ENEMY IMAGE

The Enemy Image: the Origins and Mechanisms for its Overcoming on the Example of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The lack of tangible results in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has invoked, among other consequences, implanting of the “enemy image” in the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies. Existence of such image is one of the obstacles for direct contacts between representatives of the conflicting parties, including on the level of the executive branch of power; it also leads to minimization of the contacts between representatives of non-governmental organizations. The parties on the level of societies are not ready (which is also pointed out by international mediators) for an open dialog without prejudice and the search for possible limits of compromise in the settlement of the conflict.

The level of perception of the counter-partner as enemy depends on a number of objective and subjective external and domestic factors, and its peaks often coincide with internal political crises.

Transfer of the society disappointment to the external object is a mechanism quite frequently used by ruling elites in the transition period of development of their states. The “enemy image” is exploited for reduction of the internal social and political tensions, especially in the pre-election period.

The most vulnerable sections of population to perception of the “enemy image” are those who have faced the displays of the hostile attitude (refugees, IDPs, combatants, servicemen), as well as young people, not having their own experience of communication with representatives of the adversary side. It is representatives of such sections of population will be included into three individual focus-groups. However, as far as creation and maintaining of the “enemy image” goes first of all through mass media, we suppose the fourth focus-group with journalists.