"For us, universal values such as justice, morality and peace cannot be disputed and it is for this reason that we pursue the restoration of historical truth"
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The line reads like a calm civics lesson, but it’s really a power move. Kocharian wraps a highly contestable project - “the restoration of historical truth” - in the language of the incontestable. By declaring justice, morality, and peace “cannot be disputed,” he’s not inviting agreement; he’s foreclosing it. The trick is rhetorical jujitsu: if the values are universal, then the speaker’s preferred version of history becomes a moral obligation rather than a political choice.
That’s the subtext: history here isn’t a record, it’s a battlefield. “Restoration” implies something stolen or corrupted, a truth that existed whole before enemies, rivals, or inconvenient archives damaged it. It positions the state not as an interpreter but as a custodian reclaiming what rightfully belongs to “us.” The pronoun matters. “For us” creates a moral in-group, suggesting that dissent isn’t merely disagreement but a departure from shared virtue.
Contextually, this is a familiar move from post-Soviet political rhetoric, especially in conflict-shaped societies where national legitimacy and territorial claims are argued through memory as much as through law. The phrase “historical truth” often functions as a soft weapon: it sanctifies commemoration, narrows what can be said publicly, and reframes critics as opponents of peace itself. The appeal to universals is designed to look above politics while doing politics with maximal force.
That’s the subtext: history here isn’t a record, it’s a battlefield. “Restoration” implies something stolen or corrupted, a truth that existed whole before enemies, rivals, or inconvenient archives damaged it. It positions the state not as an interpreter but as a custodian reclaiming what rightfully belongs to “us.” The pronoun matters. “For us” creates a moral in-group, suggesting that dissent isn’t merely disagreement but a departure from shared virtue.
Contextually, this is a familiar move from post-Soviet political rhetoric, especially in conflict-shaped societies where national legitimacy and territorial claims are argued through memory as much as through law. The phrase “historical truth” often functions as a soft weapon: it sanctifies commemoration, narrows what can be said publicly, and reframes critics as opponents of peace itself. The appeal to universals is designed to look above politics while doing politics with maximal force.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
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