Scholar Urges Armenia Away From Personality-Driven Politics

Dr. Henry C. Theriault, associate provost at Worcester State University and former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, delivered a public lecture in Yerevan on June 25 examining Armenia's political culture and national trajectory. Theriault criticized what he termed the "King of Armenians" syndrome — the Armenian tendency to organize politics around individual leaders rather than principles, which he argued breeds polarization and treats disagreement as disloyalty. He warned that scapegoating internally, particularly toward Artsakh refugees, serves only to weaken Armenia against external pressures. Theriault connected historical genocide to present-day security challenges, noting that Armenia's demographic devastation from 1915 creates ongoing vulnerability. He advocated for a "multiplicity strategy" centered on principle-based politics rather than personality-driven factions.