SYSTEM SECURITY AND INFORMATION SECURITY OF ARMENIANCY
Gagik Terteryan
"Noravank" Foundation
25 December 2008
The information factor within the current period has acquired a crucial
role in nearly all fields of personal, communal, governmental, and
national activities. It is the management of information that makes
it possible to monitor and duly register the rapidly changing world
events. Diverse information activities and wars today moved into a
political plane, having become one of the most important instruments
of world politics, economics and ideology. With regard to the system
security of Armeniancy, this new political information situation
carries a hazardous challenge as well as new opportunities. However,
those urgent questions of the information domain of Armeniancy remained
unheeded by the scientific analytical community. As of today, it is
quite evident that there are too few conceptual approaches, while in
practical applications we often trail our competitors.
Information security of Armeniancy. It is difficult to refute the
fact that the development and competitive level of nations, states and
civilizations is unambiguously stipulated by their concept of national
security (NS) at the ideological level. According to experimental
approaches, the concept of national security is represented by three
components: military and political security, socioeconomic security,
and information security (IS). Those components are interconnected,
and 0D each of those, in their turn, is also a unity of similarly
interconnected components. In particular, the concept of IS includes
not only the problems of security of technical information systems,
but everything concerning the domains of civilization, culture,
spiritual life, psychology, mentality, cognitive structure, and
organization. It can be stated that the concept of IS is a little more
directly than other NS components associated with personal, general,
and national factors.
Evidently, the Armenian IS system has to include the series of
information problems related to the International Armeniancy, rather
than only those of Armenia (which informationally is constituted
by RA, the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, and Javakhk). Let us also
note that "The Strategy of National Security" is a document
adopted in RA. This docoument lists two client entities of national
security: Armenia and Armeniancy [1]. Thus, the structures ensuring
IS (Information Security) of Armenia and Armeniancy, are naturally
interconnected and supported at least by mutual complement, while at
a higher level by the principle of synergetics (mutual amplification).
It is also to be noted that the problems of Armenia’s Information
domain are more or less formulated. However, one can assume that if
the experimentally substantiated executive and legislative resolutions
are adopted, then it will be possible to set up an efficient system
of Armenia’s=2 0IS and to improve the information aspect of the
not-so-favorable situation [2; 3, p. 3; 4, p. 1]. Generating the
Panarmenian system, is undoubtedly a complex but a fully realistic
problem. However, the capabilities and problems existing in the
Information domain of Armeniancy from the specialized viewpoint have
not even been classified.
Capabilities and Problems of Armeniancy within the context of IS. From
the viewpoint of system information there are the following crucial
favorable factors:
The concept of Home Country and the existence of two Armenian states:
RA and Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (RNK).
Original Armenian civilization and its general concept.
The reality and memory of Genocide, and the problem of HI DAT
(Armenian Judgment).
Integrating relations of RA and RNK, military and political processes
with regard to Azerbaijan and Turkey, and their interrelations.
The latter two factors today have become a component of the global
politics, which is a favorable factor from the viewpoint of information
integration of Armeniancy. It is to be noted that the latter point
is actually a contemporary reflection of Hi Dat. However, today many
of the expert community think that the mentioned strategic factors
from the viewpoint of Armeniancy organization are still insufficient,
while new concepts and projects are needed, consonant with the new
logic of the contemporary world that would stipulate the processes
of organizing Armeniancy.
0ATo establish the IS system of Armeniancy, the development of
contemporary information and communication technologies must be
regarded as a crucial positive factor. The capabilities of this domain
will be considered later.
As a favorable trend one has also to admit the adoption of
International and particularly European convensions with regard to
national minorities. They can assist the Armenian communities within
the legislative framework of a given country improving the national
information domain.
At the same time, the matter of creating the IS system of Armeniancy
encountered serious problems. Let us try to classify them:
The number of Armenians abroad are twice the population of Armenia,
i.e., providing the Armeniancy with information, is only numerically
a larger problem than the one in Armenia.
Armeniancy is divided into different sections, with regard to
linguistic and religious features, the problem concerns not only
the Islamized Armenians of Turkey, but also our numerous compatriots
living in different countries, speaking many languages and confessing
diverse religions. From the point of view of information integration,
this situation is a serious communicative and psychological barrier.
Geographically, Armeniancy is sprawled in about 100 countries, that
can be classified along the following civilizational belts [5, 6].
Armenia (the special territory of Armenian civilization).
The belt of Slavic Orthodox civilization, to be emphasized here is
the post-Soviet territory and not to be ignored are the countries
claiming the legacy of Byzantium (like Greece).
