Wake up! An epistle to Serj Tankian

Creative intelligentsia has always been treated ambiguously. Most of its representatives have always skilfully, readily and effortlessly adjusted themselves to the incumbent authorities. One can always count the men of principle among their peers on the fingers. The Armenian so-called ‘creative intelligentsia’ is no exception. Lately, the world-famous rock musician Serj Tankian issued a political statement claiming that some kind of international peacekeepers could enable the returning of Artsakh Armenians to their homes. As it would seem, an Armenian of world fame speaks about the fact of expulsion of Armenians from their ancestral lands and expresses hope that the civilised world would undertake appropriate steps for this purpose. So what’s wrong with that? Let us try to explain.

First of all, Tankian avoids admitting and accepting his own responsibility for the splitting of the Armenian nation, the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, and the Turkish-Azerbaijani colonisation of Armenia. His responsibility is immense, as during the ‘velvet revolution’ he had openly supported Nikol Pashinyan and encouraged Armenians (especially the youth) to march to the Republic Square for ‘the future of Armenia’. Besides, he pledged that if it succeeded, he was ready to return to Armenia and support the country in every possible way. Artsakh is conceded, the Azerbaijani flag flies over the fortress of Shushi, the graves of those who fought for the liberation of Artsakh are turned into ruins, on which hotels and entertainment centres are being built, more than 120 thousand Armenians are expelled from their homes, and the surrender of Syunik is now on the table.

So, Mr Tankian, what do you make of such a ‘future’? All this is all ‘courtesy’ of the person you and people like you (including football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan and actress Arsinée Khanjian) vigorously advocated for in the spring of 2018. It is natural for ordinary people to be misguided and mistaken, but for people like you it is mandatory to adhere to the principle ‘measure seven times and cut once’, as your voice is a guidance for millions of Armenians all over the world. After all that happened, feckless individuals like you, Mr Tankian, should have made their apologies and initiated a reconsideration process in their minds. There is no denying that these people may have meant well, but without the proper knowledge and willingness to thoroughly review the entire situation, good intentions are for naught and will always lead in the only known direction (to hell).

Secondly, what international community are we talking about, Mr Tankian? It is not the one that not only did not condemn, but encouraged Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh in 2020 with its indifference, deployed its diplomats to occupied Shushi to sing praises to Ilham Aliyev, did not impose any sanctions against Azerbaijan, which first blockaded the Armenian population and then expelled them from their native lands. Must have ran out of all sanctions packages on Russia and Iran, with nothing left for Aliyev. In all seriousness, we have a question for you – do you really believe that in this geopolitical jungle, where everyone is on his own, there are nations and states that genuinely want to lend a hand to Armenians to return to Artsakh? Or you have simply been convinced that Artsakh Armenians are a sack of potatoes that can be endlessly thrown from one patch to another. This position holds because for all external players, including the US, Russia and the EU, the Artsakh people are nothing more than pawns in a grand game, which can be moved at their discretion and sacrificed at the right time to secure one’s own better position. And they have always used and will continue exploiting the ignorance and thoughtlessness of influencers like you. Now you are left with two options. The first is to keep making your amateurish statements, clouding the minds of your own people. The second is to begin examining the processes more profoundly, analysing the present and using your resources and capabilities to support the process of building the Armenian aristocracy as the basis for the renewal of Armenia and the systematisation of the disparate Armenian communities into a consolidated Diaspora. Ultimately, just keep quiet, big politics is not a performance stage where everyone is eagerly anticipating your reflections. The lyrics of one of your iconic singles, ‘Chop Suey,’ begin with the line ‘Wake up’. Take heed, it’s time to wake up and get your act together.