Modern Armenia
People, Nation, State

Modern Armenia reviews Armenian politics and political thinking from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, and the evolution of Armenians from peoplehood to statehood. Written by a key governmental advisor in the early years of Armenian independence, this book analyzes the internal dynamics of the revolutionary movement, the genocide, the Armenian diaspora, its recent independence, and the relationship of these developments to processes in the Ottoman/Turkish, Russian, and Western states. Starting with an overview of Armenian history from midnineteenth century to the 1970s, Modern Armenia proceeds to explore the dynamics that led up to and shaped the modern republic. The first part is devoted to understanding the ideologies adopted by the Armenian revolutionary movement in the late nineteenth-century Ottoman Empire that had earlier absorbed historic Western Armenia. Libaridian examines the causes of the rise of political parties and a guerrilla movement and mutations in their strategies. He also describes the tensions within the Armenian community in the face of increasing impoverishment and Ottoman repression. In the second part, Libaridian focuses on the ideology of the Young Turks, who were responsible for the WWI genocide, and then offers a new analysis of the causes of the tragedy. In a third part, the author describes the complexities of dealing with the history of relations between Armenians and Kurds and Armenians and Turks. He explores mutual perceptions and the politics of recognition of the genocide. Libaridian concludes with an overview of Armenia and Armenians during the past two decades, including the rebirth of independent Armenia, its foreign and security policyoptions, and its relations with the Diaspora. Modern Armenia will be of interest to students of Armenian history, independence movements, the dissolution of the Soviet empire, and foreign relations.