Vincent Lima.

Vincent Lima

Vincent Lima is a consulting editor of the Armenian Reporter. He joined the senior management of CS Media in March 2006 and served as the editor of the Reporter from October 2006 to January 2010.

Since the early 1990s, Lima has had a high profile in the Armenian-American community as an editor and public intellectual. He edited the scholarly journal Armenian Review from 1989 to 1996. He started Armenian Forum: A Journal of Contemporary Affairs, which he coedited with Ara Sarafian from 1998 on. He has served as director of the Gomidas Institute.

Before joining CS Media, Lima worked in the testing industry, developing content for high-stakes tests. For the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, he worked on innovative products (such as auditing simulations) for the Uniform CPA Examination; prior to that he wrote and reviewed questions for the Analytical sections of the GRE® and the Critical Reasoning sections of the GMAT®.

Lima is a graduate of the New School for Social Research in New York City. He did graduate work there under Eric J. Hobsbawm; he continued his graduate studies in history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under Ronald Grigor Suny and Juan Cole. He has taught at the University of Michigan and Tufts University.



Author's articles

National Bank of Washington building (center) and four structures to the left reverted to the Cafesjian Foundation . PQLiving.com

AAA leaders continue to hold up Armenian Genocide museum

Mar 29, 2011: Having lost a multimillion-dollar gamble, the leaders of the Armenian Assembly have also lost face before their friends and supporters as their allegations were rejected by an impartial federal judge, writes Vincent Lima.  more...



In a city of museums and monuments, Armenians have an opportunity to build a museum and memorial that is "permanent yet living, somber yet inspiring, monumental yet accessible."   .

Court decision will change profile of Armenian activism in Washington

Feb 06, 2011: The outcome of the federal lawsuit over the Armenian Genocide museum in Washington will have serious repercussions for the future of Armenian advocacy in the United States, Vincent Lima argues. Most importantly, Armenian-Americans will have to find a new sense of common purpose and find inspiration to work together.  more...



The cover page of the inaugural issue of the Armenian Reporter's Arts & Culture section, March 3, 2007.   .

Editorial notebook: Thank you and good luck

Feb 12, 2010: The Armenian Reporter's outgoing editor Vincent Lima pauses to thank the team he worked with over the last four years and wish the new editor, Emil Sanamyan, the best of luck.  more...



Mikhail Baghdasarov. Photolure.

Armavia grows rapidly, in spite of the global crisis

Nov 27, 2009: The owner of Armavia, Mikhail Baghdasarov, thinks the crisis is the best time to seize opportunities. In an interview on November 9, he spoke about his plans for the airline, his cement company, and the business climate in Armenia. Vincent Lima reports.  more...



Fernando Botero’s Cat is already a Yerevan landmark. Grigor Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter

A center of excellence – with a smile

Nov 14, 2009: For many people in Yerevan, it all began with the "Cat," Vincent Lima writes in his "Editor's Notebook." The Cafesjian Museum Foundation has been part of the cultural life of Yerevan for years, and in bite-sized pieces, it was easy to appreciate the gift. With the Grand Opening, the scale of the gift has become apparent. It is more than the sum of its impressive parts. It is transformative.  more...



President Serge Sargsyan, center, arrives at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, along with Catholicos Karekin II. He is greeted by Gerard L. Cafesjian. On the left, behind the president, is Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan. Yerevan, November 8, 2009. Mkhitar Khachatryan

Cafesjian Center for the Arts opens in Yerevan

Nov 13, 2009: In the heart of Armenia's capital city, on the park leading to the towering Cascade Complex, and behind the Cascade's mask of white travertine, a new and wondrous world has been created. On Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, this world was unveiled in the presence of the benefactor who gave it to Armenia, Gerard L. ­Cafesjian, and his wife Cleo. Vincent Lima reports with Armine Amiryan.  more...



Jaume Plensa in Tamanyan Park

Oct 16, 2009: After a late night, it was an early morning. I took my older daughter to school, stopped at my parents' apartment to drop something off, and returned a Los Angeles-area phone call (while it was still a decent hour 12 time zones away) as I walked down Moskovian Street toward the bus stop. Suddenly I noticed something new and incredible had appeared in Tamanyan Park.  more...



Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian of Armenia, left, and Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey sign protocols on the normalization of relations as European Union foreign affairs chief Javier Solana, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, back row from left, look on, at the University of Zurich, Oct. 10. Tigran Tadevosyan/Photolure

Protocols to end Turkish blockade are signed as Turkey links implementation to Karabakh

Oct 15, 2009: The foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey on October 10 signed a historic accord that promises to end the 16-year Turkish blockade of Armenia, even as Ankara insisted that implementation was unlikely without major Armenian concessions to Azerbaijan. Armenia has ruled out such concessions as a precondition for proceeding with the agreement. Vincent Lima reports from Yerevan.  more...



Greater Boston's Araxi Krafian makes her AYF Olympics debut, coming in second to Angela Soorikian of Philadelphia in the 50-meter dash. Her chapter won the Most Improved Chapter award. Tom Vartabedian

Thousands come together for AYF Olympics in Providence

Sep 11, 2009: Again and again over the long Labor Day weekend in Providence, dance floors came alive with the rhythm and energy of traditional Armenian music, as thousands of Armenian-Americans from every community in the eastern United States and beyond gathered for the Armenian Youth Federation’s 76th Olympic Games. Vincent Lima reports.  more...



Very Rev. Fr. Torkom Hagopian, right, with Dr. Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Abp. Oshagan Choloyan, at a celebration of the 20th anniversary of St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary School, 2004. Eastern Prelacy

Archpriest Torkom Hagopian, 86, led Boston community for 33 years

Sep 10, 2009: Very Rev. Fr. Torkom Hagopian, who served in the Boston community for 33 years as pastor, died on September 3. The Armenian Cultural and Educational Center in Watertown was built on his watch and with his wholehearted support, and he saw the establishment, in 1984, of St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary School.  more...



 

Orran raises over $130,000 to help families in need

Aug 21, 2009: Friends attending a banquet at the Yerevan Marriott Hotel pledged more than $130,000 to support Orran’s charitable activities in Armenia. The organization had only hoped to raise $42,000 at the event, held August 14.  more...



Apres Zohrabyan and campers in the Mets Tagher village of Hadrut, Nagorno-Karabakh. Vartan Melikyan

Apres Apres

Aug 21, 2009: Karabakh War veteran Apres Zohrabyan is doing something at least as patriotic as what he did as a fighter in the early 90s: he is helping Armenians discover and fall in love with their native land, Vincent Lima writes in his Editorial Notebook.  more...



Aram Gharabekian leads the audience in clapping along to Johann Strauss’s “Radetzky March” at the opening concert of Armenia’s Open Music Fest. Joining the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia are the Armenian Little Singers and the Vahagn Dhol Ensemble, Yerevan July 30. HAKBER / NCOA

Open Music Fest in Armenia starts on an upbeat note

Jul 31, 2009: The seven-week Open Music Festival of Armenia began Thursday night, July 30, with a rousing concert in an amphitheater in the heart of Yerevan. It was a great start to a promising festival, Vincent Lima reports.  more...



The Armenian tricolor flew at half-mast over the main government building in Republic Square in Yerevan on July 16, the day after a Tehran-Yerevan flight crashed, killing all 168 people on board. Tigran Tadevosian / Photolure

Family and friends worldwide grieve those who died in Tehran-Yerevan flight (updated)

Jul 18, 2009: Lousik Tarbinian Vartanian, 63, a mother of five, was always afraid of flying. But this time, as she prepared to leave Tehran on board Caspian Airlines flight 7908, bound for Yerevan, she was happy, not worried. She was looking forward to her youngest son's wedding on August 15. Vincent Lima reports from Yerevan.  more...



President Serge Sargsian of Armenia with President Demetris Christofias of Cyprus, Yerevan, July 6, 2009. Mkhitar Khachatrian / Photolure

President Sargsian suggests Turkey is misleading international community

Jul 10, 2009: President Serge Sargsian, who until now has sounded optimistic about the prospects for the early normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, on July 6 accused Ankara of failing to honor agreements and “misleading the international community,” Vincent Lima reports from Yerevan.  more...



Burning grape wood to get embers for joojeh kabob, Yerevan, July 2, 2009. Armenian Reporter

Celebrating the Fourth of July with an Iranian kebob

Jul 02, 2009: “Now we have a garden, and with the cool breeze from the Hrazdan River gorge, joojeh kabob is a magical dish again,” writes Vincent Lima in this week’s Food column.  more...



