Empowering Artsakh’tsis with a Government in Exile
Posted on November. 2. 2023
“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government”. Thomas Jefferson
Z. S. Andrew Demirdjian
Based on a shameful lame excuse of dislodging harbored terrorists, Azerbaijani armed forces conducted a sneak attack by firing artillery and missile bombs against the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on September 19, 2023. After 24 hours of a blitzkrieg, Artsakh surrendered on September 20, 2023.
The ceasefire stipulated that the Artsakh Defense Forces to be disarmed, to turn in their weapons and equipment, and to dissolve its government in Stepanaket. the capital city of the Republic of Artsakh. The casualties consisted of 200 deaths and some 400 injured due to the sur- prise attack on Artsakh by violating the ceasefire agreement, which was supposed to endure until the year 2025. These acts, as irresponsible as they are, tellingly illustrates how wanton is President Ilham Aliyev in waging offensive warare against civilians.
Out of valid fear of ethnic cleansing and genocide, forewarned by several genocide watch organizations, the population of Artsakh was forced to flee their homes to seek asylum in the Republic of Armenia (RoA). Of the 120, 000 ethnic Armenian population, nearly 100 thousand Artsakhtsis became instantly refugees and leaderless in the RoA.
Most of the government officials were arrested by the Azerbaijani guards at the check point station on the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor as they were trying to cross over to the RoA. The former presidents of Artsakh and the rest of the gov- ernment officials were sent to Baku for trial for alleged war crimes.
While the host country, the RoA, is doing its best to accommodate the refu- gees from Artsakh, they are still disadvantaged for losing their leaders to fend for their rights and interests against Azerbaijani’s cruel treatments. The critical question is then, what could possibly help the Artsakhtsi refugees under these dire circumstances while they are in exile? One way to alleviate their problem is to form a government in exile. Ideas have changed the world; ideas old or new can also help the people of Artsakh.
So, here is the proposed way to efficiently and effectively form a government in exile based mostly on the book titled The Dynamics of Organizing a Diaspora (c.2015):
Form an organizing committee, preferably members coming from the various political groups of Artsakh.
Either use the constitution of the Republic of Artsakh or formulate a new one. Identify and emphasize the bylaws to be observed and abided by the politicians as well as by the people.
Determine the mission, vision, and goals and objectives to b e achieved while in exile to help the refugees as well as to advance the cause of Artsakh for statehood.
Nominate candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency from a pool of individuals who are willing genuinely to serve the people and the republic of Artsakh.
Hold elections separately or in conjunction with the host country’s elections. Remember, separate elections would be expensive and time-consuming.
Enlist the help of the host country as well as its diaspora members as advisors to the president as well as to the governments’ various ministries. The Armenian Diaspora is full of talented lawyers, politicians, military personnel, teachers, scientists, journalists, experts of military equipment who, out of patriotic motives, would be willing to serve the Artsakh people wherever they happen to be.
Devise a financial plan for running the government in exile (e.g., benefactors, crowd funding, donations, etc.). Without a regular flow of funds, the government in exile would not operate properly.
It is noteworthy to remember that the most efficient way is to replicate the former Artsakh government system by electing a president and a vice president rather than changing into a different type of government. Adopting the same constitution would also be efficient for the group.
It would have been ideal to have the same government officials continue with their national duties in exile by continuing with the same government as was located in Stepanakert, but that is not possible now. Over eight of them have been arrested for trumpeted up various war crimes to be adjudicated by the Azerbaijani biased, kangaroo courts. For the sake of simplicity, the Artsakh refugees can be largely categorized as a pessimist group devoid of hope to return to their homes, and the other optimist group would dream of one day returning to their homeland. A government in exile would serve both the pessimists and the optimists in their newly adopted host country.
The whole idea behind the establishment of a government in exile is to help the refugees as well as to facilitate their return to their homeland. Naturally, there are other benefits to take into consideration. Fundamentally, these governments in exile are governments of self-governing groups exiled from their territories. They claim legitimate authority over a territory they once controlled as their own ancestral land, or claim legitimacy of a postexodus authority. The claim may stem from an exiled group’s election as a legitimate government.
In their every endeavor in exile, democracy should prevail. In modern times, the classic example of organizing a government in exile is that of the Polish people when they were ousted by the Nazis in 1939. What makes the Polish government in exile unique is the fact that after Poland had transitioned from communism and had become a Western-style liberal democratic political system in 1991, their government in exile was not dismantled. It still operates in London (England) till today.
To empower the refugees of Artsakh, their government in exile must represent the displaced people. Their leaders have to be democratically elected and charged with the mission of solving their current problems as well as their wishes for returning to their homeland. Such an organized group will be able to negotiate with other powers to protect the rights and interests of the Artsakh refugees.
To serve as a liaison organization between the refugees and international organizations established to assist refugees forced to flee their homes and homeland on account of war, violence, and persecution. No other international organization is going to genuinely assist with the refugees quest to regain their homeland of thousands and thousands years other than the Artsakh government in exile.
Self-sufficiency, self-reliance requires one to organize in an effective way to carry out the missions to fulfill the goals and the objectives of a group of people, such as the displaced people of Artsakh.
Western nations’ sympathy with Artsakh over Azerbaijan is fine or rather is not worth a dime for sympathy alone does not make the people feel safe and secure to return to their homes. As Ovid said: “Only the mind cannot be sent into exile”. I add to that by saying “Only the mind and the heart cannot be sent into exile”. The exile is torn between living abroad and its native land, a true home, the heart yearns the day to return to the highlands of his or her place called Homeland Artsakh.