By Dr. Arshavir Gundjian C.M.
We would hardly be unveiling a national secret by announcing that the entire Armenian nation, extending from the motherland of Armenia and wounded Artsakh all the way to the vastly dispersed diaspora, lives today in a deep state of uncertainty and insecurity.
Emboldened by its military success and Turkish collaborators, Azerbaijan does not miss a chance to keep Armenia under the threat of random border attacks, which heighten further the Armenian national anxiety as they remain frustratingly unsanctioned.
The tragic end of the infamous 44 days war of Artsakh has unveiled the weaknesses of our nation, which experienced an obviously unjustified euphoria, initially stimulated by the proclamation of independence in 1991.
Armenians rushed to celebrate but forgot that the independence of 1991, just like the earlier one of 1918, was handed to us as the result of major political developments around Armenia, rather than being the result of any hard-won armed struggle. Independence has been taken for granted rather than treasured as a precious gift to be constantly defended and protected by a vigilant national defense system. As a matter of the highest national priority, such a defense system should have been carefully and constantly improved and maintained at a state of perpetual readiness.
Suddenly and painfully, the 44-day war revealed that all regimes after independence, including the current one, had irresponsibly neglected to implement the vital components of a core national security and defense strategy.