Ara Sarafian, with Lord Avebury, speaking at the Turkish Human Rights Association, Ankara, June 26, 2009. Ani Sounds, London

In Ankara “Blue Book” launch, Genocide denial is challenged

Jul 01, 2009: In Ankara on June 26, the British peer Lord Avebury and the historian and publisher Ara Sarafian called the Turkish Grand National Assembly on its denial of the Armenian Genocide. In response to a petition to the British Parliament to repudiate its 1916 Blue Book on the Armenian Genocide, Lord Avebury and Mr. Sarafian released a Turkish translation of the volume. Vincent Lima has the story.  more...



Peter Semneby.

European Union envoy acknowledges Turkey has “paused” talks with Armenia

Jun 19, 2009: Turkey has taken a "tactical step backwards" on normalizing relations with Armenia because of hostile domestic reaction to the move, the European Union's envoy to the region said in an interview with Reuters. This admission was the first by a senior Western official that all is not well in Armenia-Turkey talks, Vincent Lima reports.  more...



Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch at her residence in Yerevan, June 10, 2009.   . Tatul Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter

Amb. Yovanovitch: There are many ways for more Armenian-Americans to get involved with Armenia

Jun 10, 2009: Amb. Marie Yovanovitch spoke to “Armenian Reporter” editor Vincent Lima and Senior Correspondent Tatul Hakobyan at her residence in Yerevan on June 10 to give a preview of issues she will discuss during an upcoming visit to Armenian-American communities in Greater Boston, New York, Washington, and Southern California.  more...



Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglarian.  . Tigran Tadevosian / Photolure

Republicans to retain Yerevan mayor’s office, control city council

Jun 05, 2009: President Serge Sargsian's Republican Party of Armenia on May 31 won 35 seats in Yerevan's 65-seat municipal assembly, allowing its candidate Mayor Gagik Beglarian to stay on as Yerevan's chief executive. The opposition Armenian National Congress won a fifth of the council seats, cried foul, and announced a permanent boycott of the council.  more...



Rouben Galichian in front of an artist's rendition of a historical map.   . Vincent Lima / Armenian Reporter

Rouben Galichian chronicles the invention of Azerbaijan and its history

Jun 03, 2009: In a new book, “The Invention of History” Rouben Galichian argues that Azerbaijan as an entity north of the River Araks is an invention of 1918, and that the edifice of Azerbaijani national history is built with bricks that have their Armenian inscriptions hacked off of them. Vincent Lima spoke to Mr. Galichian on May 31.  more...



Vahe Karapetian and Dr. Aramayis Paronian at the USArmenia TV studios in Burbank, Calif., discuss Armenia-diaspora relations with Hranush Hakobyan and Radik Martirosyan at the Armenia TV studios in Yerevan, May 24, 2009. Armenia TV

Diaspora Ministry seeks to establish “national council” to link Armenia and diaspora

May 29, 2009: On a television program on May 24 that connected Yerevan, Moscow, and Burbank, Calif., Armenia’s Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan introduced the concept of an Armenian “national council” to bring together Armenia and diaspora communities worldwide. Debating the merits of the proposal were Ara Abramyan, president of the powerful Union of Armenians in Russia, and from Burbank, businessperson and philanthropist Vahe Karapetian. Vincent Lima has the story.  more...



Radik Martirosyan, president of Armenia's National Academy of Sciences.  . Armenia TV

To counter Armenia's brain drain, academy elects “foreign members”

May 29, 2009: In late November 2008, the Armenia's National Academy of Sciences elected 78 scholars from the Armenian diaspora, all at once, as foreign members. The candidates had committed to be engaged in Armenia's scholarly life.  more...



With Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (rear right) present, President Barack Obama urged Turkey to address the “terrible events of 1915” in a way that is “honest, open, and constructive.” Ankara, April 6, 2009. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Barack Obama wants Turkey to acknowledge the Genocide

May 01, 2009: We should not consider Mr. Obama's campaign pledge a lost cause, Vincent Lima writes in his Editorial Notebook. On the contrary, we should take the additional commitment he made on April 24 – the commitment to achieving "a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts" by Turkey – together with his campaign pledge as a starting point to pursue the larger goal of having Turkey acknowledge the Genocide.  more...



Armen Rustamian, representative of the ARF’s Supreme Body of Armenia, announcing the party's withdrawal from Armenia's coalition government, Yerevan, April 27, 2009. Melik Baghdasarian / Photolure

ARF leaves Armenian government, citing disagreements on Turkey policy (updated)

Apr 27, 2009: The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun) on April 27 withdrew from Armenia’s governing coalition, citing “insurmountable disagreements on matters of principle” regarding Armenia’s foreign policy, Vincent Lima reports from Yerevan.  more...



