Emerging from Parochial Mode into Global Vision

But all is not lost. We can face the new year with a glimmer of hope because the Armenian creative mind is at work. With all the gloom and doom in Armenia and the diaspora, a group of progressive people have emerged who think outside the box.

Indeed, a group of affluent people (mind you, no one would listen to them if they were not so) has determined to bring the Armenian thinking from its parochial parameters and adopt a global approach.

There are many Armenians who once they attain wealth or success, extricate themselves from their ethnic roots and they create a global mode of living only for themselves. But this group of Armenians brings its wealth, experience and wisdom back to serve its ethnic roots and tries to pull up the entire nation.

On October 28, the Global Armenians took a full-page ad in the New York Times to launch their ideas. We find the names of these prominent Armenians under the above ad and they include Ruben Vardanyan, Noubar Afeyan, Vartan Gregorian, Charles Aznavour, Lord Ara Darzi, Ambassador Edward Djerejian, Dickran Tevrizian, Samvel Karapetyan and others. Certainly more celebrities will gravitate toward this group and their ideas. The idea has been around since 2001 and originally sprang from the project Armenia 2020 conceived by Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan to mushroom into becoming a huge project to embrace the global Armenian community.

After the initial list of signatories was seen, many women suggested that their gender was poorly represented on the list, thereby eliciting a positive response from the Global Armenians, who said that the initial list of names was just that and that women and those with lighter pocketbooks were included.

The IDeA Charitable foundation was developed to support programs and projects of monumental dimensions, which were meant to move Armenia from survival mode to one of prosperity. Thus far the group has achieved an impressive list, including the reconstruction of St. George Cathedral in Tbilisi, the Tatev Revival (Wings of Tatev), the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the United World College in Dilijan.

All of those projects have been achieved without tapping into government resources or funds from existing organizations. All are unique, rooted in history and looking ahead to weave Armenia firmly into the world of tourism, education and charitable giving.

We have naysayers all around. This group, as well as that of Kirk Kerkorian and Eduardo Eurnekian before them, have been able to rise above all the negatives to do good and well for Armenia. Where there is a will, there is always a way to do good.

Armenians in the diaspora have completely lost — rightfully so — their confidence in the government of Armenia. They have the attitude of obstructing every hand helping the homeland if the elite don’t have a cut of it. This is generally the rule rather than the exception. The deceptions practiced there are too many to cite.

As a practical group, the IDeA Foundation can serve as a bridge between Armenia and the diaspora to restore confidence in the homeland.

The other observation which needs to be brought up is that Global Armenians do not depend on traditional resources to achieve life-changing projects. The success of groups such as IDeA Foundation demonstrates one basic truth: that the traditional diaspora structures are obsolete and have outlived their usefulness to guide this nation to prosperity. A new path, without undermining the role of traditional organizations, is the only way forward.

Last, but not least, the ideas and projects promoted by this group are intended to broaden our vision to feel comfortable in a global society and be able to play by its rules.

We would like to embrace the New Year with this global vision.