HyeOctane

The Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank known for its close ties to corporate America, held a conference on December 10, 2007, titled “The Azerbaijan-Turkey-U.S. Relationship and its Importance for Eurasia.” The event was held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC and featured a line-up of high-ranking foreign policy officials and academics from all three of the mentioned states.

The age-old, pan-Turanic frustration with Armenia being an obstacle to closer Turkish and Azeri integration was regularly referred to throughout the conference. Speakers repeatedly portrayed Armenia as a hamper to trade links and regional projects aimed at integrating Turkey with Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia. Numerous speakers also spoke with disdain about the influence of the Armenian lobby in the United States, which they see as a chief nuisance to their designs.

The character of the speakers featured at the conference is perhaps most sharply exemplified by Professor S. Frederick Starr, Chairman of Johns Hopkins University’s Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI). Starr was recently dubbed “The Professor of Repression” by Harper’s Magazine for his ideological services to Islam Karimov’s brutal government in Uzbekistan, among other indiscretions. He has also long been known for his affinity to the Turkish & Azeri governments and shameless denial of the Armenian Genocide. At the conference, Starr referred to Armenia and its diaspora as a “serious problem,” but he assured the audience that the “correlation of forces is changing” and that “history is on your [Turkey and Azerbaijan’s] side.”

For the likes of Starr and others who participated in this conference, there is no depth to which one cannot stoop in order to serve power and personal prestige. The truth, human rights, dignity—these are all matters with little-to-no relevance. How else could they serve as such devoted apologists of repression?