Markar Melkonian has compiled a decade of his own insightful commentary which, following the disaster that was the Armenian response to the Turkish sponsored invasion of Artsakh (Karabagh) by Azerbaijan, offers a vital explanation of how and why Armenia found itself in such a dire predicament at the end of 2020.
The Wrong Train by Markar Melkonian was published and released in May this year when the author can't possibly have known what was just around the corner - or maybe he did because the articles included herein served as an implicit warning of where those who have been leading the country (astray?) for the last thirty years were taking Armenia. Melkonian references the Ter Petrosyan, Kocharyan and Sargsyan years of Presidency (that strangely enriched them all), key events such as Electric Yerevan and the hostage crisis implemented by Sansa Tserer, and brings it right up to date with Pashinyan's ascent to power via the so called Velvet Revolution.
For the casual observer and anyone with more than a passing interest in affairs in Hayastan (Armenia), Melkonian's book serves as an excellent English language primer, providing essential background commentary on the issues that have been troubling Armenia as the country continues to adapt from a post Soviet economy to an aggressively capitalist one, with all the inherent problems that system by its very nature creates. He lays bare the manner in which governments and oligarchs have stripped the country of anything of value whilst the populace has watched on believing their every utterance whilst their behaviour plays out in direct contradiction to their words. When discussing the much vaunted Velvet Revolution of 2018, aside from criticisms of that very nomenclature, Melkonian's voice offers a weary 'been, there, seen it, bought the t-shirt' commentary which, within months of his writing, appears to have been borne out by recent events.
The blurb on the back of The Wrong Train includes a reader response to one of Melkonian's articles that suggest it was"A load of lunatic Marxist crap". It brings to mind the reference to Noam Chomsky in the New York Times that suggested that, “Judged in terms of the power, range, novelty and influence of his thought, Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive.” but then damned him with “since that’s the case, how can he write such terrible things about American foreign policy?” Both Chomsky, from an anarchist perspective, and Melkonian from a Marxist viewpoint are truth tellers, hence both are comfortable acknowledging criticism and praise. However, Melkonian's book is far from "Marxist crap" and instead serves as an enlightening journey through the third decade of post Soviet Armenian history that at best, has seen the country stagnate.
From this writer's perspective, the Soviet collapse saw the very worst excesses of an aggressive capitalism visited upon Armenia during it's first ten years as a newly independent (again) nation. Casinos and strip joints proliferated and the stench of Mafia was high as the country adapted to its new found 'freedom'. The Wrong Train clearly illustrates how on the cusp of a fourth decade, the Republic of Armenia is still very much where it was on September 21st 1991, and Melkonian's articles on the economy, democracy, misogyny amongst others suggest its progress may well have been in the wrong direction, hence the book's title.
The influence of both Russia and the Diaspora loom large in Markar's analysis as do the years of internal mis-management and whilst his Marxist viewpoint is unabashed and transparent, Melkonian doesn't expect you to necessarily agree with him, but he does want you to think, a critical skill somewhat lacking in this era of social media and instantaneous gratification.
Often, an electorate is persuaded to vote for a Party or organisation that stands in absolute opposition to their own interests either via "the big stick or the big lie" as the aforementioned Chomsky refers to it. In The Wrong Train, Markar Melkonian is urging the reader to consider alternatives to the stagnation thus far offered by a procession of ineffectual (some might suggest corrupt) leaders, which is what makes this book at this time so vital.
The Wrong Train by Markar Melkonian is available from www.abrilbooks.com and www.amazon.com
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