At the Crossroads a Time for Solutions
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At the Crossroads A Time for Solutions Ruben Vardanyan Nuné Alekyan July 2018 To the memory of Karlen A. Vardanyan (Ter-Balents) A True Armenian and a Man of the World All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting it on the Internet and in corporate networks as well as storage in computer memory for private use, without prior permission in writing from the copyright holders. © R. Vardanyan, N. Alekyan, 2018 Russian text editors M.S. Grinberg and I.Yu. Mandre English text translator V. Osipov English text editor G. Stepan-Sarkissian English text copyeditor P. Sutton Contents Introduction 7 Chapter 1. The Past: From the Dawn of Civilization to the 19th Century 12 Chapter 2. The 20th Century 56 Chapter 3. The Present: Independent Armenia (1991–2018) 78 Chapter 4. The World in the 21st Century: New Reality 114 Chapter 5. Our Vision of the Future 144 Afterword 194 Introduction 7 In the course of its long history the Armenian people has known both high and low points and was more than once on the verge of extinction. Yet, unlike many ancient civilizations, we have managed to survive, and this fact is amazing in itself. Today, in the first half of the 21st century, we are again poised at a critical juncture and are facing choices that will have very serious consequences for our nation. We must compare possible trajectories for the nation’s future development and make choices that reflect our keen awareness of our responsibility to the generations to come. The discussion paper that we offer readers does not claim to be a historical or sociological treatise and does not provide a comprehensive political or macroeconomic analysis of the current situation. Nor does it forecast the future. We merely wish to share the results of years of discussions and debates that have been held with a group of people who take the destiny of the Armenian people and Armenia to heart. Our goals are: Firstly, to provoke a public debate about the future of the country and the nation; and Secondly, to share the vision of the future which underpins all the development projects that we have hitherto initiated, with the aim of making that vision a reality. The title of the paper contains several messages. In the first place, the land of the Armenians has always been and is now at the crossroads of different civilizations, of important trade routes and of centripetal and centrifugal migration flows. Furthermore, the very concept of the Armenian nation encompasses both the people living in Armenia and the members of numerous diasporan communities who, throughout their lives, experience a fusion of cultures and one way or another combine their Armenian identity with that of their host country. However, that is not all. In our discussion paper we review the nation, the country and individuals at a crossroads in time: we analyze the past, look to the future and try to understand how to act in the present. That crossroads is a meeting place for like-minded persons and their adversaries, where we exchange opinions and seek consensus. Finally, as we have already said, it is precisely at this moment that the Armenian nation has once again found itself at a historic turning point that requires well-considered and prudent choices which will shape its destiny for many years to come. The two authors have cooperated in the past on a number of occasions but writing this paper has been by far the most challenging and complex undertaking; we were both overwhelmed by the sense of responsibility, given the chosen subject. Concern for the destiny of our nation and a shared vision of its desirable future development are what unites us. Moreover, despite all the differences in our life experience, we are both aware of how complex 8 the modern world is and what perils may hide behind simple, superficial responses to the immense global and local challenges faced by the country and the nation. In this paper we try to address those challenges and to consider the opportunities that are opening up for Armenians in the 21st century. Today we are witnessing a serious crisis in the world order that emerged in the aftermath of World War II. This crisis is exacerbated by the declining trust in global elites, authorities, and key public institutions. The concept of ‘national identity,’ which until now formed the basis of nation states, is undergoing a huge transformation. Alongside this global crisis, the Armenian nation is also facing an internal crisis at a new stage in its centuries-old development. Unless we make a concerted joint effort to examine our situation, rather than going round in circles because we are scared of change, we will not be able to prevent further assimilation and the Armenian ethnos may therefore cease to exist as a unified entity, while the country itself may lose its independence, at least de facto, if not de jure. In our view, such dire potential outcomes should outweigh our personal fears of change and the danger of making mistakes. We find it necessary to speak out at present for several reasons. Firstly, we recently commemorated the centennial of our greatest historical tragedy, namely the Genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The centennial made us look again at the issue of preserving and cementing ties among the Armenian communities scattered all over the world, which are drifting apart in the absence of an overarching vision that holds them together. Secondly, in the past few decades the world has gone through rapid, unprecedented changes. And lastly, the sovereign Armenian state that has been in existence for a quarter of a century is at yet another milestone, which requires serious discussion of our historical destiny. In 2041, the Republic of Armenia will be marking the 50th anniversary of independence, and we must start today doing what it takes to make that date a cause for celebration and not for regret. All this makes the debate about possible development scenarios highly relevant and critically important. We anticipate that representatives of various social groups in today’s Armenia and in the Armenian Diaspora will take part in that debate, along with intellectual, political, business, and military elites, and that it will capture the attention of people of all ages, especially of young people on the cusp of adulthood. Reflecting together on our past, present, and future, we should be able to come closer to finding a way out of the present situation and to identifying mechanisms and methods of cooperation. We do not expect a general consensus on all issues but we are confident that a frank discussion will be instrumental in clarifying many things. Those empowered to make decisions about the future of the country and of the nation must achieve a public consensus, which is simply unattainable without such a debate. Unfortunately, an unpleasant feature of our public life is that we are not always willing to patiently discuss complex and painful subjects, and that we have yet to master the art of dialogue. It is our hope that among the readers of this discussion paper and the participants in future discussions, there will be many Armenians and non-Armenians who will take an interest in the ideas and development projects considered in the paper. We also hope that INTRODUCTION 9 these individuals will be willing to contribute to the success of our common cause in one way or another and, above all, to the implementation of our projects. We are open to cooperation and we will be glad to find new friends who sympathize with our views. Needless to say, the authors do not claim to be able to provide answers to all the sensitive questions associated with the development of the nation, and do not regard their views as the only correct ones. Nevertheless, we are confident that such questions should be posed and that we need to search for answers jointly. We may indeed find that our paper proves contentious because it presents a not entirely impartial view of a possible way out of the current situation. Our profound concern about the current state of affairs accounts for our critical tone at times, and we ask our readers to focus on the substance of our ideas. It is obvious that Armenians who live in different countries and are surrounded by different peoples differ from each other too. Nevertheless, many individuals of Armenian descent make a conscious decision to consider themselves Armenian. Profound and essential differences notwithstanding, all these individuals are united in the desire to see Armenia prosperous, united, just, viable, and competitive in the global community. To make a reality of our dream we must find creative solutions to the challenges of the 21st century. 10 Acknowledgements We express our deepest gratitude to Irina A. Vardanyan, Mariné A. Engibaryan and Bagrat G. Alekyan. Our wise parents’ unconditional love and extraordinary patience have been a great help throughout our lives. It is due to their efforts that we have become what we have become. *** Ruben Vardanyan: I am deeply grateful to my beloved wife, companion of many years and like-minded partner, Veronika Zonabend. Veronika has been for me and Nuné an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Without her support even a fraction of what we have been able to accomplish would not have been achieved. My special appreciation goes to my only and immensely dear sister Mariné Ales. Mariné is our trusted friend, a tough and honest critic and a source of many interesting ideas.