Yegparian: Dangerous Definition

What I have in mind has been with me for quite some time now. It seeps into conversations. It’s convenient. No harm is meant by anyone using it. In its form, it’s common to most countries/nations. Unfortunately, in our case, it is a mindset fraught with peril to our future. If it becomes pervasive, the next time something like the “protocols” of last summer comes along, our reaction might be far more muted, simply because they won’t seem to intrude on a fundamental issue— restoration of our territories to their rightful owners: us.

What I’m talking about is referring to the Republic of Armenia (RoA) as “Armenia.” It is very common shorthand. One doesn’t always say “Estados Unidos Mexicanos,” it’s just Mexico. It’s not “al-Joomhooriet al-Loobnanieh,” it’s just Lebanon. It’s not the “United States of America,” it’s just the U.S. Yet it embeds the notion, paralleling the examples above, that our current Yerevan-centered republic is the whole ball of wax. Obviously, it’s not.