Pashinyan’s Propaganda and PR Machine Hard at Work
By: B. Manoukian
“Now “public opinion” stood out as a force that must be managed, and not through clever guesswork but by experts trained to do that all-important job.”
― Edward L. Bernays, Propaganda
I immigrated to the US with my family in 1984 when I was 15. Couple of weeks into our sophomore English class, the teacher had us read George Orwell’s 1984, and due to my extremely limited English, I had to look up every word in the dictionary, re-write the paragraph in Armenian, analyze and study it, then try to re-write & explain it with my broken English. At the time it seemed like torture, but the words became etched so deeply in my subconscious mind that it later enabled me to “wake up” and see today’s global socio-political reality through Orwellian lenses. I remember having encountered the book again later on during my college years. Even though my major was political science & economics, I was more interested in the psychology behind advertising & marketing, especially the subliminal messaging used in advertising. That’s why one of the few books that I truly enjoyed and often refer back to was Propaganda, by Edward L. Bernays, Sigmund Freud’s nephew.
I was fascinated by his life story. He had a degree in agriculture but decided to work as a journalist. Being Freud’s nephew presented many opportunities for him, including working with the Woodrow Wilson Administration to help propagate the idea that US involvement in WWI as part of the Allied forces was to help bring democracy to Europe. Bernays’ successful wartime propaganda campaign encouraged him to use the same methods during peacetime. However, since the term “propaganda” had acquired somewhat of a negative connotation, especially as it was widely used & associated with Stalin and the Communist Party in the Soviet Union, Mussolini in Italy, and Hitler in Germany (further expounded upon negatively during WWII), Bernays started promoting the term “public relations” (PR).
PR is what Bernays referred to as “engineering of consent,” meaning:
“control and regiment the masses ACCORDING TO OUR WILL, WITHOUT their knowing about it”, which can only be accomplished by appealing to the unconscious mind. Basically…
PR = Propaganda = Controlling the Mind of the Masses
Human Minds = An Effective Weapon
Control The Mind of the Masses = Control The Narrative & The Outcome
Propaganda, PR and The Armenian Reality
Almost all activists & volunteers involved with Armenian organizations, political parties, or projects complain of poor PR or lack thereof. Unfortunately, majority of members/leaders measure “PR” by the number of articles, Facebook or Instagram posts, “likes”, “shares” & posted pictures – especially the ones they are in!
Some think PR is shouting slogans from the top of their lungs, criticizing in the harshest way possible, wearing a suit and a red tie or a nice brand name outfit during an interview, or using intricate vocabulary, while the more old-school ones think of plastering every wall, window, and car windshield with posters & flyers.
That’s why the incredible amazing work done by most of our organizations and parties rarely gets the credit it deserves, and lacks PR for one major element: intent to shape public opinion in favor of their mission.
At first, I would explain this phenomena as a cultural issue, one that is far deeper than mere education or a generation gap. But that was until the Velvet Revolution… What has been going on in Armenia during the past few years is a brilliant example of an amazing and intricate PR campaign by a group of well-trained experts who are now implementing all the methods and tactics at their disposal to engineer public opinion and effectively use the minds of the masses as a weapon.
During political turmoil, when people are mistreated long enough and badly enough, oppressed & abused and taken advantage of where they see no light at the end of the tunnel, given the chance they rebel against their oppressors either by taking up guns, or taking their anger & frustration out to the streets in the form of civil disobedience.
What Happened in Armenia? – The Stage was Set
The case was no different in Armenia when Serzh Sarkissian, despite the fact that he had pledged not to seek re-election as PM during the 2015 constitutional referendum when the country’s governance changed to a parliamentarian system, broke his promise in 2018 and “got elected” as PM creating fertile ground for a rebellion. The public had an intense desire for a charismatic leader, a “messiah” to come save the day and free them up from injustice, poverty & joblessness, and bring them peace & prosperity.
