NEWS.am posts the article “Alarm bells are ringing in southern Caucasus” by Cem Oguz, published in “Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review”.

“During the last days of 2010, “Azerbaijan,” the official newspaper of the Milli Meclis, or Azerbaijani Parliament, published an analysis, titled “USA: Perverting freedom,” that is very harshly critical of Washington’s foreign policy approach and understanding, especially with regard to the situation in the southern Caucasus. The fact that the article commences with the following judgment actually speaks for itself: “The events of the past decade clearly show that the United States systematically ‘produces’ information for political blackmail,” the daily reads.

“The reasons for Azerbaijani alienation from the U.S. are numerous, but the most important among them is undoubtedly U.S. indifference to Armenia’s occupation of Azeri territory,” the author says.

“There are 38 major ethnic lobbying groups in the U.S. and their impact on U.S. foreign policy is even a matter of debate among the U.S. public. However, the Armenian diaspora among them deserves special attention because none of these groups manages to exercise the same influence it does. They are not only better organized but also better represented than others,” the source says.

“Such behavior increases the prospects for war in the Caucasus as the rhetoric between Armenia and Azerbaijan is heating up nowadays. But little is heard from Washington. It unfortunately confirms Baku’s belief that there is only one way to restore justice, i.e. resorting to force,” the daily informs.

“Or, as ironically asked in the said Azeri article, is U.S. foreign policy indeed shaped in Kirk Kerkorian’s office or in Kim Kardashian’s bedroom?” the author says.