Op-Eds
Without Economic Democracy, Political Democracy Will Falter
This article appeared originally in Eastern Armenian on the site Hetq.am on June 22, 2018. In October, a group of local activists in the Boston area organized its translation, and this is the first time it is appearing in English.
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Removing the local oligarchy will be a hollow victory if it only clears a path for the global oligarchy to take its place.
When it’s Western neo-Bolsheviks that are behind revolutions and regime changes, as in the case of Armenia, domestic unrest or foreign subjugation is inevitable. Nikol and his cohorts were put in power by a Globalist elite. They had funding from the CIA and George Soros’ Open Society. Also, and this may shock gullible Armenians, there is not such thing as democracy. It never existed, it will never exist. The “Democracy” that is exported by Western powers (at the tip a sharp bayonet and/or economic sanctions) is primarily meant to either destroy nations or make them subservient to Western powers. The reality of the fact is that the West is a plutocracy. The West is ruled by a super-wealthy elite and very special interests. The main difference between the Western model and the Eastern model is that the Western Oligarchs are much more educated and refined than their Eastern counterparts and the Western world has had a hundred years head start from all the rest.
Thank you to the Armenian Weekly for publishing this important statement by six Armenia based activists and intellectuals who argue that the velvet revolution must extend beyond political democratization and economic growth and include a vision toward social justice and economic democracy.
I first came across this open letter in the Armenian language section of Hetq in late June and have been dreaming about seeing an English translation of it published somewhere. I believe that this call to action is just as relevant today as it was in June.
Thank you also to Vincent Lima for his outstanding translation of this piece!
This is the same group of “intellectuals” that were silent for the past 20 years while loudly applauding Serge Sargisyan in Boston. Although some of the points made are natural and valid, no one in the current administration suggested otherwise. The premise of this story is not correct and strongly suggests hidden motives. I would take a wild guess that the authoritarian thugs and corrupt-ARF are on a mission to discredit the current administration. The ARF continues to make its choice to team-up with the oligarchs and support corruption for the past 20 years. It is clear from the recent elections in Yerevan – with 0.22% of the vote – the ARF has no credibility.
Excellent article. Raises critical points.
Great article- an economically inclusive Armenia can be a more successful Armenia that is more independent of outside influences – and by engaging all members of our society we can build a resilient and sustainable state.
Economic Democracy is a new term for me. I do not know nor envision how does it work in terms of marketing, consumerism, simple basics that derive a market namely supply to meet a demand. But somehow the term reminds me of much tested and failed economic systems such as socialism or even communism. That does not mean I am for an unregulated, “laissez faire” market and a government unresponsive to social needs. Other than being a fancy term, I simply do not understand what “economic democracy” entails and how does it differ from the failed economic systems I noted.
It’s more of an approach, rather than a system. “Economic democracy is a socioeconomic philosophy that proposes to shift decision-making power from corporate managers and corporate shareholders to a larger group of public stakeholders that includes workers, customers, suppliers, neighbors and the broader public. No single definition or approach encompasses economic democracy, but most proponents claim that modern property relations externalize costs, subordinate the general well-being to private profit and deny the polity a democratic voice in economic policy decisions.”
More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_democracy
What’s interesting is that there is a new political party that is created, Kaghakatsu Voroshum, which is rooted in Social Democracy and social justice. Their official platform will be public in early November.
It would be interesting to see if any of the points made in this article would be included by the new party.
I read the article and the comments several times but I am still confused.
Who are these 6 activists? what is their background? what do they do in life?
Information/data about them will be very helpful.
A new fancy term ” economic democracy” has been introduced. Sounds good. But what is it really? In the real world and pragmatically how is it supposed to work?
Vart Adjemian