When summarizing the results of the elections, it is important to answer many questions, of which the most important is the following. How did it happen that the representatives of the pro-government electorate say, “It is better for Armenia to become part of Turkey, but Nikol stays. Otherwise, the former regime will come.” In other words, how did it happen that the loss of a significant part of our homeland and thousands of Armenians, and the incursion of the Azerbaijani army into the territory of Armenia is less important for the people than some other issues?
First, we must accept that this is not a new phenomenon. When our army was successful in liberating some portion of our homeland in 1994, it did not make our people happy. People did not want to see that victory. They did not want to maintain it. They were focused on what they were deprived of during the war, and they were filled with unwavering hatred towards Ter-Petrossian- in other words, the head of state and the commander of the armed forces, under whose leadership that historical victory took place.
In the same way, in 2021, most of the citizens did not attach importance to the disgraceful defeat and losses. The leader and political force that led to this, again won the majority of votes. So, the homeland and its security are not among the priorities of the people. It is not accidental that the representatives of the government, their propagandists, and satellites do not talk about how to restore the territorial integrity of Artsakh and Armenia and take care of tens of thousands of refugees. Their topic is vetting, lustration, “steel mandate,” punishment, revenge. Why are the authorities talking about all this? Very simple. Because that’s the public order; they say what their audience demands. The immediate reason for such a situation is clear. People are outraged and deeply offended by the humiliation, lawlessness, and arbitrariness that have taken place over the past decades. But that cannot entirely explain why a strong portion of citizens prioritize that anger and thirst for revenge more than the state and homeland.
The issue is much deeper, and it is within our system of values. Teachers, professors, artists, scientists, and, of course, us journalists, were unable to maintain at least the level of civic consciousness that existed, contrary to official ideology, in the previous era over the past 30 years. The intensity of the spiritual life that existed in Armenia in 1970-1980 brought upon the 1988 movement. Apart from rejecting some things, that movement had a more important mission: to establish statehood and the liberation of Artsakh. Then came the decades of total rejection, hatred, and nihilism, the culmination of which was the expression of this power.
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But that era also seems to be coming to an end.
Aram Abrahamyan
