Creativity as a small nation’s defense

Armenia, surrounded by bigger countries, tries to make itself indispensable by becoming a Silicon Valley in a precarious region.

The Monitor's View

One trend of recent decades has been that of small countries trying to prevent a foreign invasion by making themselves indispensable to big countries around them. Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates, for example, have become global tech hubs or finance centers. A would-be invader might think twice before destroying what it is dependent on.

The secret of this strategy? Build up trust in your economy and bring out the creativity of your people. Rely on qualities more than on armaments.

Now Armenia, population under 3 million, is racing to go down the path of becoming the next Silicon Valley – especially after seeing Russia invade Ukraine. In fact, the former Soviet state got a big head start in 2022 when thousands of Russian techies fled their country after the invasion and chose Armenia, a democracy, because of its ecosystem of hundreds of dynamic tech startups.

About the size of Maryland, Armenia faces a foe different from Russia, with which it has recently had mixed relations. Last year, neighboring Azerbaijan (population 10 million) invaded a disputed region called Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee the enclave.

Both countries are currently negotiating a peace deal, but Azerbaijan still has eyes on a vital transit route in Armenia called the Zangezur Corridor. Iran and Turkey, which border Armenia, have strong opinions on that hot territorial dispute.

“For Armenia, a country that faces complex geopolitical challenges, leveraging science and technology is not only about economic growth but also national security, resilience, and sustainability,” Alen Simonyan, speaker of Parliament, said at a conference in October.

Last year, Armenia doubled the number of tech workers from the year before. Several American tech giants have opened offices or research centers in the country. In early October, the country hosted the World Congress on Innovation and Technology.

“Armenia’s survival, which now faces existential threats, is of great importance,” Valery Safarian, head of the Belgian-Armenian Chamber of Commerce, told Armenpress Armenian News Agency. “It’s important to underscore that Armenia has strategic assets, particularly in the sector of semiconductors and electronic chips.”

But it is the country’s fearless drive to innovate that may be its first defense. “When creating startups people think ‘what if we aren’t good enough’?” Tigran Petrosyan, a co-founder of the Startup Armenia Foundation, told Armenpress last year. “I’d advise everyone to make the steps forward and understand the reality while doing so. There’s only one way here, keep moving forward regardless of anything.”