It is very discouraging for Armenians living in Armenia and the diaspora to see Armenia struggle to keep its independence and keep the Turkish and Azeri wolves at bay. Recent events show that Armenia, having lost the support of Russia along with the continuous threats of Azerbaijan and Turkey encroaching on Armenian territory, is clearly in a precarious position.
What can Armenia do? Who can they turn to for the support it needs geographically, militarily and politically? Russia is obviously not the answer. Who is then? Iran, France, the European Union? No. The only country that can help Armenia in its predicament has to be the United States. Tiny Armenia with three million people cannot stand up against Turkey with 80 million people and Azerbaijan with 11 million people. They both have the military might to crush Armenia within days. America’s intervention may not be feasible right now because of its involvement with the Ukrainian war and the war in Gaza.
Traditionally, the United States has always had a link to Armenia. President Teddy Roosevelt was probably the biggest supporter of Armenia; on May 11, 1918, in Oyster Bay, he wanted American troops to intervene and support Armenia. In part he said, “We should go to war (with Turkey), because not to do so is really to show bad faith towards our allies and to help Germany, because the Armenian massacre was the greatest crime of the war, and failure to act against Turkey is to condone it.” Also, we know of President Wilson’s desire for a free and independent Armenia. President Biden has always shown empathy for the Armenian cause but is currently distracted by other issues.
I believe that Armenians in the diaspora must exert as much political pressure on their respective governments as possible, mainly the United States and France, to assist Armenia in its efforts to maintain its viability and remain a secure country. With the upcoming presidential election in the United States, Armenian Americans must ponder who would have more empathy and instincts to help Armenia during these troubled times – Biden or Trump?
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Ezan Bagdasarian
Ezan Bagdasarian is a retired customs and border protection supervisor and acting chief inspector. He lives in Gainesville, VA. His father was in the Armenian Legion as part of the French Foreign Legion and saw action in Palestine and Cilicia.
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