The Anglo-American political domain (embracing the so-called
English-speaking countries USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia,
New Zealand, etc.).
The belt of European civilization The territory of Islamic (Asian)
civilization (primarily the countries of Near and Middle East).
The Latin (Catholic) political domain, countries of South America,
Spain, etc.
The abovementioned civilizations have exerted a certain influence
upon the world outlook of different areas of Armeniancy, upon their
psychological, cultural, political and socioeconomic bearings, putting
forward serious problems of communicative nature. It is also evident
that inside the large civilizations Armeniancy is not homogeneous
either. Let us try to make a comparison, e.g., between the world
outlooks of the Armenians residing in post-Soviet Siberia and Moldova.
It is to be noted that the unfavorable factors presented, certainly
present serious challenges for the Armeniancy. At the same time, the
current situation also contains opportunities, viz.: the capability
of the Armeniancy sectors to communicate with representatives of
diverse civilizations has to be perceived as an additional resource
in the world under globalization1 to ensure the vital functions and
compatibility of the Nation (incidentally, this type of capabilities
is accessible to very few nations). Thus, different sections of
Armeni ancy carry certain functional consignment, and, using a
contemporary term, play the role of special "gates to the global world"
[7]. Certainly, this concept assumes not only the case of Armenia, for
which Diaspora is an asymmetric resource2 providing the capabililties
for operating within the global environment. Different sections of
Armeniancy also provide one another with asymmetric capabilities of
gates to global world.
However, besides the abovementioned problems partly deriving from
national features, the system information of Armeniancy hides other
challenges.
The Global Development. Information Wars and Armeniancy It is common
knowledge that the number of independent states has recently grown, and
this is an ongoing process. However, according to expert predictions,
part of existing nations and states in the strategic perspective
may well have to lose its ethnic and political autonomy, to become
passive members of International politics. These tendencies are being
delineated in Europe.
This problem is urgent, particularly for big nations and states,
which do not command resourses necessary for maintaining the autonomy,
particularly those of the information domain. It is to be noted in
this connection that today autonomy among other things is threatened
by publicly-uncontrolled global chaotic data streams. Parallel to
that, a loss of autonomy or modification can be one of the following:
the so-called Nation Building containinig 0D elements of technology
designed for technological assaults using manipulative propaganda. A
series of targeted information actions has acquired the name of
Information Wars, whose conceptual terminology had been developed by
the American RAND brain trust.O~I The purpose of information wars
in particular is "in a complex way to influence the Aggressor’s
national system and his leadership; that can result in the enemy
taking decisions in favor of the initiator of the information war".
One can quote many instances showing Armenia and Armeniancy to be the
target of information war3. It is also to be noted that still more
dangerous for Armeniancy today are information wars of the second
generation, intending specifically to achieve the following objectives
in the Aggressor’s society or state [8, p. 29]:
Developing immoral, non-spiritual atmosphere and negative attitude
with regard to own cultural legacy.
Dissemination of uncertainty and doubt, among parties sharpening the
political relations and incitement to mutual destruction.
International defamation of state and nation, hurting their
interaction.
Inflicting damage on the political, economic, defense interests and
other vital domains of state and nation.
As is seen, the second-generation information wars emphasize the
crucial character of the spiritual and ideological factors. It is to
be noted in this connection that the mentioned items can be seen in
the present-day s o-called colored revolutions, it was particularly
observed by Armeniancy in 2008 in the developments associated with
the RA Presidential Election. It can be assumed that what happened
was the classical case of the information wars of the new generation,
when the Aggressor’s party resolved its on-hand objectives particularly
disseminating uncertainty and intolerance amidst the different sections
of Armeniancy4.
It is common knowledge that to counter the information wars
or to acquire the first-strike capability in information war,
specific information resources are needed. We shall estimate those
resources with regard to the generation of the Information Security
of Armeniancy.
Resources OF Armeniancy. Classification OF National Resources and
Their Assessment is a crucial function of the system of national
and particularly information security. It is for this reason that
with no claims for a universal examination we shall try to present
a succinct and schematic sketch of the available strategic resources
of Armeniancy and their assessment with regard to Information Security.
Resources pertaining to the political, i.e., national, spiritual or
cultural domains, Technological: this term denotes human, intellectual,
creative, scientific, technical and purely information and news
media resources.
Material or production, trading, financial or enterprising
capabilities.
