Armenia: Bloggers React to Obama Victory

With ethnic Armenians spread worldwide, the reaction to Barack Obama's victory was not just confined to the Republic. U.S. citizen Nazarian, for example, even voted.

The polls opened at 7 am. There were people who had been in line since around 6 am. Some of the poll workers said that people came over at 5 am. I was there at quarter past seven and the whole thing took less than an hour with half an hour of wait outside.

Unzipped, another Armenian now resident in the U.K., was inspired and cautiously optimistic.

They proved that impossible is possible in America. They proved that ‘American dream’ exists […]

[…]

Expectations are so high of him that chances to get disappointed are very high too. Beginning of new era, or so I hope.

Political scientist Artashes Boyajian echoes the sentiment of the Obama campaign motto and also compares the scenes of Obama's supporters converging on his campaign headquarters in Chicago to demonstrations held in Armenia in the last dying years of the former Soviet Union.

Let this be a victory of intelligence over arrogance, of responsibility over recklessness, of decency over shameful fear-mongering!!!!

The world needs a positive and respectful attitude from America, for a change. “Change we can believe in!” :):):)

Local blogger Pigh [RU] takes a different position. Ironically, his blogger name translated into English means elephant, symbol of the Republican Party.

Friends, why is it that you’re taking Obama’s election with such joy? What, do we all care for the rebirth of powerful America?”

The brave-little-soldier Mccain and silly Palin would quickly bring the “global stronghold of democracy” to its logical end. Our Armenians, instead, are so joyful! So joyful! All our office looks like at Easter holidays. And don’t hope that Obama will deliver his campaign pledge and recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Another resident blogger, Uzogh [RU], is more positive.

One thing I can see from Obama’s stance is – morality. He tries to show (and personally, I am convinced in it), that he cares about all the values, which are important for all the people, regardless of their being black, white or whatever. You can call all this – dirty PR and hold me for a naive romantic. Well, I guess we’ll have to live and see for ourselves.

American-Armenian Notes From Hairenik reflects on the consensus of opinion shared by most Armenians wherever they might live. However, the blogger shares Pigh's view that campaign promises to recognize the Armenian Genocide will not be fulfilled.

It comes as no surpise that Armenian-Americans who supported Obama–most likely the vast majority of them although there's probably no way to say for sure–are ecstatic about his being elected as president. He has made several promises to the Armenian-American community, most notably to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In a press release issued by his campaign Obama for America it clearly states his dedication to recognition.

[…]

Even if he does not live up to this promise, it would not be his fault. He would not be the only president to refrain from doing so–in recent memory both President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush said similar things as campaign pledges. The US State Department policy has always been one favoring Turkey's interests, and Armenian Genocide recognition has never been one of them.

A podcast in Armenian summarizing these reactions can also be downloaded here.

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