Often overlooked is the fact that the movement began with everyone uniting to rebel against Serzh & his administration. The people came out to send Serzh and anyone affiliated with him home and had nothing to do with wanting Nikol or his Civil Contract party to take power. The timing was perfect for a power shift in order to change Armenia’s foreign policy & the narrative that was being played by Sarkissian’s corrupt, oppressive, self-serving, pro-Russia administration into a neoliberal, globalist and pro-west one. It was time for the rise of a new leader who was charismatic, well-articulated, trusted, and a consummate rhetorician to deliver. Nikol perfectly fit that criteria.
What followed in the coming days seemed like Gene Sharp’s work coming to life by brilliant scholars & adherents of his, members of Nikol’s Civil Contract party.
Sharp was an American political scientist, greatly influenced by Gandhi, who had written many “how to” books on nonviolent struggles & “velvet revolutions” that influenced numerous anti-government movements around the world, including Ukraine. His book “From Dictatorship to Democracy” has been considered the “Bible of Ukraine’s Pora”. (Interestingly, a couple of weeks ago Yerevan City Council member Levon Zakaryan of the My Step faction wrote about erecting a statue of Gandhi in Yerevan – (if I were to bet, the statue will be of Ghandi with a walking stick, taking HIS step).
I started following Sharp’s literature in 2009 when I read that after post-election un-rest in my birthplace Tehran, those arrested confessed to be following Gene Sharp’s time-table for a velvet revolution. They reached the 100th step of the 198 explained in his book “198 methods of non-violent actions” about how to use non-violence to topple dictatorships in 198 steps.
So when Nikol and his team started their “peace march” in Gyumri on March 31st to protest Serzh Sarkissian’s election as PM that was set for April 17th, it seemed like a copy-paste of Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement & Salt march.(Once the statue is erected in Yerevan, generations will be reminded of it on a daily basis)
The movement was led by a “leader” who followed the instructions in Sharp’s manual. Someone that the average Joe could identify with, a family man with name recognition who made a modest living to walk through every province and region of the country to gather support of the masses, sounding the alarm to start a movement.
The Transformation of a “New” Leader
From a public relations perspective, Nikol needed a new image to erase the “Ter-Petrossian side-kick provocateur drummer boy” he was recognized as and help people forget other popular views of his place in the Armenian reality (such as “paid opposition”). Within days Nikol went through a transformation using simple, yet ingenious and effective ways to change the subconscious of the Armenian citizenry.
First, was having a stray dog named Chalo “join” the march and follow Nikol for 14 days into Yerevan. The usage of this symbol helped to immediately soften many hearts and portrayed Nikol as a kind and compassionate person who loves animals. Subconsciously this image allowed the average person to perceive & trust Nikol as kind and caring because it’s common knowledge that dogs have great instincts, can sense aggressions and intent for violence, and would not follow anyone as such. This further diminished or erased Nikol’s image as the provocateur of violence which was the public perception of him for two decades especially in association with the tragic events of March 1st.
Next, it was important to propagate Nikol as a hero, freedom fighter, and protector of our lands to distance him from his ideological Godfather Levon Ter Petrossian, who will be remembered in history as a national traitor, the Vahe Ihsan of our times who wanted to return liberated lands.
He grew a full beard and started wearing a camouflage shirt with a back pack on his back, and soon after a slight cut on his hand, he bandaged his hand to replicate the famous picture of Monte Melkonian.
All this was especially important because Nikol had authored several articles in Haykakan Zhamanag in late 90’s & early 2000’s where he had actually written: “I am surprised that there are still some people in our country with the illusion of so called liberated lands, if they wish to call them as such, the occupied lands…I do not accept the point of view that a good diplomacy can prevent the return of those lands to Azerbaijan.”
