Armenia is Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Posted on November. 7. 2022
“To secure peace is to prepare for war.”
Carl Von Clausewitz,
The Father of Modern Warfare
BY Z. S. Andrew DemirdjiaN
Azerbaijan’s current coercive diplomacy is forcing Armenia to accept a dilemma involving a difficult choice to be made between two alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones. Otherwise, there won’t be any peace treaty with Azerbaijan –and the missiles will continue raining over the people of Armenia.
In this article, first we will show how Armenia is currently on the horns of a dilemma and secondly make a suggestion to prepare for self-defense.
The terms of the treaty are being dictated by the wayward and uncompromising President Ilham Aliyev, who is benefiting from the situation in which no one is coming to the rescue of Armenia, barely able to recover from the death and destruction of the 44-Day War of 2020 with a war casualty of over 4,800.
The prelude for President Ilham Aliyev’s demands for the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan consisted of perpetrating an unprovoked military assault on September 13, 2022 on civilian infrastructure of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Geharkunik provinces (marzes).
Jermuk city was hit the hardest. Four brave female soldiers were killed. The death and desecration of a female solider named Anush Apetyan is testimony to the barbarian instincts of the Azerbaijani forces, carried over from the days of the marauding nomads from the Central Asia.
The treatment of this woman solider (Anush Apetyan) should earn the ire of the feminist organizations of the world; they should collectively condemn the brutal mutilation of women by subjecting them to rape, cutting off different organs, photographing them naked, and other sickeningly humiliating acts. The civilized world expects the same treatment of female soldiers as to that of male soldiers –with dignity and respect.
After two days of intense shelling, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to stop hostilities and to sign a ceasefire on September 14, 2022.
By September 17, the sporadic war caused Armenia 135 casualties and Azerbaijan suffered 77 deaths. Today, however, the casualties have amounted to 207 lives. Considering the small size of Armenia’s population, the loss is great.
All this time, none of the Western governments came to assist Armenia by trying to stop Azerbaijan by laying some sort of sanctions for its wanton aggression against its peaceful neighbor; they all acted like a pussycat rather than a principled tiger toward the blatant Azeri aggression by proposing both sides to stop the hostilities.
Now, Armenia finds itself facing the devil and the deep blue sea involving two alternatives, A and B. Alternative A: 1. To accept the Azerbaijani position that the question of the status of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) is mute, it does not exist anymore (i.e., Armenia to renounce its territorial demand of Artsakh 2. To provide the so-called Zangezur Corridor through Armenia’s Syunik province to connect the exclave Nakhichevan to the Republic of Azerbaijan (i.e., A route through southern Armenia under the control of Azerbaijan’s government).
Alternative B: If Armenia fails to comply with the demands of Alternative A stated above, then it will have to face the superior weapons of Azerbaijan as threatened time and again by the belligerent dictator of Azerbaijan.
As it is amply obvious, both alternative A and B have created a dilemma for Armenia, a situation that requires a choice between two actions, neither of which will be a good solution. Azerbaijan has put Armenia between the devil and the deep blue sea: Either Armenia stops claiming Artsakh and allows the establishment of the Zangezur Corridor, or face the Azeri “devil” incarnate, which potentially spells more death and destruction.
Neither Armenia’s distracted partner and ally Russia, nor the United States, France, the United Nations including CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization of which Armenia is a member) responded decisively to stop the enfant terrible of Ilham Aliyev from terrorizing the beleaguered Armenia. Article #4 of this Russian led security organization maintains that any attack on the territory of one member would be considered an attack on all members. But, when it come to provide Armenia with military aid, the organization becomes impotent.
If Russia and the West continue putting up with the warmonger Aliyev’s shenanigans, they would create a monster to brutalize other nations as well.
This is not the only time Armenia finds itself alone facing the sons of the plundering conquerors from Central Asia. While it would be beneficial to continue to solve its problems through diplomacy, it would be the best approach to depend on itself for preserving the sovereignty of the homeland. So, ideas have changed the world; ideas may advance Armenia as well, if they fall on fertile ears.
And therefore, how can Armenia defend itself against a Goliath of Azerbaijanis combined drone forces of Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, etc.? There is only one way to do that either to acquire combat drones (which are expensive), or to arm itself with anti-drone laser weapons (which are inexpensive).
Instead of donating $100 million to Boston University School of Medicine just a few days ago by an Armenian-American son of a genocide survivor, this hefty sum of money could have bought enough laser-based anti-drone weapons from China to face the Azeri aggression somewhat on an equal footing and in the process save many of our soldiers’ lives.
