An Analogy for Armenians to appreciate
Posted on July. 29. 2023
Reaching out to rescue one another
under ANY condition is an eternal measure of love.
Ronald A. Rasband
by Z. S. Andrew DemirdjiaN
The African buffalo (aka Cape Buffalo) is the largest and most formidable of Africa’s wild bovid family; over the years, it has become a familiar sight to visitors of African parks and reserves.
When the buffalo herd grazes together, there is the atmosphere of safety for the individual members and their young from predators for the herd puts up a concerted effort to ward off any attacks mostly coming from lions. However, those which stray away from the group would run the risk of being hunted down by predators.
By observing nature, we learn a lot to deal with the exigencies of life. In this essay, I shall use an analogy (i.e., comparing the workings of nature with human societies) to graphically emphasize the dire need to heed the lesson of the analogy by Armenian patriots who love the Homeland and wishes to ease the hardships on the brutalized Artsakh people. The appeal will be directed to the logic and emotion of the reader’s attitude.
By definition, an analogy has two parts, usually a “thing” which is comparable to “something else” in significant respects. For example, works of art have been seen as an analogy for works of nature. Essentially and metaphorically, an analogy is an asserted similarity between two objects of comparison. For the sake of argument, let us call these objects the “source” (e.g., the Lone Buffalo) and the “target” (e.g., the People of Artsakh).
The intention or the hope of drawing an analogy is, therefore, to induce an understanding, an appreciation about the target by mapping the source’s main features onto it. Ideas have changed the world; ideas can also advance Armenia.
Here is the first part of the analogy: The Lone Buffalo. When an African wild buffalo wanders away from the herd, it becomes an irresistible dinner menu item for a pride of hungry lions. In no time, the lions begin to mobilize to lay an ambush on this delicious meal and begin to sneak toward it for a surprise attack. The fear of retaliation is real, though, for wild buffaloes are one of the strongest and fiercest preys even for the King of the Jungle when confronted one on one.
As the lions come within a short distance of this carefree rambling buffalo, they pounce on it from all sides. The buffalo’s first instinct is to flee, but the chase ends when a team of lions attack it from the rear by biting the base of its tail and the others attack it from the sides of this distressed animal.
Confused, the buffalo tries valiantly to rotate on its four legs to defend itself furiously from the painful bites the lions give it.
To evade the deadly sharp horns, lions attack the buffalo from the rear and sideways. One of the lions would jump on the back of the buffalo and bite the rump or the tail. As the buffalo attempts to turn back to face the attacker, the lion also turns out of its reach. Finally, one of the lions grabs the throat of the buffalo and due to the weight of the other lions on its top, the struggling animal falls down in a heap on its legs and in a matter of moments begins to suffocate.
Although the buffalo is endowed with sharp horns for self-defense and sometimes it succeeds in goring an attacking lion and casting it in the air over its head, the agility of the lions helps them avoid being pierced. The battle intensifies; the united pride persists jumping on its back and trying to collapse it to the ground.
Once the buffalo is brought down on its knees from its standing position, it is the beginning of the end; the battle is won by the lions. No matter how hard the buffalo moves its head around to scare off the attackers away with its lethal horns, the lions begin the lavish dinner from all sides and they start to eat it even when the prey is still alive.
The only ray of hope for the survival of this lone buffalo is when miraculously, the buffalo group (the herd) appears on the scene, charging toward the lions at the dinner table. Otherwise, the lone buffalo becomes a heap of delicious bones to feast on by a pack of hyenas from nearby territory.
This is one side of the analogy, which is a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation, emphasis, or clarification. To render an analogy meaningful between the workings of nature and those of human societies, we need to compare the fate of the stray buffalo with the present situation, with the plight of the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Here is the second part of the analogy: Armenians of Artsakh Under Blockade. On December 12, 2022, Azerbaijani so-called environmentalists have blocked the Lachin Corridor for any Armenian thoroughfare, which is the only link of the Artsakh people with the friendly outside world. Thus, merciless Azerbaijan has began to starve and strangle the isolated people of Artsakh –just like a lone buffalo is being hunted down savagely by a pride of lions!
During the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in the 1990s, Artsakh, Armenia, the Diaspora were all united and their solidarity made them win the war. Thereafter, Artsakh became a republic with all the vital trappings of democracy.
The Armenian military generals, government officials, and the Armenians around the globe had become a true, vibrant nation ready to defend the motherland just like the herd of buffalos united to counter-attack the lions when one of their members is in danger.
