Among the lesser-known ravages of COVID was the 44-day “attack” (beginning September 27, 2020) by Azerbaijan (along with many “paid a bonus for each decapitated head” mercenaries) intent on once and for all (previous attempts going back to 1915) ridding the planet from any lives calling themselves Armenian.
Openly gay American Armenian Germani (who also wrote the script and narrates his own words), is no stranger to discrimination on a number of fronts. None better to step into the spotlight and share the horrendous atrocities to a much wider audience than most people—myself included—were aware of during the attention-grabbing pandemic.
Not easy to watch (a number of, thankfully, brief cutaways to bloody examples of inhumanity in the name of “I am better than you”), the film should be required viewing not just to draw attention to an underreported story, but also remind one and all as to just how today’s world has so many echoes of the Armenians’ plight.
As we’ve heard from “friend or foe alike” in the Ukraine/Russia conflict, the underdog brought these violent actions on themselves by daring to defend their legal sovereignty. Also from that theatre of war, the notion of any sort of ceasefire is laughable while the oppressor either ignores the agreed-to putting down of arms or takes advantage of the respite to rest and reequip. On the genocide front, it is most disingenuous to hear from Jewish lawmakers the shared horrors of what amounts to Armenian genocide even as Netanyahu perpetuates one of his own in Gaza. Worse still, the Azerbaijan blockade of Artsakh is currently being duplicated part and parcel thanks to the Israeli government’s lust for revenge that makes Trump’s “gotchas” (without evidence, of course) pale in comparison. Staying in the US, the recent unauthorized bombings of Iran and international waters (what if these hapless Venezuelans like their years-ago counterparts in North Korea were just fisherman?), aptly demonstrates that, like the Armenian disasters, international law matters squat if you can afford enough Washington lobbyists or prefer to rule in dictatorial fashion sprinkled with extra-heavy helpings of bullyism.
Three cheers to Germani for artfully explaining how Artsakh got here, hopefully bringing the attention it deserves while there is still one Armenian left standing. And for my fellow newcomers to the details of where we are now, do reflect on that but then try not to be immune or quiet as we all see this pathetic history continuing to repeat itself in far too many corners of the globe. JWR