One of the most significant harms inflicted on Armenia is the artificial division of society into opposing groups. This polarization becomes even more absurd when it pits segments of society against each other as pro-Russian or pro-Western. Some believe that Armenia’s salvation lies with Russia, yet they fail to provide a clear explanation as to why. Conversely, others argue that the West holds the key to our salvation, but they also lack a clear and convincing justification for why and how the West would use that key to help us. No one seems willing to offer any explanations.
Meanwhile, it is clear that only interests drive the world, and no one has an obligation to save anyone. Cold calculations and practical interests prevail, while the value of nations and their destinies is often disregarded. Our situation should remind us how the so-called “free and humane” international community behaved when the dictator of Baku subjected the people of Artsakh to a prolonged humanitarian disaster or when he carried out ethnic cleansing against them, forcibly evicting more than 120,000 people from their three-thousand-year-old homeland in just two days.
By the way, the Palestinians in Gaza find themselves in a similarly alarming situation, under the watchful eyes of a silent world. It should be clear to any thoughtful person that there are no morals or values in international relations—just empty words. However, as we can see, a massive information industry operating in Armenia turns people into zombies, robbing them of the ability to think clearly. It creates myths and beliefs, convincing people that we have enemies but also supportive and loyal friends.
To be fair, it’s important to acknowledge that we are not the only people who have been brainwashed and deprived of common sense. In 2008, Georgians were led to believe that the benevolent West would come to their aid if a war with Russia broke out. Later, Ukrainians were convinced that they were fighting against Russia for the sake of freedom, with the most ridiculous notion being that they were not only dying for Ukraine but also for the freedom of the world.
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Most Ukrainians believed they were on a noble mission against evil forces, but it is they who continue to die. Now, it is time to stop the war, even if it means sacrificing part of their country. Europe is weary of the conflict, and the question of why only Ukrainians should sacrifice hundreds of thousands for the “freedom” of others remains unanswered.
Pro-Western and pro-Russian sentiments are often not only traps set by foreign powers to manipulate societies but also tools used to serve domestic political interests. A prime example is the tactics employed by Armenia’s former government. The strategy was quite simple: since Armenia is within Russia’s sphere of influence, the opposition was encouraged to adopt a pro-Western stance, forcing Russia to choose the “lesser evil.” This also allowed for greater political maneuverability.
The Armenian National Movement attempted something similar in 1996, positioning Sergey Badalyan, the leader of the Armenian Communist Party and the party’s presidential candidate, as the main opponent to Ter-Petrosyan in the presidential elections. Their hope was to gain the support of both the West and Russia’s anti-communist government. It didn’t work in 1996, but it did in 2018. The artificial marionette triumphed, with notably tragic consequences. Armenia lost in the political “poker” game, and in essence, we all lost. The burden of that defeat has not been lifted to date.
ACNIS (The Armenian Center for National and International Studies)