An Urgent Problem Whose Urgency Is Fading

The Armenian dispersion has its roots way back in the Middle Ages, when the bustling metropolis, Ani, was destroyed and its citizens fled to distant destinations.

Ani was first attacked by our Christian brothers, the Byzantines, in 1044, followed by a Seljuk Turk attack in 1064, eventually to fall under the Ottoman rule in 1579. The city, which had a population of 100,000-200,000 in its heyday, was depopulated in the 18^th and 19^th centuries and reduced to ruins. Its population migrated to Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Romania. They gradually assimilated with the local population and disappeared.

The migration trend which extended to central and southern Asia Minor helped the emergence of the Cilician principalities which developed into the Cilician Kingdom from the 11^th to the 14^th centuries. Cilicia fell to the Mamluks in 1375 and its king, Levon Lusignan VI, was taken to Egypt as a prisoner.

Armenian migration has such a central place in Armenian history that many scholarly volumes are dedicated to the topic. Ashot Abrahamian, in Soviet Armenia and Arshag Alboyadjian in the diaspora are the major historians who have done in depth treatments of the migration history.

As we analyze the root causes of migration, we find out the overwhelmingly important factor is outside forces. Although there are different interpretations of the phenomenon and history cannot be changed, we can better educate ourselves to see the future more clearly. For example, 19^th-century novelist Raffi said that all the investments Armenians have made in creating chalices and other religious objects could have been used to manufacture armaments so that our nation could be free today.

Historically, the depopulation of the Armenian homeland was caused by the clashes of the empires that overran Armenia while our people dreamt of a free and independent Armenia from 1375 to 1918, when the first republic emerged. From 1920 to 1991, the Soviet Republic of Armenia gave some semblance of a state identity to our people. And despite all the atrocities and human rights violations in the Soviet Union, the Armenian people enjoyed stability, security and above all, unprecedented development in arts, literature and science in Soviet Armenia.

It is perhaps ironic that the Iron Curtain had trapped the population by limiting migration, which in turn contributed to the population growth. With Armenia’s independence, the floodgates of emigration were thrown wide open, and today, no one dares to come up with an accurate number of people leaving Armenia.

This time around we can no longer blame outside forces as a cause of depopulation; perhaps, we can partially blame Turkey, as the blockade has been crippling the economy and driving the population to poverty. But, surprisingly, the blockade has not stopped the rich from becoming richer.

Today Armenia’s depopulation is the number one cause for concern for the republic. If Armenia is depopulated and overrun by the Azeris (as Azeri President Ilham Aliyev is predicting,) there will not even be the monument of Tsitsernakaberd for us to go to and cry to in memory of the Genocide victims.

We cannot ignore the outside factors, but there are areas where Armenians as a whole can improve. The government, especially, can apply drastic measures to stop the hemorrhaging.

A new parliament was formed and the president has been re-elected. Technically, it is a one-party rule, as the opposition was crushed during the elections. Given the power structure of Armenia, one-party rule leads to one-person rule. President Serge Sargisian has all the power to stop the trend, even if that means he comes to rule Armenia as a benevolent potentate.

The rate of economic growth given in statistics does not translate yet into food on the table of families.

Oligarchs enjoy the best of both worlds; they conduct their business in Armenia as long as it lasts and they have their capital in foreign countries, should the ship sink in Armenia.

Foreign investments are encouraged verbally, but discouraged by the extant red tape and corrupt laws. Even patriotic Armenian investors from around the world have had bitter experiences trying to invest in Armenia’s economy. How many Diaspora Armenians have to be beaten, bullied or killed so that the authorities will finally create a tolerable atmosphere for foreign investments?

Patriotic rhetoric no longer lures anyone to invest in Armenia.

The courts, through corrupt judges, undermine the rule of law necessary for the formation of a middle class — a class which is the backbone of any country’s economy.

Celebrations and pomp and circumstance during the visits of foreign dignitaries provide a veneer while the starving population abandons the land and drives the country to confront a big Shakespearean question: “To be or not to be?”