In about two weeks while Nikol and his team were peacefully marching from Gyumri to Yerevan, people forgot about boyish face behind the blow horn screaming under the statue of Miasnigian on March 1, 2008 provoking violence and encouraging people to get whatever they can get their hands on to fight the police. The same boyish face that was screaming support for one of the biggest traitors and master minds of corruption in Armenia’s modern history, Levon Ter Petrossian and his bandits. Nikol was transformed into a handsome, dedicated, passionate, and brave patriot, family man, walking the path to freedom with his wife by his side, who would remind people of Monte & other freedom fighters thanks to a brilliant propaganda plan to engineer the minds of the masses. He was now a kind, compassionate, brave leader who was going to fight the anti-hero of this story, Serzh and take the nation to the great future it deserves.
With the support of news outlets (local & international) funded by NGO’s such as Open Society Foundation (Soros foundation), Helsinki Foundation, Transparency International, National Endowment for Democracy that the majority of My Step marchers were affiliated with, the news of the march spread faster than the speed of lightning. On the other hand, Pashinyan’s witty decision to use social media to communicate with the masses and mobilizing them to join the movement helped continue to build and grow momentum.
Nikol (very meticulously) focused on getting high school children & youth to join the movement, probably thinking that no matter how corrupt and power hungry the Sarkissian regime, no law enforcement official would ever open fire on “kids”. The second brilliant thing he did was to use Facebook live to constantly enter the “private space” of every individual, and appealed to them directly in person, one-on-one, speaking to them in plain language like a very close friend. This genius strategy forced the minds of tens of thousands to subliminally accept him as a friend, someone who comes to your house and talks to you in your living room, or a family member that you listen to on a weekend morning while still in your pajamas. He became someone who speaks to you as equal, in a language you understand, and facing the same challenges you face. His momentum kept growing and his Civil Contract party rapidly rose to political prominence thanks to this propaganda designed to create a cult or mob ready to follow THE leader.
The “New” Armenia
Past two years I have been living the Orwellian Nightmare that constantly reminds me “what I am seeing and what I am reading is not what’s happening.” Despite video footages & articles filled with rhetoric of democracy, war against corruption, strengthening of military, serving justice, and patriotic chants by government officials, the complete opposite is happening in plain sight for all to see if they want to notice. I see the destruction of national & religious ideals, scapegoating, an education system headed for destruction with the removal of the Armenian History & Language classes as mandatory subjects in college, and neoliberal ideals propagated across generations but especially youth.
I see people in charge of making decisions effecting our borders, our National Security & the military who have never served a day in the military in their lives due to fake excuses or fake “disabilities.” I see an attempt at destruction of Armenian families and family values. I see the government constantly inserting doubt and questioning important institutions (such as the military) without suggested reforms or sometimes evidence of their claims. I see NGOs set up to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to foster democracy, a great and much needed project but sadly only on paper as the recipients of those grants are involved in and focused on systematic propaganda efforts promoting every single anti-nationalist idea & anti-patriotic project either as an “advisor”, “organizer” or “expert consultant”.
I see the same old corrupt hands I used to see 22-30 years ago, pulling the strings of these young, energetic, smart & sophisticated “puppets” that are entertaining us today in their roles of executive & legislative branches with their “tayfa” of advisors.
I see media manipulation and controlling of the minds of the masses. I see divide and conquer. I see hate and anger. I see fear and scapegoating as an excuse to actualize change. I see the same scenarios that, historically, have taken a charismatic and popular leader that transforms into an authoritarian figure under the guise of democracy. The media coverage, the people involved and their statements, the words and vocabulary used, all tell me a story much different than the perception portrayed on the surface.
I am living an Orwellian Nightmare as my homeland and nation are being destroyed from within, as “Big Brother” is trying again to execute an agenda that my people collectively rejected a couple of decades ago. I see how the minds of my fellow Armenians are being attacked and manipulated on a daily basis by being exposed to repeated lies that are being accepted as the truth and facts even by the most educated. These subversive attacks include dividing society into two categories. The “blacks” are anyone against the current regime’s narrative and portrayed as evil monsters trying to destroy the land. While the “whites” support Nikol loyally and obediently to a fault, and are portrayed as Duxov proud citizens. All this in order to ridicule, discredit, and challenge moral principles and the core national values of our people, to crush the strong spiritual foundation and sense of national unity. Same old techniques with new “branding & packaging.”