The Armenian-Turkish border crossing at Margara, which Turkey has kept closed since 1993. Tatul Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter.

Turkey, Armenia acknowledge that border will not be opened anytime soon

Apr 22, 2009: In a clear indication that there were no prospects for the immediate normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, the foreign ministries of the two countries issued a joint statement on April 22 announcing that they had agreed an a framework for an “on-going process” toward normalization, Vincent Lima reports from Yerevan.  more...



The Armenian-Turkish border crossing at Margara, which Turkey has kept closed since 1993. Tatul Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter.

Turkey, Armenia acknowledge that border will not be opened anytime soon

Apr 22, 2009: In a clear indication that there were no prospects for the immediate normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, the foreign ministries of the two countries issued a joint statement on April 22 announcing that they had agreed an a framework for an “on-going process” toward normalization, Vincent Lima reports from Yerevan.  more...



Zanku Armenian, right, chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of Glendale Political Action Committee, with Ara Najarian, who on April 6 won reelection as a member of the Glendale City Council. File photo: Helena Gregorian for the Armenian Reporter .

ANC leader blasts losing candidates in Glendale elections

Apr 16, 2009: "The Armenian-American community's vote was split by too many candidates who never had a chance of winning," the Armenian National Committee's Zanku Armenian said, commenting on the Glendale elections last week. With this election, the number of Armenian-Americans on City Council dropped to one. Vincent Lima has the story.  more...



Professor Simon Payaslian.

Quick, someone interview this man!

Apr 04, 2009: On a panel on March 28, Professor Simon Payaslian said the Armenian media are to blame for inadequate interest in Armenian studies. He complained that no one has interviewed him.  more...



Eric Sahakian, who is running for Glendale School Board.

Eric Sahakian runs for Glendale School Board

Mar 27, 2009: Eric Sahakian hopes to win a seat on the Glendale Unified School District Governing Board in the election scheduled for April 7. A main plank of his platform is improved communication between the district and parents, Vincent Lima reports.  more...



The offices of the Armenian National Committee of Glendale PAC are abuzz with volunteer activity, while other volunteers are out canvassing voters door to door.

In Glendale city elections, Armenians are everywhere

Mar 27, 2009: As voters in Glendale, California, prepare to go to the polls on April 7, activists are seeking to raise Armenian-American turnout, Vincent Lima reports. With more Armenian-American candidates than there are seats to occupy, some are concerned about splitting the vote.  more...



Professor Richard Hrair Dekmejian at a USC banquet for Armenia’s president, Oct. 19, 2007. Helena Gregorian for the Armenian Reporter

Six Questions for Professor R.H. Dekmejian

Jan 20, 2009: Political scientist Richard Hrair Dekmejian answers six questions about the proposed foreign policy approaches of the Obama administration.  more...



 

A nation begins to come to grips with its conscience

Dec 18, 2008: "The apology initiative is an opportunity for us to acknowledge that Turkish society includes people of conscience and courage," Vincent Lima writes in his Editor's Notebook. "We will need to continue to work with them to tell the whole story of our peoples."  more...



Christiane Amanpour and the Choeung Ek memorial, Cambodia. Shaul Schwarz for CNN

Christiane Amanpour: In her own words

Nov 29, 2008: CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour on November 24 spoke to Vincent Lima, the editor of the Armenian Reporter, about the documentary Scream Bloody Murder, which will premiere December 4 at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time.  more...



Hranush Hakobyan heads the Diaspora Ministry of Armenia. Photolure

Hranush Hakobyan: “The Diaspora Ministry is the home of every Armenian”

Nov 21, 2008: On October 1 of this year, the government of the Republic of Armenia launched the Diaspora Ministry. Vincent Lima and Maria Titizian spoke to the minister, Hranush Hakobyan, in Yerevan. Ms. Hakobyan said her job is to reach out to all Armenians outside the borders of Armenia and Karabakh – those who left Armenia last year and those whose families were driven from historic Armenia decades or centuries ago. She acknowledged progress in Armenia-diaspora relations over the past two decades but insisted that those relations had been developed haphazardly. Part of her mission is to make sure government agencies take Armenia-diaspora relations seriously and do not undermine the president’s policy of reaching out to the diaspora.  more...



