WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)—On Feb. 6, David Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio, was the speaker at a small gathering organized by Armenians and Progressive Politics (APP).
Barsamian speaking during the gathering (Photo by Aaron Spagnolo)
The event was structured as a Q&A during which Nanore Barsoumian, the assistant editor of the Armenian Weekly, asked Barsamian questions that covered a wide political and social terrain, and included Armenian issues, the Arab revolts, the notion of “worthy” versus “unworthy” victims, media monopoly, the role of alternative media, social media, the Occupy movement, censorship, surveillance, Eduard Snowden’s NSA leaks, and WikiLeaks.
Barsamian, who was once deported from New Delhi because of his views on Kashmir, spoke about some of the challenges he has faced during his career. He also spoke about the way his Armenian identity has informed his activism, and the kinship he felt with Edward Said, as their histories both contained threads of dispossession and exile.
For over two decades, Barsamian has been a critical voice of U.S. foreign intervention and an advocate for social justice. A journalist and author, he has authored books with Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Eqbal Ahmad, Tariq Ali, and Arundhati Roy. His latest books are How the World Works and What We Say Goes—both co-authored with Chomsky—and Targeting Iran.
APP is an initiative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Eastern Region Central Committee. It aims to examine various topics—particularly Armenian issues—from a leftist perspective, and has been organizing talks and conferences since 2006.
While in Boston, Barsamian also conducted interviews with Noam Chomsky, gave a talk on “Reform or Revolution: Capitalism and the Environment” at the Community Church of Boston, and spoke about “The Global Economic Crisis” at Worcester State University.