What Role Can Armenia Play in the Defense of Minorities in the Near East?

Abstract

The 44-day war of 2020 and its disastrous consequences for Armenia have highlighted the vulnerabilities of the Armenian state. Its army is not equipped to handle the possibility of another high-intensity war with Azerbaijan, which is supported by Turkey. In the West, sympathy has grown for this Christian people and their fight for survival, particularly among right-wing and far-right European circles.

Conservative opinion-makers, traumatized by the persecution of Yezidi and Christian populations by ISIS, have integrated the Armenian tragedy into the broader tragedy of Near Eastern Christians. Upon closer examination, semantic changes have occurred. In the past, we simply referred to “the Armenians” or the “Armenian cause” in a predominantly humanistic approach. However, the terms “Armenian Christians” or “Christians of Artsakh” are increasingly used. Therefore, the Armenians of one of the world’s oldest churches and of the first state to embrace Christianity have come to realize that they are Christians of the East.

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