Capacity for establishing the organizational, i.e. self-organizing,
structures needed for vital functions, (including state and community,
political, public, economic, national institutions etc.), securing
interaction among those structures and thereby implementing functions
and programs aimed at protecting the national interests.
Let us briefly review the mentioned resources:
Armeniancy is unambiguously an autonomous carrier of the values of
Armenian civilization, being thus in full command of the political
resources (see, particularly, [6, 9, C. 3]).
The technological resources are at a nearly satisfactory level,
however, to be taken into account is that they are rather scarce and
unaccounted for (which is also an urgent organizational issue). The
human resources of Armeniancy, 9 to 12m., according to some sources
(see [10, 11]), are comparatively not large, as intellectual, creative5
or purely information resources, they are not well listed or regularly
accounted for (about 2-5 thousand Armenian sites in the Internet6,
wherein the continuously growing number of sites reaches 110 million).
Perhaps also quite satisfactory but still unaccounted for are the
material resources (the Armenian assets worldwide is estimated at a
few hundred billion dollars).
As shown by observations, the system resources are definitely
unsatisfactory: Armeniancy, as we have discovered, has certain problems
associated with management (suffice it to note that an Armenian system
concept today is inexistent).
As is seen, in the way of survival and competition resources
Armenia ncy has a special status. There is an impression that having
certainly mastered the civilizational resources, and seemingly being
on satisfactory terms with the technological and finantial resources,
the status of Armeniancy worldwide could have been better, and the
financial situation could have been better as well. The response to
this situation, is clearly related to the system resources. It is
easy to see that the different resources presented are interlinked,
so that an omission in system operation will limit or impair the
productivity of functions in other domains.
Perhaps, there is no need to expand on the significance of the systemic
factor, it is manifest that a high level of system organization will
bring about successful operation even when other resources are low,
while a low level of systemic functions will result in operational
failures in systems hosting enormous amounts of resources. Armeniancy
has certainly been provided with some system-organizing capabililties,
otherwise, the millennia of its history would never have taken
place. It would be proper to recall the successful outcome in the
face-off in Kharabakh, according to expert assessments, it happened in
the first place due to the advantages of a systemic and technological
character.
However, the impression is that in non-extreme situations Armeniancy
oftentimes shows a certain unconcern, thus negatively affecting the
information domain of Armeniency and its systemic fu nctions. This
situation will perhaps in the first place require a clarification and
possibly adjustment of the Armeniancy Information problems, and only
then an attempt may follow to resolve those objectives with regard
to their systemic aspects.
The Information Domain of Armeniancy. Systemic Problems. According
to our model, among the multiple problems of the domain, priority
should be given to the following:
Assessment of the Armeniancy Information Resourses and formation of
the new ones, their constructive and safe usage, system development.
Supplying to Armaniancy the imformed awareness with regard to Armenia
and Armeniancy, constructing the necessary stocks to carry out the
information policies.
With regard to the national interests of Armeniency.
domestic Armenian and outside propaganda/anti-propaganda conceptual and
technological development and practical implementation, making up the
mutually completing images, their introduction into consciousness,
Implementation of political, scientific, educational and other
pan-Armenian programs in the cognitive mechanisms of Armeniancy and
other communal entities.
Application of contemporary information policies in resolving problems
of Armeniancy in politics, culture, economy, and other domains.
Conceptual development of the pan-Armenian Information Network Center
as an organizing system, to effect the formation of an integral
Information domain.
To successfully implement the initial three points, it is necessary
to establish t he International Information structures that
will particularly build up multi-language sites on Armenia and
Armeniancy as well as other information structures, study of the
dispersion-possessing nations and their information experience,
collection of information banks and undertaking a variety of
enterprises.
As to point 4, the contemporary information policy, it is to be noted
that in the world under globalization, resulting from information
technologies being developed and spread, in politics important roles
started to be acquired not only by state structures, but also by
organizations and even individuals. That is to say, non-state-run
structures: communities, public and political structures, are capable
to conduct specific policies. The information policies of this type
can be effected, in particular, using the following methods[12]:
Cyberpolitics. According to David Rotkopf, the person who coined this
term (1998), the development of information technologies resulted in
the traditional political entities or states, had lost their monopoly
to knowledge (information). In the past only specific structures
and diplomats knew what was going on in specific parts of the world,
while today a rank-and-file Internet user can be equally in control
of this information, and may consequently have a certain role to play
in the information-political processes.
Knowledge-based politics. John Arkil and David Ronfeld in 1999 wrote
on the falling role of the state, noti ng that the new political
entities, International organizations, the Media, transnational
economic partnerships, terrorist and criminal structures have aquired
the knowledge and information resources, enabling them to conduct
independent policies in the global information field.