Same Old Tactics and Attempts to Destroy the Armenian Nation
To destroy a nation without war takes decades of diligent work. The memory, culture and history of its people must be gradually erased. New books about the new history and new culture that are “fun, interesting, & coherent with the rest of the world” must replace the “embarrassing” & “boring” old ones. National symbols & icons must also be replaced, “new traditions” must be invented, and a band wagon must be built so everyone can ride in it, except those that are the “out casts”. At this rate it won’t be long before the Nation forgets its roots and soon after that the world will forget that nation too.
It is notable that these are the same exact propaganda tactics that were used by the Bolsheviks/Communists targeting & attacking the center of gravity of the Armenian nation. The “center of gravity” is what keeps a nation from collapsing. It is the language, the culture, the history, & the traditions. It is that key element to attack & control the minds of the people in order to shape the way people view life and the values upon which their life is based. Shape the mind and you control their direction. Control their direction and you can lead them anywhere you wish them to go.
The Bolsheviks had also identified the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun as the guardians of the center of gravity of the Armenian Nation from the early 1920’s until the collapse of the Soviet Union. No matter what people think of the Dashnaktsutyun, whether they like it or hate it, it is undebatable that its ideology, program, manifest, structure, network and history have always been instrumental in guarding & defending the “center of gravity” of the Armenian Nation. The sooner they get rid of the “guards”, the faster they can attack & destroy the center of gravity.
Undoubtedly everyone remembers the systematic anti-ARF propaganda orchestrated by the Bolsheviks & Communists, the destruction of national & religious values, as well as the separation of Artsakh & Nakhichevanfrom the motherland and granting them to Azerbaijan. We also remember the propaganda portraying of Dashnags as national traitors, weak, spineless, people who had sold the nation out to the Turks executed through films such as Saroyan Yeghbayrner or Zankezour, or by the new history books in schools, or changing the Armenian orthography under the pretense of “reform” by Abeghian and labeling any writer using the classical orthography as Dashnag and a traitor. The propaganda to change public opinion was also realized by the literatures by prominent authors & poets of the time like Gourgen Mahari or Gevorg Abov, or by changing the lyrics of popular songs and the national anthem, and replacing the tricolor flag and coat of arms, all planned propaganda aimed at attacking, destroying, & controlling the “center of gravity” of our nation.
That propaganda slowly etched its way through the minds of generations and created strong anti-ARF sentiments that automatically had ARF perceived as public enemy #1, as we saw it carried over during our independence, and was magnified even more so by Levon Ter Petrossian’s regime and continues to date.
Undoubtedly everyone remembers the systematic anti-ARF propaganda orchestrated by the Bolsheviks & Communists, the destruction of national & religious values, as well as the separation of Artsakh & Nakhichevanfrom the motherland and granting them to Azerbaijan. We also remember the propaganda portraying of Dashnags as national traitors, weak, spineless, people who had sold the nation out to the Turks executed through films such as Saroyan Yeghbayrner or Zankezour, or by the new history books in schools, or changing the Armenian orthography under the pretense of “reform” by Abeghian and labeling any writer using the classical orthography as Dashnag and a traitor. The propaganda to change public opinion was also realized by the literatures by prominent authors & poets of the time like Gourgen Mahari or Gevorg Abov, or by changing the lyrics of popular songs and the national anthem, and replacing the tricolor flag and coat of arms, all planned propaganda aimed at attacking, destroying, & controlling the “center of gravity” of our nation.
That propaganda slowly etched its way through the minds of generations and created strong anti-ARF sentiments that automatically had ARF perceived as public enemy #1, as we saw it carried over during our independence, and was magnified even more so by Levon Ter Petrossian’s regime and continues to date.
