Serzh Sargsyan’s Machiavellian gambit turned upon him

 Vaհe H Apelian

"The negotiation process in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is at a standstill”, PM elect Serzh Sargsyan, April 17, 2018 at 13:00, in the National Assembly. 

Serzh Sargsyan on April 17, 2028 in the National Assembly

Serzh Sargsyan had a marathon public showing to exonerate himself from the historic loss of Nagorno-Karabagh. But the fact of the matter is that his Machiavellian plan to trap his political adversary Nikol Pashinyan turned upon him thanks to the collective wisdom of the citizens of Armenia. At this moment he is the lesser opposition having not even garnered 7% of the votes to be in the NA. But since the law mandates that the NA has to have at least three parties, “I Honor Alliance” he led, was given 7 seats, while Kocharyan’s “Armenia Alliance” has 29 seats.  

But on April 17, 2018, Serzh Sargsyan was at the apex of his power as the National Assembly of Armenia elected him Prime Minister under 2015 amended constitution which had ushered Armenia from presidential form of governance to parliamentarian form of governance. Another five years were thus added to the 10 years he served as the president. The election tally was 77 for and 13 against his candidacy.  His election was followed by a Q&A session regarding the settlement of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh / Artsakh conflict, during which Serzh Sargsyan struck a cautionary note letting it be known the negotiations are at a standstill. Armenpress reported the day’s session and posted the following report, posted below.

YEREVAN, APRIL 17, (2018) ARMENPRESS. During a Q&A session on the election of the Prime Minister at the special session of the Armenian Parliament, RPA faction MP Karen Bekaryan addressed question to Serzh Sargsyan, candidate for PM, on the negotiation process over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, reports Armenpress. MP Bekaryan noted that the negotiation process doesn’t inspire optimism.

“It’s clear for everyone that it is conditioned by unconstructive approaches and behavior of the Azerbaijani leadership”, Karen Bekaryan said and asked Serzh Sargsyan how in these circumstances he imagines the future of peaceful negotiations and what new steps he is going to take to return the Azerbaijani leadership to more constructive negotiations.

Serzh Sargsyan said the negotiation process really doesn’t inspire optimism, but more concretely, this process, according to him, is simply suspended as the expectations of the Azerbaijani leadership from the negotiations result are unrealistic and unacceptable.

“I should state that before this stage we have taken all possible measures to move forward the negotiation process so that the agreements reached will have some stability and serve as a base for successfully completing the negotiations. Unfortunately, some time later it turns out that our meetings and negotiations not only on talks over the existing document on the NK conflict, but also on matters of creating some trust measures, maintaining the ceasefire regime are unnecessary as our partners do not maintain the agreements”, he said. 

Serzh Sargsyan said based on the claims of Artsakh’s President, leadership, he once again announces:

“We are ready, and our desire is to solve the conflict by peaceful means, and this conflict can be solved, the negotiation process can intensify if the Azerbaijani leadership refuses from its empty imaginations according to which mutual concessions mean only concessions by Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. This cannot happen”, he said.

But as for the future steps, Serzh Sargsyan said the future will show what additional steps can be taken for one of these key issues to have an effective solution. »

While the session was taking place, Nikol Pashinyan who was leading the popular unrest that will be known as the Velvet Revolution, declared that the Republic of Armenia does not have a prime minister by the name of Sezh Sargsyan.

April 17 to April 22, the country's seat Yerevan was caught in the frenzy of the unrest and protests.

On April 22, 2018 Nikol Pashinyan declared that tomorrow on April 23, at 10 am in the morning, he will be meeting with Serzh Sargsyan in «Armenia Mariott» hotel.  But he and a few others were arrested and held in solitary confinement overnight, then released on April 23. 

On April 23, 2018, the planned meeting between PM Serzh Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan took place in the morning. PM Serzh Sargsyan held Nikol Pashinyan responsible and reminded him of the March 1, 2008 incident and abruptly left the hall. However, Serzh Sargsyan resigned his post as the PM in the afternoon, and issued the following declaration: «Nikol Pashinyan was right. I was wrong. The current situation has several solutions, but I will not go to any of them. It is not mine. I leave the post of Prime Minister of Armenia as the head of the country. The street movement is against my tenure. I fulfill your demand: peace, harmony and logic for our country. Thank you.” 

