NORAYR EBLIGHATIAN
In the last week a few strategies have been circulating in the Armenian mass media and making a buzz:
1. As a byproduct of the catastrophic explosion in Beirut harbor and the demolition of the Armenian quarter, there have been strong recommendations for immigration to Armenia and Artsakh.
2. Simultaneously, the Armenian Diasporan leadership has advocated the rebuilding of the Armenian community in Beirut, Lebanon.
3. Finally, the Commissioner of the Diaspora has advocated a population movement of Middle Eastern minorities to Armenia.
These topics are highly emotional, and they have resulted in a passionate debate (sometimes denigrating) between the protagonists.
While it is a natural human response to come to the rescue of a fellow man (in this case, a fellow national) when there are circumstances like the devastation in Beirut and its ramification to the Armenian community in Lebanon. It is also expected that some Armenians would lean towards a nation-building orientation and would prefer immigration to build a strong nation-state that can defend itself against Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey.
However, it seems to me that both orientations have missed the mark.
a. Strategies need planning and organization to be implemented and give their expected end-result. Wishful thinking, editorials and Don Quixotic statements are not enough.
b. Immigration to Armenia and Artsakh have prerequisites: A vibrant economy that can absorb the newcomers and a social environment that can help the immigrants integrate into the Armenian society. The suggestion of some compatriots that “The Armenian Government has to regard this as one of it’s highest priority……….” Pushes the complete responsibility to the government domain while evading personal and social responsibility. These statements border on a rabble rousing and populist agitation approach and might have doubtful origins.
c. Rebuilding the Armenian Diasporan unit of Lebanon also has its challenges. While it is easy to organize broom-duty groups to clean the glass in the streets;
• It is much harder to rebuild a vibrant Arax street center as an economic commercial hub for the Bourj Hammoud municipality.
• In an Arab Gulf region economic downturn, it is much harder to establish light industries like Jewelry manufacturing, within the Armenian community for the Arab Gulf market.
• Similarly, it is much harder to construct competitive schools for the young that need to compete on an international level.
All the above were in a state of decline (before the explosion catastrophe) and there are no plans (at least there are no visible plans) to improve them.
Finally, a word about the organization(s) that will collect the donated funds and allocate them for different rebuilding projects. The Armenian church is being considered as the entity that will manage the aid. A simple question comes to mind: Does the Armenian church have the capability and the capacity to manage this aid? Are we facing another corruption of the social order where there is no transparency?
It seems that both in the Diasporan units (of the Middle East) and in Armenia, the lack of competent organizations is being felt. While we have a multitude of political parties, most are engaged in oligarchic activities of extraction for personal again as opposed to social advancement and nation building.
Let’s also address the statement by the High Commissioner of Diasporan Affairs. This individual seems to be a globalist who would not mind bringing minorities in large numbers from the Middle East and settle them in Armenia/Artsakh.
For the present moment, let’s bypass the issue of the pre-requisites that would apply to these immigrants, the same way as they apply to Armenian immigrants.
Why on earth would you dilute the population of your nation-state and make it into a multi-communal society? Our nation-state has the unique feature of having a very high percentage of uniform ethnicity. Our forefathers fought for this nation and our young army is defending its borders.
I even read a misguided opinion that we need to achieve a certain population density, otherwise we cannot keep our country given our neighbors and their appetite of expansion and empire. Let’s be clear; our goal is an Armenian nation-state and NOT the united states of the southern Caucasus, where minorities of all of kinds can live in harmony and sing ‘Kum by yah’….
Please write to the High Commissioner of Diasporan Affairs, and gently remind him that his function is towards the Armenian Diaspora and no one else.
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