Lest you may misunderstand, I am partial to Boston University, but in terms of priority, Armenia needs the funds more than any other beneficiary for the Armeian people are in the midst of life and death crisis situation.
Unfortunately, I am not a journalist who can relay the news efficiently. I write as a community service to inform, educate, and inspire for change by our next generation. Therefore, I would need more space to persuade the young readers to act upon the ideas I present in my articles.
If you want to be convinced and motivated about Armenia’s need for anti-drone laser weapons, then read some of the following articles published in Keghart.org, USA Armenian Life Magazine, and other journals, which discuss the idea of acquiring combat drones and anti-drone weapons in detail by entering in “Search” Z. S. Andrew Demirdjian:
Expediting Artsakh’s Advancement in Armament
The Weapon to Turn the Tide of War
Armenia’s Ultimate Weapon Against Azerbaijan
The Armenian Defense Fund
A Strategy for National Security Against Azerbaijan’s Attack
Give Artsakh Wings for Victory Over the Enemy
The Trojan Horse at the Gates of Artsakh
Attack Drones for Artsakh’s Existential Defense
Drone Swarms for Artsakh’s Defense
The Dark Side of MNT: A Societal Perspective
Anti-Drone Devices for Artsakh’s Defense
Anti-Drone Laser Weapons for Artsakh
Of the above listed articles, the following two titles specifically focus on
anti-drone weapons:
Anti-Drone Devices for Artsakh’s Defense
Anti-Drone Laser Weapon for Artsakh
These two titles present advantages, sources, and how to get them to arm the Armenian Defense Forces.
While combat drones are selling for about a million dollars apiece, anti-drone devices can be bought from China for less than a few thousand dollars.
In the last few years, competition in UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) has intensified between China and the United States. As a result, prices of drones and anti-drone weapons have plummeted.
A new laser-based anti-drone weapon from China is capable of targeting and destroying combat drones in the sky in a matter of seconds. The new system has a range of 1.2 miles and can destroy an enemy target in about five seconds.
Drone-based technologies are branching out into the military and civilian environments. In the area of medicine, equipment like defibrillators can be deployed in urban settings. In rather remote areas, medicine and other supplies can be rushed where roads and infrastructure are poor. These and other applications are offshoots of defense-based innovations where the low cost of each drone coupled with no-onboard-human pilot make them very advantageous for defensive and offensive applications.
In the past decades, most of the drones were built by traditional military contractors and primarily sold to the world’s best-funded militaries. However, in recent conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and especially in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), have ushered in small commercial drones and combat militarized models have become key weapons on the battlefield for offensive, defensive, and reconnaissance purposes.
Granted combat drones are beyond Armenia’s means, but anti-drone weapons produced by China are within the reach of the third world countries. China has been producing very reliable anti-drone devices, which bring down the most sophisticates killer drones decisively. You see, any invention, breakthrough, or innovation the United States comes up is already being produced in China in real time thanks to an efficient network of industrial espionage.
Unequivocally, Armenia will not abandon Artsakh, nor will it allow any betrayal of its sovereignty by agreeing to the building of Zangezur Corridor, which would leave Armenia with the alternative to face the threat of renewed war with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has taken Armenia as a hostage even though it is a member of the laughable CSTO, which is inactive in neutralizing the Azeri siege on Armenian territories for five of the six members of this organization are openly pro Azerbaijan.
Armenia’s only hope for victory depends on arming its forces with laser-based technology weapons. Predicated on the principle of having a large army, augmented by mercenaries, the Romans created one of the most powerful empires the world has ever known. In modern times though, the size of the army does not matter that much. What decides victory or defeat is the use of modern weapons and equipment. In the 2020s, the Armenian soldiers fought with vintage Russian weapons against the composite military army of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, and a host of mercenaries, which were armed up to their teeth with ultra modern weapons provided mainly by Turkey and Israel.
In sum, Armenia, Artskh, the Armenian Diaspora have to get their act together to provide the Armenian soldiers with the right weapons for survival against the genocidal enemies. So, please read about the ideas stated in the above listed articles and let us hear your voice on this significant national security issue facing our homeland, which, of course, includes Artsakh.
Although, I have once cited this cliché statement before, it is worth mentioning this gem again: If our beloved poet Yeghishe Charents (1897-1937) pays us a visit today to assess Armenia’s plight, he would declare with a deep sigh and a heavy heart: “Oh, Armenian people, your only salvation is in your unity –and in the possession of drone weapons.”