May 8, 2018, Nikol Pashinyan was elected the PM of Armenia with 59 votes in favor and 42 votes against. «The Way Out – ելք”, “Tsarukyan Alliance” and ARF voted in favor of Nikol Pashinyan, including a few members of the Republican Party of Armenia.

The antigovernment protests that had started on March 31, 2018, when Nikol Pashinyan and his supporters started their march from Gyumri towards Yerevan, ended on May 8, 2018, with Nikol Pashinyan’s election. The protest came to be known as Armenia’s bloodless Velvet Revolution, that brought about a new government.  

Serzh Sargsyan's post resignation relentless pursuit of power, made it ever so evident that Serzh Sargsyan's resignation was a Machiavellian political gambit. War with Azerbaijan had become a certainty. The old guard Serzh Sargsyan calculated that Armenia’s defeat under PM Nikol Pashinyan’s watch will facilitate his taking over the reins of power anew, attributing Armenia's defeat to the inexperienced PM. 

But the Armenian public saw it otherwise and reelected Nikol Pashinyan on June 2021, at the post 44-day Second Artsakh war snap general election. The Armenian public, as noted, had already elected Nikol Pashinyan led Civil Contract alliance in the December 2018 snap general election to rule on the May 8, 2018 parliamentary election. 

The post 44-day Second Artsakh war snap general election in June 2021, secured Nikol Pashinyan led Civil Contract party 54% of the vote, against Robert Kocharyan led Armenia Alliance that had 21% of the votes and Serzh Sargsyan led “I have Honor Alliance” that had 5% of the votes.

The election results cemented Nikol Pashinyan led Civil Contract’s hold of the Armenian government, which in turn led to the signing of the August 8, 2025 peace deal with Azerbaijan brokered by the U.S.                                               

                                                    ***

Sources

Armenpress 17/04/2018 13:00: “Armenia’s desire is to solve Karabakh conflict through peaceful means – Serzh Sargsyan”

«Հայկական Թավշյա Հեղափոխություն», Ստեփան Գրիգորյան. 2018

 

 

A disastrous interview

Vaհe H Apelian

The much-heralded interview of Samuel Karapetyan’s nephew Narek Karapetyan by Carlson Tucker took place. Surely, a hefty sum of money, only an oligarch at the caliper Samuel Karapetyan, could afford spending to secure a slot on the popular Carlson Tucker Show. What a disastrous interview it was. The whole interview consisted of two parts. The first 30 minutes was devoted to Narek Karapetyan where he upheld his uncle’s staunch support of the Armenian church and Christian values against the PM of Armenia, who ostensibly wants to udo such values. The remaining 90 minutes were devoted to Samuel Karapetyan’s lawyer Robert Amsterdam. A considerable part of that interview pertained to Ukraine and Western related issue. Two to two and a half minutes of Narek Karapetyan’s interview, from approximately 9:50 to 12:20, will resonate in the Armenian media. Not to inadvertently misquote, I transcribed that section, and posted below,

 

TUCKER CARLSON: I was and remain confused by the role of Israel in this, in this war. Azerbaijan, Islamic Nation versus Armenia, Christian Nation and the cleansing of Christians from Nagorno-Karabakh, the region you just mentioned. Israel took a very aggressive position on the side of Azerbaijan against the Christians using American tax dollars to do it. So Israel was a participant in this war.

NAREK KARAPETYAN: The participation of Israel was the support of Azerbaijan by weapon and it was a part of real politics. But the problem…

TUCKER CARLSON: What kind of weapons?

NAREK KARAPETYAN: Drones, like aircraft, aircraft and other. It’s like not just defense and attack.

TUCKER CARLSON: But offensive weapons, offensive Azerbaijan received from…

NAREK KARAPETYAN: Israel and drones, many of drones and many of them were operated by, as we have read in media, by operators from these companies of Israeli companies.

TUCKER CARLSON: So, wow. So, you think they were Israeli drone operators?

NAREK KARAPETYAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because as many media told, like it was in many magazines and that.

TUCKER CARLSON: So that would mean that Israelis were killing Christians in this war with US tax dollars. I mean, because the Israeli defense sector is supported, billions and billions a year by the United States.

NAREK KARAPETYAN: The issue is about the real politics. They were, they are getting gas from Azerbaijan.

