Armenia News NEWS.am
Categories
Day: December 19, 2023
Interesting. Germany will deploy troops for first time since World War II. #germany https://t.co/2p44QHSaXd
— Robert Morton (@Robert4787) December 19, 2023
Who is against Ukraine in America?
One person: Donald Trump.
But he controls the dumb & ignorant GOP base.
& the GOP base controls the spineless elected republicans.
Why does Trump support Putin? Why hasn’t the FBI checked his finances?— Anders Åslund (@anders_aslund) December 19, 2023
Pentagon failed to adhere the Concerns of Proposed Members
In a twist to the ongoing efforts to establish a multinational task force in the Red Sea, spearheaded by the United States, participating countries find themselves entangled in a web of conflicting interests. As discussions progress, concerns raised by proposed members regarding the mission’s objectives and potential ramifications remain unaddressed, leading to a growing sense of unease within the coalition.
The proposed task force, aimed at countering Houthi threats and ensuring maritime security in the Red Sea, has encountered challenges as participating nations grapple with conflicting geopolitical and strategic interests.
The diverse array of countries involved brings a complex set of considerations to the table, making it challenging to align priorities and objectives.
Sources reveal that the Pentagon, overseeing the coordination and planning of the multinational effort, has faced difficulty in satisfying the concerns raised by prospective members.
These concerns range from the scope of the mission to the potential for unintended consequences that could exacerbate tensions in the already volatile region.
One key point of contention is the perceived alignment of the task force’s objectives with broader geopolitical interests. Some participating nations express reservations about being drawn into regional conflicts or taking actions that may have repercussions beyond countering Houthi threats.
The lack of a clear and universally agreeable framework for the task force’s operations has fueled skepticism among the proposed members.
Additionally, questions have been raised about the distribution of responsibilities, resource-sharing, and decision-making processes within the task force. As countries assess the potential risks and benefits of participation, the absence of a comprehensive strategy has hindered progress in reaching a consensus.
The Pentagon, cognizant of the challenges, is actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to address the concerns of the proposed members. However, the complexity of the geopolitical landscape and the divergent interests of the nations involved present a formidable challenge in achieving a harmonized approach.
The developments underscore the delicate nature of multinational collaborations, particularly in regions with intricate political dynamics. As the U.S.-led initiative navigates these hurdles, the success of the proposed task force hinges on the ability to strike a balance between the shared goal of countering Houthi threats and the diverse interests of the coalition members.
Categories
Find a Way
The following remarks were delivered at the AYF Washington DC “Ani” Chapter’s “Service to the Community and Homeland” event, marking the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Youth Federation, held on December 9, 2023. Sune Hamparian recently completed a summer internship at the Yerevan office of human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, organized through the Armenian Legal Center.
Sune Hamparian
It was in this church, this very hall, among so many of you gathered here today, that I first heard the human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan. The 44-day Artsakh War still fresh in my mind, I felt at that time what I think a lot of us felt—hopeless. As larger and more powerful forces attacked our lands, we watched the rest of the world stand silent to the atrocities our people faced. Each day brought knowledge of new tragedies, unable to prevent the crimes we were presented with each and every day.
Siranush seemed to be the light in the darkness. A candle in the night. In this hall, hearing Siranush talk, I felt for the first time that someone was answering my midnight questions. How could justice possibly be found? She talked about the prisoners of the Artsakh War. For the first time, I heard all the facts, the cruel truth, the reality on the ground. I remember listening, enraptured by her words, jotting down each and everything that she said. Not only did I see the problems more clearly, but I saw a course through which action could be taken—international courts. Siranush, with the support of the Armenian Legal Center, was not one of the people who idly stood by and watched. She stepped up to the plate and found a way to change the situation.
The opportunity to work with Siranush was the highlight of summer and will continue to inspire me throughout the rest of my life. During the war, she started the process of taking human rights violations to the international courts. She collected evidence, from video recordings to individual accounts, sifting through and purposefully putting herself in front of the cruelest aspects of humanity, each day hearing the painstaking accounts and visuals of tortured, mutilated and murdered individuals.
In the time between that first meeting and the internship, Siranush became my idol—and not some distant icon, a movie superhero—but a real hero, a human hero, an Armenian hero. I hoped to be just like her, but that’s easier wished for than accomplished.
When I first began the internship, reading through the collections of evidence tore me down. Some nights I didn’t know what to do but cry. The stories of each soldier stayed with me. Their lives stayed with me. Their service, their sacrifice, their suffering. Their age, the same as mine, but their lives so vastly different.
Siranush’s strength, her power and her perseverance pushed me to continue the work, to understand that while it was hard, getting to know each soldier was necessary to deliver the justice they deserved and that each of their families so desperately needed.
I’m not a lawyer. But through the internship, working with Siranush, and with the help of law students, I was able to play a part in that justice. I learned to turn the evidence I had spent so much time reviewing into structured evidence and draft case summaries. I studied laws here in the U.S. to learn about sanctions as a possible remedy.
Through the entire process, I learned there are ways. There are countless ways we can help, whether that is through going to a protest, pressuring members of Congress, doing service projects or writing a case summary. Because each of us is part of the solution. Each of us a single candle that together lights the night. And when the path ahead is not clear, when there is no way, we make a way.
Because Երբ չի լինում ելք ու ճար, խենթերն են գտնում հնար.
Author information
Sune Hamparian
Sune Hamparian joined the AYF DC “Sevan” Juniors in 2014 and served as the chapter’s president. She is currently a member of the AYF DC “Ani” Senior Chapter. As a student at Sidwell Friends School, she has organized and fundraised for Artsakh and other humanitarian causes. During summers in Armenia, she volunteers for service projects, including organizing summer camps and supporting legal efforts on behalf of Armenian POWs.
|
The post Find a Way appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.