MEDIA FRAMING AND OFFICIAL PROPAGANDA IN ARMENIA DURING THE 45-DAY ARTSAKH WAR

This study analyzes the role of the media during the 45-day war in Artsakh in 2020. It aims to understand how the local media responded and reacted to official propaganda, particularly to the statements of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The research question of the capstone project is “What was the media framing of the official statements of the Armenian Prime Minister throughout the war?” To answer this question, the study first provides a short timeline of the war and the PM’s statements. Secondly, it conducts a descriptive content analysis of the three local media outlets, which are selected through purposive sampling. The analysis shows that the government-imposed censorship as well as the political economy of the media significantly affected the way the PM’s statements were being framed. The study tries to understand to what extent there was a “rally round the flag” effect and what caused certain behavior from different media outlets. Keywords: Artsakh war, media framing, propaganda, Nikol Pashinyan, rally round the flag

PUBLICLY DECLARED POSITIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE KARABAKH PROCESS: PROBLEMS OF CONSISTENCY AND CONTINUITY

The paper focuses on the analysis of the publicly declared positions of Nikol Pashinian, the Prime Minister of Armenia, in the context of the Karabakh process, examining the impact of the declared position on the negotiation process and identifying the shifts in the leader’s positions on the Karabakh issue over the time. The research is conducted using the qualitative content analysis method. The research demonstrates that Pashinian’s declared positions on Karabakh issues led to the disruption of the negotiation process and identifies that the leader’s declared positions were targeted at preserving public support and staying in power have changed over time due to the changing circumstances. Keywords: conflict resolution, negotiations, leadership, political statements, Karabakh process.

EXAMINING STATE-BUILDING OF THE SYRIAN REPUBLIC AND THE LEGACY OF ITS COLONIAL PAST

This research tackles essential elements of Syrian state-building processes through a structural analysis incorporating several theories and concepts including but not limited to colonialism, nationalism, military interventions, institutional development, minority rule, and eventually neocolonialism. The article reveals how minority rule and different implications of military interventions shaped today’s Syria, as well as addresses some of the current issues such as the absence of domestic political consolidation. The primary aim of this research is to contextualize the role of France—as a former colonizer, within the state-building process of Syria by examining different phases of Syria’s historical past. An examination of Syria’s political developments proved that having inherited a colonial past, the current state of Syria has also inherited an unavoidable legacy of political instability from its colonial past. Keywords: Syria, Middle East, State-Building, Colonialism, Military Interventions.

NEW INSPIRATION FROM CHINA'S PHILOSOPHY OF "UNITY OF MAN AND HEAVEN": CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS UNDER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The danger of the novel coronavirus has not yet come to an end, and new variants have begun to attack the world. What philosophy should humankind’s strategy be based on when human society as a group is fighting against Covid-19, as the pandemic ravages the world? Unfortunately, political leaders of various countries have failed to achieve the overall awareness of attacking the pandemic for a shared future for mankind so far. In the face of the pandemic, mankind as a whole urgently needs to break through the narrow nation-oriented ideology of seeking only self-protection. The International Community should establish a new type of international cooperation featuring the concept of harmony of "all things under heaven as a unity". The international relations system dominated by the power ofwestern discourse is now in a bottleneck. The main aim of this article is to study the ancient Chinese wisdom of "the Unity of Man and Heaven" philosophy and build a global harmonious community. The author argues that the “export” of the aforementioned wisdom must be a priority for Chinese scholars. Keywords: Tao; Unity of Man and Heaven; Novel Coronavirus; Anthropocentrism; Harmony.

The Impact of the Cyprus Conflict on Turkey's EU Accession Process

This study aims to analyze the impact of the Cyprus conflict on Turkey-EU relations while considering several factors: 1) the EU conditionality approach, 2) Turkish-Greek relations, 3) component problems of the Cyprus conflict 4) the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and their impact on Turkey-EU relations. The main focus is on the documents and decisions of different bodies of the EU and how they link the Cyprus conflict to Turkey’s accession process and how Turkey reacts to them. For this purpose, a content analysis of documents, decisions, and protocols issued by the European Council and Commission and Progress Reports on Turkey is conducted. The conclusions drawn from the research are the following: 1) the Cyprus conflict and Turkey’s tense relations with Greece have negatively impacted and continue to impact Turkey-EU relations, 2) Turkey, to some extent, conformed to EU conditionality when it did not refer to the Cyprus conflict, 3) the problems of rights to ports/airports of Cyprus and the issues of property and IDPs shape the strained relations between Turkey and the EU, and finally 4) the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean concerning rights to hydrocarbons currently and in the near future will determine the geopolitical dynamics in the region. Keywords: Turkey-EU relations, Cyprus conflict, Greece, conditionality, “TRNC”, accession.

INVESTIGATION OF CHINESE STRATEGIES DURING THE PANDEMICS THROUGH THE LENSES OF MOZI AND GALTUNG

The concept of war is the core of military thought. Johan Galtung established the theoretical paradigm of Peace Studies and was known as the "father of Peace Studies". Mozi was a strategist and thinker with a unique pioneering spirit during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. His idea of "universal love and non-aggression" is a model of ancient Chinese pacifism. Although they lived in different times, both of their views on war have had a significant influence on the world. Their views also share many commonalities. They both believe that the root of war is the struggle and dislike of people. They both oppose war and advocate taking care of people. However, due to being from different times, there are huge differences in their views in regards to being anti-war, the level of taking care of the population, and the means of defense. The purpose of this comparative study is to promote the innovative development of China's traditional culture. It also provides useful inspiration for China's peaceful construction during the current pandemic. Keywords: Galtung, Mozi, viewpoints of war, peace, epidemic situation

THE INFLUENCE OF THE AMENDMENTS TO THE ELECTORAL CODE OF AZERBAIJAN ON THE OPPOSITION PARTIES

The purpose of this study is the examination of the Electoral Code of Azerbaijan, to show how it affects the conduct of the elections and their results. The principal results of this research show how the Azerbaijani authorities have built the Electoral Code in a way that maximizes their power at the expense of the opposition. On top of that, it is possible to state that the authorities deliberately ignored the opinions of authoritative figures and created favorable conditions for them, ignoring the opposition. Emphasizing these conclusions, it should be noted that as a result of the changes in the Electoral Code, an atmosphere has been created in Azerbaijan where the opposition has an absolute distrust of the current government. There are no fair elections, and there are serious loopholes where even struggling has become meaningless. Keywords: Azerbaijan, Electoral Code, Venice Commission, proposal, opposition.

Torn Between Loyalty And Identity: The Crimean Armenians In The Post-Soviet Era

The following research tries to understand how the lives of the Crimean Armenians were impacted after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After briefly discussing the Crimean Armenian communities in the Soviet Period, the article mainly focuses on the social and political issues that Armenians of Crimea have faced during the post-Soviet period. There are two research questions: 1. What key problems have the Crimean Armenians encountered during the post-Soviet transformational period? 2. How did the 2014 events impact the Crimean Armenians? With the help of content analysis and interviews, the research looks into these and a set of other relevant questions. The main findings are that Crimean Armenians have mostly perceived the peninsula to be more Russian than Ukrainian, that is why their lives were not dramatically affected after Crimea came under the control of Russia, apart from some issues concerning traveling and visas, documentation and social protection. Keywords: Crimea, Armenian diaspora, Ukraine, Russia, Identity politics