Lilit Arvahi, 24, was among the Armenian-Americans in Glendale, Calif., who voted for Barack Obama on Nov. 4 . Hilma Shahinian

Armenian-Americans welcome election of Obama and Biden

Nov 06, 2008: In an unmistakable call for a new direction for the United States of America, voters on November 4 decisively elected Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden as the next president and vice president of the United States. The winning ticket had firm support in the Armenian-American community, and Armenian-American advocacy groups welcomed the results of the election.  more...



From left, Haroutune Armenian, Rory Hume, Mihran Agbabian, Pamela Avedisian, and Edward Avedisian. Photolure

A new building sets the stage for the expansion of the American University of Armenia

Nov 04, 2008: The American University of Armenia on November 1 opened a new, state-of-the-art building, which will allow the university to double its enrollment and expand adult and professional education programs and conferences, Vincent Lima reports. The Paramaz Avedisian Building, which was inaugurated on November 1, is a five-story, 108 thousand sq ft edifice of honed and rustic tufa, basalt, and glass curtain wall, designed to accommodate the latest in video, computer, and telecommunications equipment.  more...



 

Editorial Notebook: With respect and self-respect

Sep 13, 2008: Editor Vincent Lima discusses the visit of Turkey's president and the busload of pilgrims who perished in the shadow of Mount Ararat.  more...



Tom (Scott Speedman), Sabine (Arsinée Khanjian) and Simon (Devon Bostick) in a scene from Adoration, written, produced, directed by Atom Egoyan. Sophie Giraud / © Adoration Productions. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved

Atom Egoyan’s Adoration shows how technology can put anyone in an interactive Dr. Phil

Jul 26, 2008: Atom Egoyan's "Adoration" explores death and guilt – in its many manifestations. And, of course, there's the ubiquitous voyeuristic miniature video camera. Watching "Adoration," anyone who has ever said, "If only I could have been a fly on the wall," may come to see that being a fly is not all that, writes Vincent Lima in a review.  more...



 

Ter-Petrossian, allies regroup, revise tactics

May 10, 2008: How and why did Levon Ter-Petrossian -- who was once widely admired and was later widely reviled -- regain popular support on the eve of Armenia's February 2008 presidential election and in its immediate aftermath? How and why did he lose visible support after the rallies he led were suppressed? What he's doing about it? Vincent Lima explores these issues.  more...



Serge Sargsian (l.) and Artur Baghdasarian celebrating after signing a cooperation agreement . Photolure

Sargsian builds coalition as protests continue in Yerevan

Mar 01, 2008: As tens of thousands of people continued a round-the-clock demonstration protesting the results of the presidential elections held on February 19, President-elect Serge Sargsian reached a cooperation agreement with Artur Baghdasarian, who had finished in third place and leads the larger of two opposition delegations in Armenia's National Assembly. Mr. Baghdasarian will be secretary of Armenia's National Security Council.  more...



Jonathan Stark  . Armenian Reporter / Armenian Reporter

Savings, brokerage accounts in Armenia allow investors to help build the economy, earn returns

Jan 26, 2008: Jonathan Stark is the CEO of Cascade Capital Holdings. The company is wholly owned by the Cafesjian Family Foundation, with which this newspaper is affiliated. He spoke to Vincent Lima on January 21.  more...



Presidential candidate Vahan Hovhannesian   . Armenian Reporter / Armenian Reporter

Vahan Hovhannesian seeks to restore checks and balances in Armenia’s governance

Jan 26, 2008: "Guaranteed changes in a politically stable environment." That's what Vahan Hovhannesian promises to bring about if he is elected as Armenia's next president. It's not a promise, however, he insists; it's a contractual obligation. His major commitments are listed in a short contract that he has signed; as of January 20, some 120,000 citizens have countersigned, according to the candidate.  more...



Architect David Hotson’s rendition of Tamanyan Park, transformed into a sculpture garden. Under the Cascade steps, on the right-hand side, a 150-seat cinema and exhibition rooms are being set up. The top three landings lead to large exhibition halls.  . Cafesjian Museum Foundation.

The Cafesjian Center for the Arts is being built from the ground up in the center of Yerevan

Dec 22, 2007: At the very center of the Armenian capital sits Republic Square, which once had at its center the statue of Lenin. (This week, it has an enormous and brightly lit Christmas tree.) On this square are the main government building, the Foreign Ministry, the National Gallery, and the Marriott Armenia Hotel.  more...