By Dikran Abrahamian MD, Ontario, 23 December 2023
“Keghart”
What’s done is done. History can’t be reversed. Let’s analyze the mistakes committed, learn from them, and move forward. Enough of beating our chests.
How many reasons do we need to be convinced that the enemy is not interested in a genuine and lasting peace guaranteed by the powers that be and amended by codes specifying sanctions when the provisions are not met? Most likely, our enemy will sooner or later try to impose another catastrophe upon us using a variety of excuses. Its hubris and appetite for more Armenian lands are insatiable. Meanwhile, for years to come Russia, licking its wounds, will be hostage to Turkbaijan – the term coined by my friend Jirair Tutunjian years ago. The West will make the usual lofty proclamations after the fact. For Europe, black gold is more precious than blood. Israel will continue its cozy overt and covert relations with Turkbaijan.
It’s no secret that the Armenian nation since the invasion of the Central Asian hordes has lost a vast expanse of its ancestral lands, and has further shrunk because of massacres, Genocide, and assimilation. Another blow to its remaining land mass might send it to oblivion.
If we want — as a national collective — to preserve our tiny country, we must reverse the tide, increase our population, and revise our national and military philosophy and strategies. Prof. Andrew Demirdjian [“Whosoever Commands…” the Air, Commands the War] is correct in urging us to adopt new technologies and earnestly develop the capabilities to create weaponry that commands the air. The arms purchased from France, Iran, and India have a role to play, but they are defensive and might not be adequate to counter air assault. Armenia is advanced in technology. We believe our scientists are some of the best in the world. They should be provided with the means and incentives to create local products that meet the present challenge imposed on us.
May I also iterate on the importance of civil defense? It’s hard to gauge how many of our youth are involved in self-defense training. When the enemy is within our borders, self-defense plays a crucial role. The Viet Cong, Lebanese patriots, and Hamas demonstrated the immeasurable value of guerrilla warfare through unconventional methods. We need to study their tactics and adopt them with local modifications.
Several questions need to be addressed before we adopt the above path. I invite readers to speculate and address them. I shall limit myself to two questions by way of introduction.
Prof. Demirdjian recommended militarism. How many of us will “allow” the use of the term in our lexicon? I bet only a few, despite the urgent need to adopt it. The structure of the parliamentary system that we have in Armenia, as elsewhere, does not permit its enunciation or its practice.
Innovations and progress are initiated by individuals and not organizations. Even when an organization purports to be the copyright holder of an action, its genesis is always individual.
How to elevate words into action? Individuals or a group of dedicated people can start the process, study the various aspects of the project, and implement it. By necessity, in times of need, they are not constrained by parochial sentimentalities, prevailing ideas, or ideology. That’s how trailblazers and leaders come about. Do we have such individuals? Otherwise, what’s the point of repeating slogans such as “Old dreams, new paths” or ”Next year in Van”?
There is a widespread belief that our youth does not share the national dreams that the survivors of the Genocide and the following generation held dear to their hearts. More ominous is the idea that this new generation is unwilling to participate in a national revival and the defense of the motherland. These views might be partly true. I do not wish to speculate on the reasons for these damaging assessments.
For being close to the initiators of the National Legion, knowing their political philosophy, and more importantly, sensing the level and quality of their patriotism, I’ll introduce them for illustration purposes. Several other formations besides the National Legion are preparing our youth for self-defense.
The Legion, a registered NGO, was founded by a handful of young people following the Second Artsakh War. Within a short period, it grew to a sizeable team of 1,000 volunteers, including women who compose 40% of its personnel. It is funded by its members, their parents, and friends. Recently it acquired a new batch of arms worth 10,000 dollars which included drones for training purposes.
In addition to martial arts, participants are trained in how to handle various arms and gain skills in one-on-one combat techniques. More importantly, they are instructed on the relevant history of the Armenian military since ancient times, clarification on why they are being trained, national ideology, motivational information, and cultivation of discipline.
The presence of the Legion and similar independent units is inspiring. When required, these are the young people who along with a reformed army will defeat the enemy.
I have left out the subjects of Diaspora’s role, Diaspora-Homeland relations within the context of armament acquisition, as these are matters dealt with more effectively by experts.
Isn’t it high time we dismissed pessimism and acted accordingly? Pessimism will be a gift to our genocidal enemies who want to put “finis” to the “Armenian Question”.
The Turkish war against Armenia continues even when Azerbaijan temporarily halts its attacks on Armenia. Turkey has a decisive say in Azerbaijan’s war strategy. The Azeri army is headed by a Turkish officer. Turks are present in every aspect of Azeri military operations and aggression. Not only Turkey provides intelligence and drones to Azerbaijan, it allows Azeri/Israeli overflights with aircraft carrying weapons from Israel to Azerbaijan. This will not stop in the foreseeable future. The war is for the existence of Armenia and our nation. Let’s pull our resources together and be prepared for the next round.