The examples of propaganda used by Bolesheviks & Communists makes it easier to see and comprehend what is happening today. If we know our past well enough, we can look at the present & see what is truly going on, and then we can take control of the future instead of blindly jumping on the bandwagon of “revolutionaries”. We must remember our past, in order to control our future.
The art of media manipulation nowadays includes fabrication & falsification of news and dissemination of misinformation or “alternative facts.” This is a skill that has been mastered by the majority of Pashinyan’s team, including the “fake opposition” & “fake independent” MP, Arman Babajanian. Almost every issue at hand is masterfully altered and misrepresented with clever tactics and the underlying message that if you do not agree, you are anti-revolution and a supporter of the old regime, you are unwanted, you are in the “black” group.
Media Manipulation in Glendale in Support of an Illegal Referendum
The fake news & media manipulation of Pashinyan’s regime seems to have also found the need to include the diaspora in the game. Last week, Voice of America aired a segment titled “Representatives of the Armenian Community of Los Angeles gathered to express solidarity to the YES on the Referendum campaign. “ First, that gathering had nothing to do with Armenia, let alone a yes or no on anything. It was a press conference organized by the LA County Democratic Party to announce that they passed a resolution to not endorse any candidate who denies the Armenian Genocide. A marvelous initiative and a commendable decision but with embarrassingly poor attendance and absolutely zero representation by any major or semi-major player or influencer of the Armenian community.
Should this diasporan community decide to give a statement, there are 3 bodies comprised of representatives of all major churches, organizations, & political parties that can easily make such an announcement that is credible and with a legitimate press conference with true representation including both Prelacy & Diocese, as well as the Catholic & Evangelical communities, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), organizations with hundreds or thousands of members. But this gathering was simply a group of 15-16 elected officials or candidates running for an office, and maybe 10-12 others with a few non-Armenian authors & sponsors of the resolution.
Then the segment continues on to show a few of the attendees campaigning in local elections being interviewed and expressing their “full support” for a referendum in Armenia and urging people to cast their Yes vote to “change the laws”…
I know most of the interviewees personally and I know how strongly they advocate for democracy. My guess is that in the midst of their election campaigns and their busy lives, they have not had the chance to fully familiarize themselves with the illegal and unconstitutional nature of the referendum in Armenia, and have not realized how the yes vote they advocate for is not a yes to revolution as it is being manipulatively propagated. These great people who were interviewed had no clue that a yes vote in the referendum is a green light to destroy democracy and consolidate all 3 branches of the government under the control of one party and one person.
I doubt any one of them would support tyranny or a dictatorship. At most, I can say it was a sycophantic appeal and I am convinced that their statements were a result of misinformation and not enough time to familiarize themselves with the subject otherwise they would not have made a statement against their own principles that could be detrimental for their political careers. After all, no one wants a leader who advocates tyranny & dictatorship, and no one wants work with anyone in an organization that supports the same.
It is imperative that we realize how easily our minds can be manipulated, no matter how experienced, educated, & skilled we are, and until we realize & “wake up” to see what’s actually going on, we will remain puppets of someone else’s marionette theatre.
The results of this illegal & perilous Constitutional Reform referendum on April 5th will define our Nation’s destiny for generations. In the past two years, much of what we as the Armenian Nation hold dear to our hearts has been under both internal and external threats – national values, civility, truth, and now democracy. The unification of the three branches of the government under the rule of one party and one person will, even in the hands of the most ambitious and magnanimous force, create a totalitarian regime that undermines Armenia’s democratic ideals for generations to come. It is simply not good governance, and there is no historical and/or philosophical argument that can justify such an affront.
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command…If you pretend that it is merely an aberration which will presently pass off of its own accord, you are dreaming a dream from which you will awake when somebody coshes you with a rubber truncheon.” George Orwell-Nineteen Eighty-Four
Boycott the illegal Constitution Reform Referendum on April 5th!
Save Armenia’s Democracy!