TUCKER CARLSON: Gasoline.

NAREK KARAPETYAN: Gasoline. They buy gasoline. I think the 70% of Israel gasoline is coming from Azerbaijan. And they have some type of economic ally. They are allies economically. The main issue is today real politics sometimes is like, make a big problem for the nations who want to defend themselves alone in the regions we are minority.

BOB AMSTERDAM: Yeah.

 TUCKER CARLSON: I mean, of course. And that’s how the world works. I just suppose from an American perspective it’s like, why are my tax dollars being used to murder Christians around the world? Cleanse the Christians from Iraq, cleanse the Christians from Nagorno-Karabakh, murder Armenian Christians. Like why am I paying for this?

NAREK KARAPETYAN: It is a problem. It is a problem.

TUCKER CARLSON: Problem for me. Yeah.

 

                                                                ***

Note: Those interested may read the transcript of the entire interview with Carlson Tucker

By: Narek Karapetyan: https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2025/11/narek-karapetyan-robert-amsterdam-on.html

By: Robert Amsterdam: https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2025/11/narek-karapetyan-robert-amsterdam-by.html

How many from the "traditional" diaspora participated

 Vaհe H Apelian

Left: Viken Zakarin
Right, top to bottom: Monte Melkonian, Mher Juldjian, Garo Kahkedjian  

Today, Kegham Papazian commented that many “Armenians came to Armenia from Armenian communities in Lebanon, Canada, and other Middle Eastern countries and participated in the two Artsakh wars, fought, and many died.” Then he cited the name of American Armenian Monte Melkonian.

The other day a friend (Charles Bargamian) stating that “Many Americans came to fight in the motherland for Artsakh’s freedom and also lost their lives!”.

A person killed in a war is the world taken away from his family and loved ones. But it is fair that we should weigh the burden of the wars and the martyrs on the Diaspora, that is three times more populous than Armenia,  and on Armenia/Artsakh.. I know no Diaspora institutional source that authenticates the number of Diaspora volunteers who took part in the Karabagh liberation wars and the names of the Karabakh liberation war martyrs from Diaspora.

But I know one person, Vartan Tashjian, who had his boots on the ground in Karabagh liberation war for four years. Those years are now behind me he says. He gave the following speculation as to how many from Diaspora could be estimated to have taken part in the first Karabagh war. 

Here is his speculative comment, he wrote a few years ago:

“Thirty-one years ago today, the fierce fighting in the Karabakh war ceased. 

Yesterday, during an online conversation with young people, the question arose about how many people from the "traditional" diaspora participated in the war? Young people from 5-6 countries were present at the conversation. One of them believed that the number of participants was 7,000. He said that there were 700 participants from France alone. Others gave 5,000, 2,000, 1,000, 500, and other numbers.

The end of the conversation was shocking for many when I suggested making a rough estimate of the number of participants based on the following estimate. The number of Armenian fighters killed in 1990-1994 is estimated at about 6,000 (+). The number of participants in the fighting is estimated at about 50 thousand. Four from the traditional Diaspora fighters died - Monte Melkonian, Mher Julhadjian, Garo Kahkedjian (The White Bear), and Viken Zakarian. Forgive me if I have a martyr whose identity I do not know. 

Based on the above data (the overall mortality rate is about 12%), the number of participants from the traditional Diaspora comes out to be about to 34. Considering that the participation of the overwhelming majority of the traditional Diaspora youth, was incomparably short-lived, compared to the fighters from Armenia and especially from Karabakh; the mortality rate can be calculated at a lower number. Thus, the number of participants can be multiplied by two, three, four, five, six, seven. The number of participants comes out to b 68, 102, 136, 170, 204, 238 persons. Which is still very far from the smallest number -500 - estimated by one of the young participants.

 A more accurate presentation of the facts (the geography of the participants, the forms and duration of participation, motivation, etc.) is expected mainly from historians of the war.”

In conclusion, Vartan Tashjian names five Diaspora Armenians who were martyred during the Artsakh liberation war, out of liberally estimated 238 Diaspora Armenians who participated in the Artsakh liberation war. It is estimated that 6000 from  Armenia  and Artsakh, were martyred out of  50,000 plus Armenians from Armenia and Artsakh who took part in the liberation war. These figures are open for dispute on grounds that the disputant may present. 

