LEARN ABOUT ‘ARMENIAN LOBBY’

Belmont Citizen-Herald, MA
Oct 5 2006

Gregory Aftandilian, currently a research fellow at the Belfer Center
at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University,
will present a lecture entitled "The Armenian Lobby Then and Now:
The 1918-27 Period and the Present Day," on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 8
p.m. at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
Center , 395 Concord Ave., Belmont.

Aftandilian, a member of the NAASR Board of Directors since 2004,
has previously worked at the National Democratic Institute for
International Affairs, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the
U.S. Department of State. A recognized expert on Middle East affairs,
he is the author of two books: "Egypt’s Bid for Arab Leadership:
Implications for U.S. Policy," and "Armenia: Vision of a Republic:
The Independence Lobby in America, 1918-1927." He holds degrees from
Dartmouth College, the University of Chicago, and the London School
of Economics.

This lecture will examine the activities of the American Committee
for the Independence of Armenia from 1918 to 1927 and compare it
to today’s Armenian Lobby in terms of effectiveness, shortcomings,
access to leading policy-makers, and sustainability.

Key issues that will be addressed are the makeup of the lobby groups,
the socioeconomic conditions of the Armenian-American community,
the impact of opposing lobbies and countervailing pressures, the
attitudes of Congress and the White House, and the salience of the
"Armenian issue" in the American political context.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m. The lecture will begin promptly at
8 p.m.

For more information call 617-489-1610, or e-mail hq@naasr.org.