“Simply, Most ‘Friends’ Are Fair-Weather Friends.”

“Simply, Most ‘Friends’ Are Fair-Weather Friends.”

This was how Nassim Nicholas Taleb — the internationally renowned scholar of risk and uncertainty and author of The Black Swan — responded to a question raised publicly on social media about why some of Ruben Vardanyan’s friends have chosen to remain silent while he is imprisoned in Azerbaijan.

Taleb himself recently declined an invitation to speak at an event in Baku, citing his principled position and his solidarity with Ruben Vardanyan, who has been unlawfully held in Azerbaijan for more than 1,050 days.