The following is excerpted from an opinion article posted on Armenian Weekly on January 17, 2011,, titled “Changing Strategy: On the Survival of Armenia and its Diaspora” by Berge Minasian.
“I’m afraid our national identity in this country is mainly one of victimhood over events that occurred almost a century ago. What I’m referring to is our national obsession with getting a genocide resolution adopted in Congress.
“In my opinion, the greatest minds in our diaspora need to begin placing a higher priority on making sure that Armenia survives as a free and independent democracy.
“Our enemies have a bigger population, more funds, and more weapons, and they can no doubt withstand massive depletion of those resources and still survive. But I fear that the tiny nation of Armenia cannot withstand serious loss of human life, military assets, and national treasure. If a war erupts with Azerbaijan, it could very well be the final straw for our fledgling nation. Armenia is too fragile to allow itself to be dragged into a mindless shooting war again. It’s time to convene an impartial panel of some renowned world leaders and let them craft a binding win/win resolution that both protagonists must accept, or face international condemnation.
“The poverty that is presently endured by no less than 50 percent of the children in Armenia today is unconscionable. The urgent need for economic relief in Armenia is almost as great today as it was in 1921.
“How can any of us, including the billionaires and multimillionaires living in Armenia, ever have another peaceful night’s sleep knowing that vast numbers of our children are going to bed cold and hungry every night? For whom are we trying to save that tiny country of less than three million inhabitants if not for those children who survive each day knowing that no one cares? And then we have the unabated brain drain as large numbers of our brightest and best leave in a steady exodus that began almost 20 years ago. These are urgent issues and we cannot afford to go on with business as usual in Armenia.
“In closing let me reiterate my concerns: It’s time to redefine our priorities in the diaspora with 21st-century goals and visions. We can’t keep doing what we have been doing and expect to get different results.”