I’m far from an expert on Armenia, but I have to have my doubts that the weakness of the opposition can so squarely be blamed on the US. I also have reservations about the US doing anything more than providing support to home-grown movements that are able to build their own network of support.

I could understand a soft touch if Armenia had any strategic importance whatsoever. It has none. No oil. No pipeline. No threats. No economy. Nothing. It is the perfect place in which to be completely honest about democracy.

But because of the Armenian lobby, American policy has simply looked the other way almost as a matter of habit. Congress just rolls over and plays dead for the sake of a few thousand in PAC contributions from wealthy Armenians. It’s utterly shameful.

The executive branch follows suit. For the American ambassador – the American ambassador! – to say that Armenia is ‘headed in the right direction’ is patently absurd on its face. How do you think Armenians feel when the US trots out this kind of nonsense?

The relative weakness of the opposition there is a direct result of American timidity on democracy. If the Americans won’t stand with us, who will? This dynamic has been in place for years. One of the consequences is that opposition parties simply die off.

I’m all for taking a slower path if that’s all that’s available to us.

But I disagree, I think US policy on Armenia, and conversely Azerbaijan, has been sacrificing democracy for ‘stability’ for a very long time. Armenian and Azeri lobbying in Congress has guaranteed that.