Unfortunately, because of work commitments and a lack of time in general, I haven’t been able to keep up with my weekly round-up of the English-language Armenian blogosphere. However, from time to time I will point readers to interesting posts when appropiate.

Now is that time, and to start the ball rolling, Ara Manoogian over at Martuni or Bust posts news of even more evictions to facilitate the continuing land-grab by state officials and government-connected businessmen in central Yerevan. Shahan Natali’s grandson asks a poignant question.

How many people do you know who have purchased or are looking at purchasing housing in the new buildings on North Avenue? I know of a couple from the Diaspora.

I wonder by knowing how that land was stolen (this recognized by the Constitutional Court) from the common Armenian citizen, if living in such a house is really the right thing?

If you have purchased or are planing on purchasing a place in the new buildings knowing all this, please don’t bother inviting me over. The idea of what this whole thing is doing to our people makes me sick.

Meanwhile, Arsineh over at Cilicia.com’s Life in Armenia posts an interesting and comprehensive account of the recent conference on dual citizenship stage in Armenia by the Armenian International Policy Research Group (AIPRG). Because of the large number of ethnic Armenians living outside the Republic, the issue of dual citizenship is still a controversial issue now that the constitutional restriction has been lifted.

The subject of diversity among people means very little to me coming from the United States where diversity means something completely different.

Where Armenia as a “nation” (Armenia and its Diaspora) is made up of Armenians who have dispersed and have “negotiated” their identity, the US is made up of people FROM different countries who have maintained their culture and exist within a nation unified by law, not culture. If it works on that level for the US, the minor differences that exist among many communities around the world should be insignificant to the implementation of a legal issue such as Dual Citizenship.

It can be argued that the interest of these dual citizens and their definition of Armenia as a nation and/or republic would shape the country and thus their perspectives must be considered in order to know how their views will impact Armenia, especially when it comes to voting rights. If it is the cultural issue we are discussing, we need another conference, but I’m not sure what purpose that serves other than defining Armenian cultural identity.

Sorry the roundup is so brief, but things are fast becoming quite hectic in Armenia. That said, ahem, I’m now off to watch the England-Ecuador game with RFE/RL’s Emil Danielyan…