3631) Justification –The Claims For An Armenia by Justin McCarthy

In all the emotion, the propaganda, and the declarations on genocide, the most important factor of Armenian history has been neglected: Is there any justification for the creation of an Armenian state?

Various reasons for the creation of an Armenia are given by Armenian Nationalists:

Historical Claims

It is stated that there should be an Armenia because Armenians once ruled there. Indeed, at one time or other there were parts of Eastern Anatolia and the Southern Caucasus that were ruled by Armenian kings and local lords. Map One shows what might be called the maximalist position. It is a great amount of land, but most of it was ruled by Armenians for only 20 to 25 years. Many other than Armenians ruled the territories for much longer, often centuries. The claim of Armenian national -ists to all this land because it had Armenian kings is thus unsupportable.

There were two regions in which Armenians ruled much longer (Map Two), although even in these regions Armenians often were vassals to others, such as the Mongols. Does the existence of these kingdoms mean Armenians can claim these lands? No. Armenian lords were by no means the first rulers of that land. At one time or other, Hittites, Assyrians, Phrygians, Seleucids, and others ruled. Armenian kings were only part of a long line of sovereigns. If modern-day countries were to be created on the basis of past kingship, many would have claim to the lands called ...

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