Media-policies. This term was put into circulation by Lee Edwards in
2001, to show that the Internet and TV had become the most important
factors of politics. They play a substantial role in shaping the
foreign and domestic policies, drawing the attention of the public
or the authorities to specific matters.
To be added to the information policies is another term and concept,
i.e. mobile policy: The latter expresses a great expansion of the
mobile or cellular phones, the so-called third screen (after TV and
computer), and the development of their technical capabilities. The
users of those phones (reaching over a billion today) can receive,
process and transmit text, sound and images in a dynamic mobile
mode, regardless of location or geographic coordinates). Mobile
Policies today have become an important business, both domestic
(cf. Arab-Israeli face-off [13, C. 3]), and foreign (note the
developments of 2008 in connection with the RA Presidential Elections,
when demonstrators’ actions were system-adjusted mostly through SMS
messages): Mobile technologies today also play an important role in
the process of socioeconomic network formation.
The fifth point of the systemic organization problems of Armeniancy:
Information Network Center (INC) the organizational system conceptual
development to be used for generating the Integrated Information
Field of Armeniancy is to be regarded as the strategic supertask. This
evaluation is stipulated by the following considerations:
In the modern world Information System Organization is considered
perfect.
The elements of Network Center, being decentralized, but having
a great level of autonomy and extensive capabilities to act in
a productive way, are placed in an integrated information field,
a network, having a joint management and purposes. In particular,
the Network Center format has a great stability: When one of the
system components shows a malfunction, the others, by virtue of a
high degree of self-control continue their targeted action. It is to
be noted that the different modifications of the INC are adopted by
US and other states, as, in particular, as the organizing principle
of their Armed Forces [14]. According to some studies, this type of
networking process may result in generating a collective intellect
enabling estremely difficult solutions to be obtained for problems
irresolvable by individual persons [15, C. 142]: some scholars think
that the future global world will be organized as a series of network
structures [16, pg. 3].
The modern information age enables not only states, but also various
organizations to generate network sys tems, and in this aspect, the
strategic application of INC must be extremely productive with regard
to Armeniancy. Which will in particular enable to make a full-range
use of nation-wide political, scientific, engineering, cultural and
economic projects.
We shall note that Armeniancy in the historic past used to be in
control of the network system techniques, while today using the
principle of network center acting are Armenian Apostolic Church,
Armenian Revolutionary Union, Armenian Benevolent General Union,
the Giulbenkyan Institution and other national organizations. Those
structures have certainly made enormous contributions to the
preservation of Armeniancy. It is however to be noted that among the
mentioned structures sometimes lacking is a positive data feedback. At
the same time, to be considered as an omission of the Armeniancy
structures is the situation that it is not always that they make use
of the contemporary systemic techniques, while their ideas of national
interests often do not coincide with expert evaluations.
The mentioned unfavorable factors are certainly of a systemic character
being an additional evidence showing that not strictly defined yet
to date are the systemic principles of Armeniancy and the national
interests. That is to say, for the system of Armenian Information
Network Center it is necessary to develop conceptual and ideological
approaches. That will enable the system vitality and stabililty
to be preser ved even in case of the control center’s elimination,
since the rest of the system elements will continue to be active on
the basis of conceptual and ideological postulations and fundamentals
of control techniques.
Considering the mentioned realities, we shall discuss several of the
possible of the INC systems of Armeniancy associated with certain
varieties of scenarios theoretically awaiting Armenia. In particular,
we shall schematically consider including other multiple theoretical
variations, the following two extreme and one intermediate scenarios.
"Virtual Armenia" Nuclear-Ecological Disaster. The Iran-US, Israel
stand-off results in a regional nuclear war, triggering an ecological
disaster in Armenia as a neighboring state of Iran. Scientific
forecasting of nuclear war aftermaths has a 60-year-old history, we
shall present the latest one. According to a research conducted at
Colorado University, blasting 50 nuclear bombs in a local conflict
(not exceeding the Hiroshima explosion) will produce an ozone hole
killing 50m. people, i.e., approximately the amount of people killed
in WWII7. It can be assumed that this type of disaster will make the
area of the present-day Armenia uninhabitable.
A Military-Political Disaster In the wake of certain geo-political
events and military developments RA and NKR are subjected to a
large-scale Turkish-Azeri invasion and a long-time occupation.
