Armenian State Building: The Mother of All Battles

The resolution of concerns listed above must begin with a new foundation for the Armenian house, the Republic of Armenia: a new Constitution to create an Armenian political system, not a post-Soviet one; a new Constitution to redefine institutions that will distinguish the state from the regime; a truly ambitious policy in the areas of education, security, and economic development to restore the Armenian market to make it attractive and to consolidate social, economic, and cultural life to improve the daily lives of its people and enable them to live there.

Peace cannot be achieved without the strengthening of state structures in a way that permeates the entire national social and political fabric. The house of Armenia is burning, and Armenians are still looking the other way. There is still time to put out the fire, provided that all Armenian stakeholders roll up their sleeves and make state-building the mother of all battles.

Keep Education at the Top of Our Priorities

To help Armenians succeed in rebuilding their country quickly, we must help them implement the best education programs that can bring progress to cities from Gyumri and Yerevan to the smallest villages. We must help the people learn new technologies, human sciences, sociology, state administration, as well as agricultural technics; we must help them learn how to install electricity and solar water heating systems on the roofs of houses and farm structures. These programs will allow the people of Armenia to get closer to mastering their own destinies. Just like our parents did by leaving their refugee status created as a result of their exodus following the Genocide. These refugee camps survived until 1965 and became part of history until 1965 or so, when these refugees sent their children to study in western schools or universities. Those became solid professionals and good citizens.

Following the demise of the “Iron Curtain” in 1991, the presence of foreign establishments in Armenia contributed to the development of a good number of engineers, scientists and executives; but many of them ended up as expatriates. It is urgent that they return enriched by their experiences, valuable contacts and networks that they acquired while abroad. Diasporan Armenian professionals have much to contribute as well; after learning to listen to and to respect the wisdom of the local population, they will adapt to the local conditions and share their practical know-how.

Change is one of the most difficult conditions human beings have to adopt, if they wish to make progress. Without change, which also involves risks, there is no progress and success. The difference between Armenia and Israel is that the first started with deeply engrained Soviet culture and practices, while the second had a blank sheet to fill in. You can compare this with the old and big computer companies which have disappeared during the last decades to be replaced by innovative companies like Apple. Proprietary software was replaced by Microsoft operating systems and others, available in open sources.