It is up to you to choose what kind of world to live in — Arbak Khachatryan

Today’s interviewee is Arbak Khachatryan, author of ‘Great Turan,’ ‘Ukraine–Armenia–Russia: A Third World War?,’ ‘Russia Cannot Be Understood with the Mind…,’ ‘On the Threshold of Nuclear Winter’ and other articles. For many years, the independent human rights advocate and geopolitical expert has warned of all significant challenges to civilization long before they emerge, made accurate forecasts and proposed ways out of the most difficult political crises. With such a gift for anticipating events, many would use it for personal profit and advantage, but that is not the case here.

I also want to note that the broad population in Armenia is unfamiliar with A. Khachatryan, yet knows and reveres local wheeler-dealers and traders. Although our interviewee has always preferred doing good while remaining in the shadows, without pursuing the laurels of fame, one still feels somewhat hurt for the Armenian people and their preferences. Such is life: every people deserves its ruler. I met Mr. Khachatryan, who warned about Georgia, Syria, Ukraine and Turkey back in 2003. The geopolitical expert’s words were then greeted with disbelief and a smile.

Of course, after some time, as his forecasts began coming true, disbelief evaporated, smiles faded and were replaced by bewilderment. Yet here and now some find it extremely disadvantageous to heed the expert’s recommendations, because everything is tied to big money. As you know, big money smells bad. It is precisely this money that is the root cause of instability and military conflicts. ‘Money is a drug and the main instrument in the hands of rotten and corrupt leaders,’ my interviewee believes.

Most dangerously, he notes, it is precisely thanks to the system these creatures created that they replaced human values through money.

After the USSR collapsed, most countries in the post-Soviet space chose the path of serving Mammon, plunder and kickbacks. Ukraine occupied a leading place on that list. Incidentally, the expert warned about problems with Ukraine long before today’s events. Unfortunately, what he repeatedly spoke about happened in Ukraine. As my interviewee noted, today we observe the absurd situation in which gas and oil transit freely through Ukrainian territory, while a mother and child cannot leave through the humanitarian corridor provided.

Such values will not save the world. They are precisely a foundation for humanity’s destruction. Peoples who do not try to change anything and rid themselves of corrupt leaders inevitably suffer punishment for it. Today it is Ukraine and Donbas; before that, Karabakh and Armenia. ‘When I was an adviser to the Russian Federation’s human rights commissioner, the Russian defense minister once told me: “Your Armenian people do not know you, but revere their wheeler-dealers, traders and gasoline sellers like God.”

Rallies were organized in the country over a bribe-taker and corrupt official; for the sake of the system, the opportunity was used to get rid of undesirables. In “Russia Cannot Be Understood with the Mind…,” I already wrote about the Devil rushing headlong to leave his home, hell, Armenia in our case. He hurries because he knows perfectly well that crafty Armenian businessmen will present him with an unaffordable bill of many billions for every square meter of his “paternal inheritance.” His only way out of this hopeless situation is to swallow the keys to hell’s gates.’ This buying and selling and unhealthy pursuit of money became the rotten foundation of our worldview.

For a hardened wheeler-dealer, everything in this world is for sale: child, mother, wife and homeland.

With his characteristic humor, my interviewee said it was time to change the storyline of ‘Doctor Faustus’ and stage it in a new, modern interpretation. Many famous directors liked the idea, incidentally, and we may soon witness a new sensational premiere.

Although Arbak Khachatryan tried to joke, I could see his distress over world events. He sincerely wondered how scraps of paper could rule people and the world. According to him, the greatest paradox is that money destroys humanity, yet people reach for it to save themselves. ‘Unless a revolution occurs in the human mind, humanity will destroy itself; it will not be limited to a single nuclear missile. The system is such that, if even one missile launches from any country’s territory, the entire world will collapse like a house of cards.’ What geopolitical goal are the world’s scoundrels pursuing, what tasks are they solving?

Take Ukraine: there are many versions, but let us consider three. First, the political scoundrels setting two Slavic countries against each other sincerely believe they are saving Ukraine. Second, they intend to tear Ukraine into pieces, snatch a piece for themselves to supply half of Europe with grain and bread, and generously leave Ukraine some slice. Third, to weaken Russia and show the whole world how weak Russia is and how powerful America is. Whatever the goal, all three lead to nuclear war and thus human extermination.

As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. At this point it no longer matters who is to blame, the West or Russia and its leader. We take the bare fact: Putin is on one side, the sanctions system on the other. Note that there is not one normal politician who could openly sit opposite Putin and directly discuss all the questions. Instead, world leaders behave like political pimps: they do not fight themselves but supply Ukraine with weapons and money. Playing with fire will bring no one any good.

Whatever the goal, Russia will not allow itself to be destroyed. I urgently ask that Putin’s words be taken seriously: “Why do we need a world without Russia?” Unless the rules change, Russia will have no choice but to strike the country supplying weapons. That country will be a NATO member; the consequences will be severe, but everything appears to be heading that way,’ the expert said. I should note that, after my interview with Arbak Khachatryan, while writing this article, I saw Vladimir Putin speak at a meeting with the Federal Assembly’s Council of Legislators.

The Russian president warned ‘third forces,’ represented by the collective West, that interference in the special operation conducted by Russian troops was unacceptable. If a strategic threat were created, Russia’s response would be lightning-fast. In particular, he emphasized that decisions about strikes had already been made, and strikes would be carried out in the event of a direct threat to Russia.

This is what my interviewee warned about. He also remarked that, with today’s values, Putin has almost no coalition in Europe, whereas Hitler had one — an interesting approach, is it not? ‘Although the whole world blames the latter for creating the Third Reich, the Third Reich was created by financial magnates such as Morgan, Schiff and Baruch. Money is the value, after all, which is why we do not know how we will get out of this complicated situation today, where it will lead or how it will hit us.