Consequences By any of the scenarios presented, the Armeni an
states are terminated, while the present day area of Armenia is
de-Armenized. Under those circumstances, there will be perhaps a
re-distribution of Armeniancy in other countries, while Armenia, after
a certain period of time, will assimilate an idea of an uninhabited,
virtual homeland.
Note that presented here are several seemingly improbable but
theoretically possible scenarios of basic threats to Armenia’s
security. In case of this development the tasks of Armeniancy
preservation and systemic organization can be implemented exclusively
by means of generating an INC system. Under the current conditions
the survival of the system can be basically guaranteed, perhaps when
several information control centers operate in parallel, not any one
of those being prevalent over the others.
Those centers are to be controlled using the principles of integrated
national ideology representing the concept of Armeniancy’s security. In
order to maintain operational efficiency, the mentioned system
centers are to operate jointly to generate positive feedback (i.e.,
mutual amplification) between the elements of the system. This type
of joint operation and the relevant systems are commonly classified
as non-linear.
"Mighty Armenia".This scenario assumes the following developments:
resulting from the geopolitical disturbances and developments,
Armenia rehabilitates her territorial integrity, while Armeniancy
is concentrated in this new and mighty state. This is possible,
particularly, under the following circumstances:
Turkey is involved in a large-scale war against one or several of
its neighbors (e.g., Iraq, Armenia, Greece).
An unlucky outcome of war for Turkey results in intensified interethnic
clashes: the struggle conducted by the Kurds is joined by other
national minorities: Armenians, Greeks, et al., i.e., so-called
autonomy crisis transgresses into practical military and political
dimensions.
The mentioned processes sharpen relations among diversely politically
oriented groupings inside Turkey, eventually resulting in political
clashes.
The state and society crisis takes a chaotic and uncontrollable
character.
Armenia and Armeniancy (maybe also other stake-holder states)
benefit from the situation in Turkey, stipulating the fragmentation
of that country and a sizeable rehabilitation of Armenia’s territorial
integrity. Implemented as the next step is concentration of Armeniancy
in a part of historical area, thus generating a powerful state
of Armenia.
However, even the Mighty Armenia capable of housing the overwhelming
part of Armeniancy, must strive to having small but efficient
communities in developed countries. However, Even if Armenia is
transformed into the supreme center of Armeniancy, all the same,
the tendency should remain to retain the traditionoal resources of
Armeniancy, granting them status of specific missions. To be generated
within this variant is a classical INC system of an Arme nia center
for organizing Armeniancy, with the control mainly effected from
one center.
"Developed Armenia" This scenario assumes conceptual, but linearly
developed Armenia in the strategic future. Assumed in this connection
are the following situations:
Armenia, aided by Armeniancy, state resources, as well as allied
and partner countries, has acquired guarantees of military security,
possibly integrated into International economy, started the process
of re-populating the liberated areas.
Developed Armenia becomes very attractive for Armeniancy, the
Armenia-to-Armeniancy relationships assume a regulated character,
generation is started of an integrated information field.
The presented developments are very realistic, and perhaps even
mandatory, since in case of an undeveloped Armenia generation of an
INC system of Armeniancy becomes a matter of great complexity.
There is no doubt that the Developed Armenia, hosting the overwhelming
part of the national systemic resources, will represent the most
organized part of Armeniancy. As a result, this type of state in
the INC system will acquire an important role. At the same time, a
considerable part of national technological and material resources
remain in possession of Armeniancy residing in other countries and
zones of civilization, as well as in the hands of the Armenians also
active in other systemic formats, that is to say, those fragments
of Armeniancy can also play an advanced par t in the INC system
of Armeniancy.
Thus, in case of the Developed Armenia, from the point of view of
information system, Armeniancy poses, compared to the two previous
scenarios, in an intermediate position. This type of intermediate
system has to combine in itself both the non-linear (dispersed),
and the classical (Armenia-centered) INC concepts.
Some conclusions. At the present moment the capabililty of hosting
information and its efficient and targeted usage has become a
crucial criterion of surviving and competitive characteristics of
the nations. In the case of Armeniancy raising the significance of
information is at the same time a source of hazardous challenge and new
oportunities. It can be seen that in order to resist challenges and to
use the oportunities it is necessary to host diverse national resources
and primarily concepts on national/information security problems. At
the same time, despite hosting the civilizational, technological and
material resources, Armeniancy has certain problems in the systemic
domain. In this context deserving special attention are theoretical
development and practical application of the information-organizational
system of the National Network Center. This type of system seems
to meet the interests of the scattered Armeniancy and particularly
enables applications to be envisaged of the forthcoming strategies
using the modern techniques of information policies.