I find Vartan’s estimation very reasonable. The burden of the Karabakh liberation war, and its consequences, were overwhelmingly shouldered by the citizens of Armenia and Artsakh, who continue to shoulder the brunt of the consequences of the two Artsakh wars. 

This brings to the institutional Diaspora’s role in supporting Armenia. Diaspora needs to have an informed understanding of the budding democratic governance in the free and independent Republic of Armenia. PM Nikol Pashinyan emphatically notes: “Do you love your homeland? Strengthen its state.” Surely, he meant Armenia’s democratic state. Armenian democracy is   ridden with faults. Is not the American democracy, not ridden with faults? At the dawn of its semi quincentennial, the U.S. of America is still in quest of the perfect union. Democracy is a process, if not a race, but without a finish line. 

I know and understand the complexity of the matter and the short comings of what I pen here. But I believe Diaspora’s contribution or assistance to Armenia is unconditional or should be unconditional with no strings attached, in any form and shape.

Those from Diaspora, who claim that they have entitlements for shaping the course of Armenia, or have expectations as to how Armenia should chart its course, because of a support they render to Armenia, should cease supporting Armenia. 

Diasporans have absolutely no obligation to support Armenia. The citizens of Armenia have obligations towards their country Armenia, our homeland, and they struggle among themselves to shape its course. 

 

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A tapestry of the Armenian Diaspora: A book review

Vaհe H Apelian

First and foremost, I thank Dr. Hrayr Jebejian for gifting me a personalized copy of his book “Armenian Ethnographic Insights: Vision, Will and Hope – Հայկական Ազգագրական Պատկերներ՝ Տեսիլք, Կամք եւ Յոյս”. The book is in Western Armenian but my review of the book will in English. My notations in my Facebook tell me that I received the personalized copy of his book he gifted me on May 2, 2024. It took me over a year to read each and every chapter, sporadically, along with my other readings.

Before I detail my review of the book, I will transcribe here what has been noted about the book on one of its last pages, simply because it sums up the book, which “offers a collection of articles written between 2018 and 2022. These articles appeared in Armenian newspapers and magazine in Lebanon and the Diaspora. The articles deal with national, cultural, political, social and economic challenges of Armenians everywhere-from Syria to Yerevan, the US and UK, the Netherlands to Turkey. The articles are compiled chronologically. They highlight the author’s first-hand experiences and encounters in the last five years with Armenians in Africa, Australia, Europe and North America. Rightly, an ethnographic study of one of the biggest diaspora communities in the world, as they document not only the daily lives of countless Armenian communities and individuals scattered globally but also their struggles for the preservation of the Armenian culture, identity and faith.” In a nutshell that is what the book is about. 

Instead of articles, however, I will characterize his narrations as reflections, simply because each is a reflection and not only a mere narration. There was a time when an Armenian traveler would introduce itself as an “Armenian Christian”. So is this book. It is an Armenian Christian globe-throttler who is knocking the doors of  readers of his book and introducing himself to his readers by his reflections on his encounters during his travels, and during periods of solitude and soul-searching.

The book is almost 400 pages long. It is chronologically listed as noted earlier. There are twenty-seven (27) chapters for the year 2018, eighteen (18) chapters for the year 2019; nineteen (19) chapters for the year 2020, eighteen (18) chapters for the year 2021, and fifteen (15) chapters for the year 2022. The five-year span the book covers is historically a crucial span of the world and of the modern Armenian history. It encompassed the Armenian Velvet revolution, the global Covid pandemic, the disastrous 44-Day long second Artsakh war Armenia lost and the reality of the immediate aftermath of Armenia’s defeat on Armenians across the globe. Dr. Hrayr Jebejian reflected on all that transpired during that period. The book was published by the Hamazkayin publishing in Beirut in 2023. Dr.& Mrs.  Haroutium and Maro Jebejians from Syndney, Austalia have  sponsored the publication of the book        

This book could only have been written by Dr. Hrayr Jebejian. He is the General Secretary of the Bible Society in the Gulf. He is the only person I know of, who has traversed and traverses the world because of the nature of his job, which also is his calling. He reflected on his experiences during his travels, not only of his encounters, but also when he was on his own, engrossed in his own thoughts.

