Why a Diaspora Conference in Los Angeles and why now

(LOS ANGELES) – In mid-March, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation will convene a Diaspora Conference in Los Angeles. This is an internal working conference within ARF ranks, dedicated to examining the Diaspora’s present realities and future direction. A limited number of specialists and experienced community figures will also be invited to contribute to the depth of the discussion.

Participants will address political, organizational, and community challenges facing the Western Diaspora today. The purpose of this conference is not to stage an event or produce slogans, nor to produce public declarations. Its aim is to foster serious and substantive discussion that can start to help clarify a series of complex issues. It will be a deliberate and focused conversation, attempt to pause and collectively ask questions about the role, direction, and responsibilities of the Diaspora in present landscape, context, and circumstances.

Some may fairly ask why devote attention to the Diaspora at a time when Armenia faces profound political and security challenges. The answer is not that Armenia matters less, nor that the Diaspora matters more. It is that we are one nation whose strength depends on the coherence of both its state and its global communities, that the goal is to strengthen Armenia–Diaspora complementarity and shared national capacity.

Armenia and the Diaspora are not separate realities. They are connected parts of one national life. If one weakens, the other eventually feels it.

Over the past decades, while our priorities increasingly centered on statehood over one million citizens left the newly independent Republic, forming new transnational communities. Globalization accelerated. Wars further depleted our historic Middle Eastern centers. Technology reshaped human societies at a pace unseen before. The Diaspora did not remain frozen in time. It adapted to new political, socio-economic, and generational realities.

Today the Diaspora is not the same as it was thirty or fifty years ago. Migration patterns have changed. Younger generations experience Armenian language differently. Today’s generations are growing up in very different environments. Identity is more complex. Political participation varies widely from community to community.

At the same time, many of our habits and structures were formed in another era. There is value in continuity. But if we do not reassess ourselves honestly, continuity can slowly turn into stagnation.

Why Los Angeles?

The Armenian community of Southern California is one of the largest, if not the largest, in the Armenian Diaspora besides Russia. It has numbers, diversity, institutions, and human capital. With that scale comes responsibility. A community with this kind of presence cannot remain passive or reactive. It must think clearly about its role and the example it sets.

The conference will address questions that many people discuss privately but rarely examine in a structured way. What is the role of the Diaspora in the 21st century & after the tragic events of 2020 and 2023? How should we understand Armenia Diaspora relations in practical terms? What does nation building mean transnationally ? How do we ensure continuity across generations in a meaningful way?

No two day conference will solve these issues. We are not pretending otherwise. But avoiding these questions will not make them disappear.

The ARF believes that political responsibility requires reflection. If we want the Armenian national project to remain serious and relevant, we must be willing to examine ourselves honestly. And that includes the Diaspora.

The Diaspora does not replace the Armenian state. It does not exist only to support it financially or emotionally. It is a political and civic reality in its own right. At the same time, it is part of one national whole (Հայկական Աշխարհ).

This conference is a beginning. Its success will not be measured by statements or headlines. It will be measured by whether it leads to clearer thinking and a more realistic understanding of where we stand.

We hope that participants will continue the conversation after the conference. Some may choose to write and reflect publicly on the discussions and insights that emerge. That alone would be a meaningful step forward.

It is also possible that smaller working groups may form around specific areas of focus, bringing together those with experience in education, political advocacy, youth engagement, or Armenia Diaspora relations. If that happens, their task will not be to draft grand declarations, but to begin outlining practical roadmaps grounded in reality.

At this stage, we are careful not to overpromise. Before setting ambitious objectives, we must first develop a sober assessment of our condition. The Armenian national experience over the past 150 years has been turbulent and transformative. We carry history, trauma, statehood, loss, revival, and uncertainty all at once.

Before designing the next chapter, we must understand honestly where we stand.

That is the spirit in which this conference is being convened.

Issued by the Organizing Committee of the ARF Diaspora Conference.