American political scientist Samuel Huntington writes that in the 1990s his country’s political elite was confused. The main ideological adversary, the USSR, no longer existed, and without hostility to it, it seemed impossible to strengthen national identity. There was, of course, China, which, then and now, is the main rival of the United States. But that country does not aspire to spread communist or any other kind of ideas all over the world. Therefore, it is not possible to create the image of China as an enemy uniting the Americans.
Is it possible to live without that image both internally and externally? It seems to me that it is possible if you offer your society a positive perspective, where there are no slogans such as “Death to them” or “Let them perish.”
There were few such “peaceful” periods in Armenia, perhaps, we can mention 1991-92, before the beginning of the ANM-ARF conflict. I am a little surprised when my ARF friends and other supporters of Kocharyan complain about the atmosphere of hostility and hatred towards their exes. Because after the change of power in 1998, we had exactly the same atmosphere when the state policy was based on inflaming hysterical passions towards the “thieves of the Armenian National Movement.” Former persecutors who came to power or those who considered themselves as such, took revenge on those who persecuted them. So, the copyright of the current attitude of the Civil Contract members is not theirs.
But I would like to draw the readers’ attention to the period when an alternative way of creating the political-state identity of Armenians was offered. We are talking about the “Unity” bloc formed in 1999, led by Vazgen Sargsyan and Karen Demirchyan. Their main idea was to get rid of fruitless internal conflicts, draw a line on the past and move forward. Do you remember Vazgen Sargsyan’s words, “I will become and glorify” the founders of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd republics, that is, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, the Communists and the members of the Armenian National Movement, as well as “Vano, Levon, Robert, Serzh are my friends”? I would not say that K. Demirchyan and V. Sargsyan was the politician of “my heart,” and what they thought would definitely come true. It is about an idea, a principle, a state approach, when the image of the enemy is not the basis of consolidation. It is clear that the political players who want to see Armenia as weak and dependent on different centers of power cannot like this consolidation.
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If the forces in our country continue to create alternating forces and always take revenge on each other, it will be as it is now, and worse. And someone who will say “let’s stop” will create an opportunity for the country to progress, but on the condition that the active part of the society will support it.
Aram Abrahamyan