However, since the washout of the 44-Day War with Azerbaijan, Artsakh seems to have been separated from the rest of the Armenian “herd”. It is alone to fend for itself against the aggression of the Azerbaijani “lions,” or rather beasts like Turkey, Pakistan, the Israeli military experts, the mercenaries from Syria and Lybia and so on.
Since December 12, 2022, Artsakh has been placed in a siege of starvation to succumb to Azerbaijani demands or face an ethnic cleansing fate through genocide. Russia, France, the United States offer sympathies and ideas to surrender to Azerbaijan in return to questionable promise of peace.
Artsakh is alone now and is unable to put up a fight against Azeri aggression. All hopes are dashed and the fledgling republic is sinking. The only hope of survival is for the Armenian Diaspora to act in a timely manner to arm the people of Artsakh against the present and future aggression coming from Azerbaijan.
The preceding analogy was presented to emphasize the crucial role of the Armenian Diaspora in rescuing Artsakh. The Armenian Diaspora, like the Buffelo herd, is the only gleam of hope for the survival of Artsakh–and yet the Diaspora leaders seem to be waiting to attend the funeral of Artsakh before they acts to save it. A paradox? Maybe not, but it is certainly a shameful anomaly.
For a tiny Republic of Armenia, there is a vast diaspora, which has recently produced 12 billionaires. While most Armenians are not rich, they are comfortably situated and can donate some money toward establishing a factory to produce or assemble anti-drone devices just as Greece has openly done to counter possible Turkish drone attacks in Cyprus.
Again, the reason I used an analogy is to emphasize the criticality of the necessity of acting on time to save Artsakh, which has become the pride of the Armenian nation for regaining part of the motherland after a long period of occupation of six centuries by various neighboring nations. Besides, the West says we need to return Artsakh to Azerbaijan for a lasting peace! What a solution to the detriment of Armenians?!
As David Boyajian has poignantly formulated in one of his recent articles, Azerbaijan = (Corrupt+Terrorist+ Evil). The in-group of Azerbaijan’s thinking is also warped by greed: the Azeris do not only want Artsakh, but virtually the whole of the Republic of Armenia by terrorizing the Armenian people in both republics. President Ilham Aliyev’s mind is a victim of Stone-Age instincts.
Here is the summary of the analogy in short: Artsakh like a lone, isolated buffalo is attacked by cruel Azeri forces akin to a pride of hungry lions waylaying their prey; the only true, genuine help for survival should come from the Armenian Diaspora “herd”.
Self-sufficiency, self-reliance should become the life-saving religion of the Armenian nation. Let’s not forget, Artsakh now is very vulnerable for it has lost the 7 regions around it, which were used as buffer zones to keep the enemy at bay. Now, the enemy is too close for comfort.
We can learn a lot from the workings of nature. The lone buffalo died a torturous death; so will the people of Artsakh perish if the Diaspora leaders fail to gallop to its rescue in a timely manner.
The Armenian Diaspora, like the buffalo herd, should immediately reach out to rescue the people of Artsakh. Similar to a lone buffalo attacked by a gang of lions, Artsakhtsis are surrounded by the genocidal Azerbaijani forces to annihilate them just like the Western Armenians were put to the sword in the 1915-1923 Armenian Genocide (the Medz Yeghern).
Preventing Azeri ethnic cleansing of the encircled people of Artsakh in their ancestral land should be every true Armenian’s urgent priority. Every voice, loud or soft; every compatriot, white collar or blue collar; every pocket, deep or shallow would contribute toward saving our own people to live safely and securely in their corner of the Armenian Homeland.
Weighing Artsakh’s chances of winning the third war with Azerbaijan, one would conclude that Artsakh would need modern weapons. The Armenian Diaspora has the ways and means to make a difference by facing the challenge to arm the people of Artsakh for survival from the Azeri inhumane treatment.
If nothing comes in the way of rescue, the 120,000 beleaguered people of Artsakh would shout: Don’t cry for us, Diaspora, for letting us die now by the poisoned paws and fangs of Azerbaijan!
Let us remember that an idea –no matter how great –does not geminate unless it falls on a fertile mind. The Armenian Diaspora is full of great minds.
Here is the plea that may be echoed by many thousands and thousands of Armenians around the globe: For a few million dollars, we would be able to arm Artsakh against the Azeri present and imminent cruel and unprovoked aggressions. After all, rescuing the “drowning” would cleanse our conscience of any guilt feelings arising from being only a bystander to a heinous crime in the making.