Graded F: Arizona Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-08)
Of Syrian origin, a TRIPP mediator, and still an F. Here's why.
Asbed introduces Arizona Republican Abe Hamadeh with a personal note, observing that Hamadeh is of Syrian origin and that many Armenians trace their roots to Syria and Lebanon, so some empathy might be expected. Hamadeh has met with Armenian Ambassador Narek Mkrtchyan and consul Vardan Arabyan, traveled to Yerevan in August to meet Pashinyan and Ararat Mirzoyan, sits on the House Armed Services Committee, and serves as a diplomatic mediator for the TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) project, the U.S.-backed transit corridor that Azerbaijan and Turkey call the Zangezur Corridor. So how does he end up with an F?
Hamparian answers that Hamadeh works to undermine the requirements of a just and lasting peace, including Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which restricts U.S. aid to Azerbaijan. Hamadeh co-sponsored legislation introduced by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida that would not merely waive Section 907 in certain circumstances but remove restrictions entirely, handing Azerbaijan a free pass for past and present actions.
Beyond the legislation, Hamparian points to Hamadeh’s vocal diplomacy in support of a peace agreement that, in his view, rewards Azerbaijan while imposing all the risks on the Armenian side. He rejects the label of peace, calling it the consolidation of ethnic cleansing and the normalization of genocide. Hamadeh, he says, is not a quiet advocate of the administration’s policy but an active one, which prompts Asbed to ask whether Hamadeh is angling for a position at the State Department.
Transcript
Asbed Bedrossian: All right, next we have Arizona Republican Abe Hamadeh, and I will take a special note of this guy. He's of Syrian origin, and I mentioned that because, you know, there are a lot of Armenians from Syria, from Lebanon, so there should be some level of empathy. Now, Hamadeh has actually met with Armenian Ambassador Narek Mkrtchyan, Vardan Arabyan, who's the consul, and back in August he went to Yerevan and met with Pashinyan and Ararat Mirzoyan. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and serves as a diplomatic mediator for the TRIPP project. How is it that this guy is getting a F?
Aram Suren Hamparian: Well, because he is out to undermine all the requirements of a just and lasting peace, and that includes Section 907. He has co-sponsored legislation introduced by Congresswoman Luna of Florida to get rid of Section 907, to say not that it should be waived in certain circumstances, but that there should be no restrictions, that Azerbaijan should be given a free pass for its actions past and present. And that alone would do that. But then add to that his commentary, his diplomacy, whatever you want to call it, in support of a peace agreement that places none of that essentially rewards Azerbaijan and imposes all its risks on the Armenian side. You know, again, these people call it peace, but it's really just the consolidation of ethnic cleansing. And he's been out front. He's not been a quiet advocate of the administration's policy, but he's been a very active advocate of this normalization of genocide.
Asbed Bedrossian: Is he angling for a position in the State Department?