrity. Turkey was encouraged by Washington’s proposal to set up a Middle East defense organization based on the countries of the ‘Northern Tier,’ which paved the way for the creation of the Baghdad Pact in 1955 with Turkish, Iraqi, British, Iranian and Pakistani membership. The USA, however, ultimately declined all invitations for full pact-membership. Washington’s equivocal attitude encouraged Egypt and Syria not only to resist all attempts to lure them into the pact but also to embark on a determined counter-policy to block the adherence of other non-committed Arab states. The dissertation also argued that Turkish leaders failed in their rather high-handed bid to expand the pact’s Arab membership and to isolate Egypt because they were ill-informed about the latest political trends in the Arab world and ignored any alternative and differing advice coming from their diplomatic missions and lower echelons in their Foreign Ministry. Moreover, none of Turkey’s allies were fully convinced that its proposals were necessarily the best on offer. The dissertation also tried to shed light on some of the alternative policies attempted by Turkey after the Suez war of 1956 to stem the tide of pro-Communist and radical pan-Arab nationalist tendencies in the region. It argued that the toppling of the Iraqi monarchy in July 1958, despite being a short-term setback for Turkey, proved in the long run to be a panacea to its attempts to retain its alliance with NATO and preserve in the meantime a workable relationship with its Arab neighbors.
Monographs by Ara Sanjian
THE ARMENIAN RESEARCH CENTER (ARC) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn was founded by Prof. De... more THE ARMENIAN RESEARCH CENTER (ARC) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn was founded by Prof. Dennis R. Papazian in 1985 for the documentation, research, dissemination of and publications in Armenian history and culture. Its endowment was raised by the Knights of Vartan fraternal service organization. Papazian also served as the Center's first Director. • The ARC special collection consists of books in many languages, periodical series and offprints, unpublished doctoral dissertations, microfilms and microfiche, audiovisual materials, oral histories, and archival material on Armenian and related topics. • The ARC publishes academic and other books. In 2020 it launched the Texts and Studies in Armenian History, Society and Culture series in partnership with Michigan State University Press. • The ARC invites or hosts short-term visiting or longer-term resident scholars in Armenian Studies. It also assists students and academics with resources and advice on all things Armenian. • The ARC organizes academic conferences and exhibitions. • The ARC has built a strong partnership with the Armenian American community in the Metro Detroit area. It responds to community needs by organizing lectures and other events, as well as by providing community members with resources and advice on all things Armenian. • The ARC provides resources and advice to journalists, media outlets, political leaders, and other interested individuals and organizations to help them gain a better understanding of events in Armenia, the Armenian American community, and other Armenian related topics. • The ARC offers two scholarships each year to students attending the UM-Dearborn. It also sponsors the teaching of Armenian-language courses on the UM-Dearborn Campus. • The ARC partners with major Armenian Studies chairs, programs, centers, and institutes across the United States and worldwide. It also maintains close cooperative links with the Library of Congress, the National Library of Armenia, and other major Armenian libraries and special collections around the world.
Celebrating the Legacy of Five Centuries of Armenian-Language Book Printing, 1512-2012, Oct 18, 2012
Papers by Ara Sanjian
Armenian Immigration to the USSR from Arab Countries (1946–1949)
Oxford University Press eBooks, Jun 7, 2023
Confluences en Méditerranée, 2008
Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour L'Harmattan. Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour ... more Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour L'Harmattan. Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour L'Harmattan. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit. Article disponible en ligne à l'adresse Article disponible en ligne à l'adresse https://www.cairn.info/revue-confluences-mediterranee-2008-3-page-73.htm Découvrir le sommaire de ce numéro, suivre la revue par email, s'abonner... Flashez ce QR Code pour accéder à la page de ce numéro sur Cairn.info.
The post-Soviet wars: rebellion, ethnic conflict, and nationhood in the Caucasus
Central Asian Survey, Dec 1, 2009
The disintegration of the USSR caused a number of armed conflicts along its southern periphery. S... more The disintegration of the USSR caused a number of armed conflicts along its southern periphery. Some Soviet polities became embroiled in what Christoph Zürcher classifies as internal wars as they were forced to decide their future status, ethno-political identity and ...
The Near and Middle East - Andrew Rathmell: Secret war in the Middle East: the covert struggle for Syria, 1949–1961. (Library of Modern Middle Eastern Studies, 7.) x, 246 pp. London and New York: Tauris Academic Studies, 1995. £39.50
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Oct 1, 1997
officially the leading force not only in parliament but in a number of the corporatist mass organ... more officially the leading force not only in parliament but in a number of the corporatist mass organizations, 'Asadism' has concentrated on bringing home to the populace that, as long as Asad—and possibly his offspring—hold the reigns of power, Syrians should not worry about their future (and not mix too deeply in politics). This does not mean, however, that parties, mass organizations, trades unions and the like have become superfluous; rather they serve as transmission belts between the state apparatus and the population, ensuring loyalty and control in exchange for certain positions and advantages, including economic ones. In such economic 'rifts' lies, in many ways, one of the most important constraints on full economic liberalization because this would risk alienating the patronage basis on which the regime is built. However, Perthes rightly points out that the authoritarian state rests not only on corporatism but also on coercion in the form of a large security apparatus and strong military force, employing as much as half of all state employees, or approximately 15% of the total workforce (p. 147). Given such figures, and the scarcity of employment opportunities in a country which features one of the highest rates of population growth in the area, it becomes more understandable, too, why Syria is somewhat hesitant about the benefits of any assumed " peace-dividend'. Perthes's book, parts of which are more or less identical with the original German Stoat und Gesellschaft in Syria 1970-1989 (Hamburg, 1990), presents an English readership with the first comprehensive analysis of the Syrian political economy, a topic which has increasingly drawn to the attention of scholars (c.f. Kienle's Contemporary Syria: economic liberalization between cold war and cold peace, London, 1994). It is generally well written and documented, and will certainly become standard reading for anyone interested in contemporary Syria.
