See: http://www.oneworld.am/diversity/ http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/caucasus-conflict-voices/

1. OVERCOMING NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES
IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
Onnik Krikorian
Caucasus Regional Editor, Global Voices
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org
onewmphoto@gmail.com
caucasus@globalvoicesonline.org

2. What is Global Voices?
Global Voices is a community of more than 300 bloggers and translators around the world who
work together to bring readers reports from blogs and citizen media everywhere, with an
emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily heard in the mainstream media.
Global Voices is translated into more than 15 languages by volunteer translators, who have
formed the Lingua project. Additionally, Global Voices has an Advocacy website and network to
help people speak out online in places where their voices are censored.
We also have an outreach project called Rising Voices to help marginalized communities use
citizen media to be heard.

3. Global Voices Impact
Four websites most consistently account for links
between countries: YouTube, Wikipedia, the BBC and,
a distant fourth, Global Voices Online. The last of
these, launched at Harvard University in 2005 […]
works to create links between bloggers in different
countries, and to find what it calls “bridge bloggers”
[…]
The Economist, 2 September 2010
Working relationships with BBC, Reuters, Pulitzer Center for
Crisis Reporting, La Stampa and many others. Frequently quoted
by CNN, BBC, New York Times, The Economist etc.

5. Nagorno Karabakh
• 1994 ceasefire
• Approx 25,000 dead
• Approx 1 million refugees
and IDPs
• 16 percent of Azerbaijan
controlled by Armenian
forces
• Border skirmishes and
clashes still occur
• Territorial integrity vs.
Right to self-determination
• Peace deal still elusive
• Threat of new war

6. Armenia & Azerbaijan
[A] negative context [is set] in the public consciousness, which hinders dialogue and mutual
understanding […] Without more accurate and unbiased information […] free of negative
rhetoric and stereotypes, Armenians and Azerbaijanis will continue to see themselves as
enemies without any common ground.
Report on media in Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Caucasus Resource Research Centers

7. Perpetuating conflict
[...] people are often inclined to consider their existing attitudes and beliefs to be true and filter
the news through this lens. Thus, they accept messages in order to maintain their original
perceptions. […] bias in the local media [...] serves as a means to fuel and perpetuate hatred. This
is a role the media has and continues to play with regards to the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.
Report on media in Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Caucasus Resource Research Centers

8. Attitudes in Armenia

9. Attitudes in Azerbaijan

10. Attitudes in Georgia

11. Another alternative?
Throughout history, war has affected media, with conflict often creating an information void. In
the 21st century, media has begun to affect war more than ever before. Digital media
technologies [...] have increased communication and information dissemination in conflict settings
[...]. These new tools can be used to foment violence or to foster peace, and it is possible to build
communication systems that encourage dialogue and nonviolent political solutions.
Ivan Sigal, Global Voices Executive Director, Digital media in conflict-prone societies, Center for
International Media Assistance (CIMA)

13. Twitter communication

15. http://www.oneworld.am/diversity/

20. Offline/Online cooperation

21. Words of caution
New media tools will certainly help in getting people better acquainted with each other, but at the
same time can also be used to reaffirm existing biases. Just search on the Internet for Armenian
and Azerbaijani web sites and you can find a lot of trash and very harmful discourse from
nationalist websites. I’m mildly optimistic, but at the same time think we should be very cautious
about what we find on the Internet as well.
Bart Woord, International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) Secretary General

22. http://peace.facebook.com

23. Holistic approach
I think you can’t do it just with social media tools, but as we’ve seen over the past 15 years, you
definitely can’t do it by meeting in Tbilisi for a weekend every summer. It becomes an
“entertainment” and I’ve had experience with those conferences in Georgia where it’s just one big
coffee break and a waste of money. However, I think that both approaches combined could
propel things along.
Micael Bogar, Projects Manager at the American University's Center for Social Media

24. Shameless plugs
Global Voices Online
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org
Global Voices Caucasus Conflict Voices
http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/caucasus-conflict-voices/
Global Voices Advocacy
http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/
Rising Voices
http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/
Overcoming Negative Stereotypes in the South Caucasus
http://www.oneworld.am/diversity/