INDEPENDENCE AT WHAT PRICE?
Editorial | September 17, 2013 5:09 pm
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By Edmond Azadian
It is a delightful autumn night in Yerevan. Streets are bustling with
people. Families are strolling along boulevards and the city lights
create an idyllic atmosphere. The illuminated city floats like a love
boat in the ocean of the balmy night. My friends from Poland admire
the kindness of the people around. They observe the authentic Armenian
character of the buildings around and even in the modern stores. One
particular liquor store sparks their interest – the Noah’s Ark House on
Amirian Street. As we enter, the haul of Noah’s Ark, the host greets
the visitor. Spirits distilled in Armenia and around the world line
up in elegant bottles. Perhaps Noah himself never visualized that
his ark would float over such a vast sea of light and opulence.
The illuminations at Republic Square, at the Opera House and the
Cascade reminds us of the Renaissance Italian city of Vicenza, with the
modern descendant of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio, Alexander
Tamanyan’s monument commanding the city from the foot of the Cascade.
However, I am reluctant to point to my foreign friends the discrepancy
between the capital and the rural areas 20 miles outside the city,
where people live in medieval conditions. I allow them the illusion
of a prosperous and happy country as I myself also delve into that
illusion for a moment until I remember the 22nd anniversary of
independence which is around the corner. And I begin to ask myself,
how long will this illusion last with the current rate of demographic
hemorrhage? The question gnaws away at my heart as I begin to think
of the dangers facing Armenia.
After six centuries of foreign domination, independence came to
Armenia in 1918. That did not last long as Armenia was absorbed
in 1920 into the Soviet Empire with semi-independent status. When
Armenia became independent in the 20th century for a second time,
the two-and-a-half year experience of earlier independence became
a psychological barrier which we crossed unscathed and now the 22nd
year of independence sounds very natural.
In both cases, independence was thrust upon the Armenian people. Our
patriotism behooves us to believe and profess that we indeed fought
for our independence and that victory at Sardarabad against the
General Karabekir’s forces gave us the foundations of nation-building.
But, in reality, the collapse of the Czarist Empire created a
political vacuum in the Caucasus region, which led to the formation
of a confederation called Sayme by Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan,
which did not last very long and each constituent group was forced
to declare its independence as all three nationalities had internal
conflicts and territorial claims from each other. Armenia was the last
one to declare independence on May 28, 1918, yet the newly-created
state apparatus, called the National Council (Azkayin Khorhourt)
continued functioning in Tbilisi, until the Georgians politely invited
Armenia’s political structure out of their country.
After two-and-a-half years of independence, Armenia lost its
sovereignty under pressure from outside forces and as a result
of internal fights. We have a tendency of blaming others for our
tragedies and never take responsibility for them.
Next door, meanwhile, Mustafa Kemal carved a new republic from the
ashes of the Ottoman Empire, by courting Lenin in the East and the
European powers in the West. While pursuing these political aims,
he continued the expulsion policy of the Young Turks and depopulated
Cilicia of Armenians and Smyrna of Greeks.
Our counterpart to Ataturk would have been General Antranik, an
uneducated soldier who happened to be a military genius and political
realist, but Armenians betrayed him as he lacked the dictatorial
instincts of Ataturk which were essential attributes for nation
building at that time. There is a legend, whose veracity we cannot
vouch. It is said that Ataturk was fond of Armenian songs dedicated to
Antranik and that he would ask historian and linguist Hagop Mortayan
(named Dilacar by him) who is one of the architects of the modern
Turkish language and alphabet, to sing the Antranik songs and he would
say, “Today Antranik would be in my position had he been the winner.”
As the second wave of independence arrived in 1991, our patriotism
would not allow us to admit that the opportunity arose because of
the tectonic shifts in the world geopolitical structure which once
again thrust independence upon Armenia.
The most ardent patriots among us believe that it was the Karabagh
movement at the southern borders of the Soviet Union that generated
the political tsunami effect which brought down the Berlin wall and
the Soviet Empire.
Either way, we seized the opportunity and the spirit of Vartanants was
rekindled once again, helping us to liberate Karabagh from Azeri rule.
Today, we are still at a stalemate.
This is not the first time that Armenians will demonstrate their
resentment at being ruled by other Armenians. And that dangerous
trend may lead us again to the loss of our independence if political
prudence does not supersede.
You may blame the three presidential administrations of the current
republic with many misdeeds, but one focal idea is clear – they were
able to maintain and strengthen our independence. As inexperienced
as Levon Ter-Petrosian’s administration was, it steered Armenia to
state building and secured the Karabagh victory. As corrupt as the
Kocharian administration was, it was equally skilled at preserving the
territorial integrity of the country and consolidating its sovereignty.
The same can be said for the Serge Sargisian administration, which
is rightfully blamed for the exponential rise of the oligarchs.
President Sargisian’s recent U-turn to join the Moscow-led Customs
Union was derived from the same political instinct of survival and
maintenance of independence.
Siding with Europe would have placed Armenia under the same Russian
blackmail that was recently directed at Ukraine and Moldova. And
Armenia, being more fragile, would have meant it would have suffered
more.
Another aspect which is overlooked in this deal is that Europe would
not touch the resolution of the Karabagh stalemate with a 10-foot
pole as a disputed territory, whereas the agreement in the Customs
Union will indirectly cover Karabagh. In fact, any international deal
which includes Karabagh, down the road will facilitate its annexation
to Armenia.
As Armenia prepares to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of independence,
decorating the capital and flaunting its state-of-the-art weaponry
to scare Azerbaijan, the question still looms: how independent is
Armenia with its economy under Russian control and its territory
used as a military base for Moscow, making the country suspect for
the West and Turkey?
Countries no longer exist in isolation. The world has become a global
village and the independence of individual nations is measured through
factors controlling international relations.
A case in point may be India with a population of one billion. Since
the 1960s, India was part of a coalition of non-aligned countries
bound through the Bandung Pact, developed jointly by President Sukarno
of Indonesia, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India and President
Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt. Long after Nasser and Sukarno were gone,
India pursued its non-aligned policy, which initially supported the
Palestinian plight against Israeli occupation. With arm-twisting
from Washington, India opened up to Israel and its diamond industry
developed rapidly, the US software companies set up shop in India and
the economic boom began. Had India continued its traditional policy,
it would have been guided by justice and sound moral principles,
but nations have self-interests, morality not withstanding.
On the eve of Armenia’s independence day there are more questions
that loom in the air. The main painful source of concern is its
depopulation. It is reported that Armenia’s unemployment rate has
fallen this year to 16 percent down from the mid 30s and that is
believed to be a healthy sign of economic recovery. However, much
more likely, the dip in the unemployment rate is partially caused
by the outflow of skilled workers, rather than the creation of jobs
through investments in the economy.
One business booming is the gaming industry. And that may be very
symbolic: Is Armenia gambling with its future? Perhaps.
The question still remains: What is the price of independence?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2013/09/17/independence-at-what-price/