These are the things we are now discussing: how and what can be done. Do not place further hope in superpowers; global centers are changing.’ I want to note that, two days after my meeting and conversation with Arbak Khachatryan, a scandal erupted between Israel’s leaders and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov over the latter’s statement that Adolf Hitler ‘had Jewish blood.’ The foreign minister’s words, quoted on the Foreign Ministry website, were: ‘I could be mistaken, but A. Hitler also had Jewish blood’; ‘that means absolutely nothing; the wise Jewish people say that the most ardent antisemites are usually Jews.’

But let us return to the interview. During our conversation, Arbak Khachatryan remarked with some irony that, if the world’s financial magnates could, they would drill straight through the planet for profit, but fiery lava gets in the way. He added: ‘After the Second World War, this destructive system sank its tentacles so deeply that, even if Jesus Christ were elected head of a state today, he too could not do without the banking system’s support, without obtaining a loan and money to fight evil.’ The expert stated that, if Putin knew how to fight this flawed financial system, war could have been avoided.

That is why, instead of moneybags and oligarchs with their corrupt corporations, the world needs authoritative Think Tanks with spiritual and intellectual potential to create a new system. The currency zone in which we live is not so important, provided it serves to develop human potential rather than enslave it. A country’s development should be assessed by its intellectual, spiritual and moral capital, rather than the quantity of material resources. Incidentally, in our conversation, the expert kept repeating that it no longer matters whether this is a third world war or a fourth: overall, developments are leading humanity to destruction.

As for the North Atlantic Alliance, about two years ago the human rights advocate wrote that it had exhausted itself, and in his previous article he stated that it was Putin’s Russia that revived the institution. ‘Russia Cannot Be Understood with the Mind…’ describes in detail Turkey’s revival and strengthening at V. Putin’s hands. The expert considers this a major mistake. ‘Nimbly springing to its feet like a seasoned cat, Recep Pasha developed such an appetite that, disregarding every basic rule of gratitude, he tries to snatch choice morsels from his benefactor’s hands — and what morsels!

Today Turkey has publicly begun realizing its cherished dream of “Great Turan.” If it now speaks as master in the Caucasus, tomorrow it will be Crimea’s turn, then Tatarstan’s. They do not say for nothing that appetite comes with eating. How much longer will Russia tolerate Turkey’s conduct? Does history teach us nothing? Just recall Russian Ambassador Karlov’s murder, the downed Russian aircraft, and so on. Today we witness Turkey’s unpunished, cynical conduct. Turkey, in other words Erdoğan, does not even try to conceal its active involvement in the latest Karabakh war.

It went so far that a Turkish deputy recently proposed to Turkey’s parliament naming a checkpoint on the Armenian border after Talaat Pasha, an organizer of the Armenian Genocide.’ I think no commentary is needed here. In ‘It Is Time to Recognize Erdoğan as an International Criminal,’ Arbak Khachatryan writes: ‘The West, practiced in defending human rights, for reasons known only to itself stubbornly remains silent about mercenaries and members of the ISIS terrorist group, banned in Russia — editor, who entered the region and operate under Turkey and Azerbaijan’s auspices.

It is at least strange that Europeans show more compassion for one person, Navalny in this case, than for the slaughter in broad daylight of 18-year-old Armenian and Azerbaijani young men. This should at least puzzle and concern the international community, which has declared war on mercenaries and terrorists.’ All this points to failed Russian foreign policy. If matters have reached war, diplomacy has failed. The military conflict with Georgia in 2008, Nagorno-Karabakh in 2016 and 2020, the war with Ukraine in 2022.

What can be said about relations with the West when there is such failure in its own post-Soviet space?

In the expert’s view, France may be able to become a mediator in the current confrontation among countries, provided it leaves NATO’s integrated military command structure. Through numerous reforms, the great de Gaulle managed to turn France from a country that had lost the war into a victorious one. Today Macron has a chance to turn France into an influential mediator, because perhaps only France under Macron is currently capable of negotiating with Russia, America and China and stopping a third world war.

Arbak Khachatryan also recalled the great American actor and 40th president, Reagan, who, on coming to power, broke up the world order by destroying the USSR, after which the world descended into chaos. My interviewee fears that the second actor, the Ukrainian one, will be forced to destroy humanity. ‘It would be much more appropriate and safer for actors, jesters and athletes to do their professional work and stay out of politics. Humanity would only benefit. Of course, each country has its own path to salvation, depending on mentality, geography, neighboring countries and even climate.

By uniting intellectual potential worldwide, however, it is not yet too late to find a way out. Today we must discuss and analyze all pressing questions together. That is why I advocate establishing Analytical Centers as soon as possible, to forecast and find ways out of the most deadlocked situations.’ In ‘Will It Get Through or Not?,’ Arbak Khachatryan wrote that a time comes when a difficult decision must be made. ‘Imagine you are building a house and almost finishing the roof, when suddenly you are told a meteorite is heading straight toward your house.

Will you continue building, or move your family far away to an uncomfortable but safe tent? The situation is the same now. You must choose what world to live in.’ P.S. After the international scandal erupted between Israel’s leaders and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, and amid opposition protests in Armenia, I approached Arbak Khachatryan for comment again.

‘The false values to which we pledge allegiance today are destructive for all humanity. Global centers are changing, leading to new hot spots. Until peoples rid themselves of the cult of money, new pandemics, disasters and wars await us. The Armenian people must recognize this too; otherwise Armenia will become a hot spot on the planet after Ukraine.’ For my part, I urge that these words of the political oracle be taken seriously.