Öke'sArmenian Questionre-examined 1
Middle Eastern Studies, Sep 1, 2006
On 19 October 2000, President Bill Clinton intervened personally to pull a non-binding, draft res... more On 19 October 2000, President Bill Clinton intervened personally to pull a non-binding, draft resolution, opposed vehemently by Turkey, from the floor of the US House of Representatives. The draft would have put the House on record that starting from 1915 ...
Turkey and her Arab Neighbours 1953-1958: A Study in the Origins and Failure of the Baghdad Pact
1. Turks and Arabs in the Cold War setting 2. The Middle East Collective Defence project and its ... more 1. Turks and Arabs in the Cold War setting 2. The Middle East Collective Defence project and its impact on Turkish-Arab relations 3. The 'Northern Tier' project 4. The formulation of the Baghdad Pact 5. The search for more Arab allies 6. Divergence in policy 7. The Suez War: expectations and disappointment 8. The fightback 9. 'Perhaps the Gravest Crisis since the War ...' 10. The era of the two Arab Unions 11. The end of the road: revolution in Iraq.
Soviet Yerevan’s Outreach to Armenians in Lebanon (1967–1969)
Oxford University Press eBooks, Jun 7, 2023
The formulation of the Baghdad pact
Middle Eastern Studies, Apr 1, 1997
... On 16 February 1954, the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad unofficially invited the Iraqi Premier... more ... On 16 February 1954, the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad unofficially invited the Iraqi Premier, Dr Fadil al-Jamali, to join the projected Turkish-Pakistani treaty.20 Then, simultaneously with the publication of the joint Turkish-Pakistani communique of intent a few days later ...
Identity / Inknutyun, 2021
The Cold War era, from the end of the Second World War to the disintegration of the Soviet Union ... more The Cold War era, from the end of the Second World War to the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, remains understudied in modern Armenian history. Ara Sanjian will try to explain why Armenian historians and intellectuals in general have, in recent decades, shied away from tackling this specific period in the transnation’s history. He will also argue that writing the Cold War-era history of Soviet Armenia and the Armenian communities worldwide, as well as analyzing the legacy of the global Cold War for Armenians today are gaps that should be filled in the coming years. Based on deliberations during a conference on Armenians and the Cold War, organized by the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in April 2016, Sanjian will briefly present the current state of historical research and knowledge on this topic. He will also list many related historical and other questions which remain to be answered by historians, social scientists, as well as literary and cultural historians interested in twentieth- and twenty-first century Armenian history. This public lecture, therefore, will aim at generating a public debate and pushing for further analysis of the Cold War segment of the Armenian past.
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Videos by Ara Sanjian
Books by Ara Sanjian
The emphasis throughout the dissertation was on Turkey. It analyzed the development of its foreign policy towards its Arab neighbors and scrutinized the factors behind it. The thesis also paid appropriate attention to the study of some of the specific characteristics of the Turkish foreign policy decision-making process during the period under review. It touched upon issues concerning Turkey’s Arab neighbors only as far as they were crucial to an understanding of the atmosphere prevailing in the Middle East during that period, and provided the readers with the background against which the Turkish actions could be judged and evaluated.
In preparing this dissertation, I relied mainly on West European and US archival material, especially the British Foreign Office General Correspondence (FO371) files kept at the Public Record Office (now the British National Archives) in London. I also made limited use of the private papers of successive British Foreign Secretaries (FO800) of the time. Published US and French documents, the series Foreign Relations of the United States and Documents Diplomatiques Français, were also consulted. Unfortunately, no first-hand archival material from Turkey, Iraq or Syria was available to me, when preparing the dissertation. I had to rely on the printed memoirs of some Turkish, Iraqi, Syrian, Egyptian, British and American politicians and diplomats of the time, as well as certain issues of relevant newspapers and periodicals. In order to put the results of my research within a broad context, I also endeavored to read the relevant “background” and secondary literature in English, French, Arabic, Turkish and Russian.
I argued in my Ph.D. dissertation that Turkey’s determined attempt after 1954 to improve its relations with the Arab world should be seen in the context of a wider search for security against the perceived Soviet threat to its independence and territorial integrity. Turkey was encouraged by Washington’s proposal to set up a Middle East defense organization based on the countries of the ‘Northern Tier,’ which paved the way for the creation of the Baghdad Pact in 1955 with Turkish, Iraqi, British, Iranian and Pakistani membership. The USA, however, ultimately declined all invitations for full pact-membership. Washington’s equivocal attitude encouraged Egypt and Syria not only to resist all attempts to lure them into the pact but also to embark on a determined counter-policy to block the adherence of other non-committed Arab states. The dissertation also argued that Turkish leaders failed in their rather high-handed bid to expand the pact’s Arab membership and to isolate Egypt because they were ill-informed about the latest political trends in the Arab world and ignored any alternative and differing advice coming from their diplomatic missions and lower echelons in their Foreign Ministry. Moreover, none of Turkey’s allies were fully convinced that its proposals were necessarily the best on offer. The dissertation also tried to shed light on some of the alternative policies attempted by Turkey after the Suez war of 1956 to stem the tide of pro-Communist and radical pan-Arab nationalist tendencies in the region. It argued that the toppling of the Iraqi monarchy in July 1958, despite being a short-term setback for Turkey, proved in the long run to be a panacea to its attempts to retain its alliance with NATO and preserve in the meantime a workable relationship with its Arab neighbors.
Monographs by Ara Sanjian
Papers by Ara Sanjian