To give a glimpse of the Armenians Hrayr Jebejian encountered during his trips, I list the names of cities and countries he cites without any order but simply in the order of the notes I took during my reading. I will note that there are instances where he cites the city and another time the country in the same narration. I simply jotted both down as I came across them. They are,  Beirut, Aleppo, Florida, Northern Ireland, Paris, Lausanne, Bahrain, Kuwait, Amsterdam, Dubai, Qatar, Oakland, New Zealand, Wellington, Sydney, Bucharest, Budapest, Sofia, Nairobi, Kenya, Bolis (Istanbul),Oslo, Denmark, Turkey, Almelo, Holland, Geneva, Switzerland. And of course, Yerevan, Armenia.

He wrote the following (see note 1): «"During my long term work related trips, over many years, I have had the opportunity to get acquainted with Armenian communities across the world. There, I witnessed the colorful and diverse realities of the Armenian Diaspora, which when brought together,  I saw one large mosaic of the Armenian Diaspora reality, with its different shades. We are Armenians, but we are also different.."  True to his reflection, Dr Hrayr presented to the readers the diverse Diaspora Armenians he enountered. He is not judgemental in his narrations, but remains reflective with the conviction, and the  vision, the will, and the hope of a Christian Armenian traveller.

Dr. Hrayr Jebejian recieved his doctoral degree in Bible Engagement fomr the New York Theological Seminary in 2014. He is married to Dr. Arda Jebejian. They are blessed with two chidren, Vahe and Alik and a granddaughter  Lilia.

I recommend reading this book. Each chapter is a reflective narration on its own. A reader my read at its leisure, one or two chapters at a time and continue on reading at its own pace, much like I did, and thus keep abreast of the Armenian Diaspora across the globe, on which the sun never sets.

 

Note: «Երկար տարիներու վրայ երկարած աշխատանքային ճամբորութիւններուս ընթացքին առիթը ունեցած եմ ծանօթանալու Հայկական գաղութներու  աշխարհով մէկ։ Հոն կրգայ տեսնել սփիւռքահայ գունաւոր  եւ տարբեր իրականութիւններ որոնք բոլոը քով քովի բերելով տեսայ սփիւռքահայ իրականութեան մէկ մեծ խճանկարը  իր տարբեր երանգներով՝ հայ ենք, բայց տարբեր ենք։ Այս իրականութիւննէն մեկնելով արժէ քննարկել սփիւռքահայ պատմութեավն տարբեր տուեալները։» (էջ 327)

 

 

 

The Promises and the Perils of Democracy: Only in America

Vaհe H Apelian

Sometime ago, a friend asked me what did I think of the mayoral race in New York. I told him that I do not live in New York and I am not following the mayoral election there.  But I told him I knew of the two of the candidates, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa and that I had not heard of the third, Madani, yes, in fact that is what I wrote. But I know now better. Zohran Kwame Mamdan has emerged as the winner of the New York mayoral race.

 I knew of Andrew Cuomo as the son of the NY governor Mario Cuomo (1983-1994). The fact that Andrew was also elected governor of the state never crossed my mind, simply because it had not registered in my mind. But there was a reason his father Mario Cuomo has remained etched in my memory as governor. I attended St. John’s University during the years Mario Cuomo was the governor of the Empire State. Coincidentally the governor of California, the Golden State, during those years was George Deukmejian (1983-1991), who also was a graduate of St. John’s University. Both had received their law degree from that revered institution, making the governors at the time, of the two populous and maybe most influential states, New York, on the Atlantic Coast; and California, on the Pacific Coast, graduates of St. John’s University, I was attending.

During those years, give and take a few years, Curtis Sliwa was an unmistakable presence on the national television with his red beret as the founder of the Guardian Angels, who were combating crime on violence on the New York subways.

But Mamdani is a mystery to me. I read about him in Wikipedia. He came across to me as an Indian Diasporan, whose roots are from India but who, has grown up in Diaspora. He reminded me of the Armenian Diasporan and of Armenian Diaspora. 

Reaction to Mamdadi’s election is intense, from the president down to the ordinary citizens. A friend commented saying, “next year marks 25 years since 9/11… and Mamdani will be the mayor of New York City. Think about that! Absolutely disgraceful. I’m sick to my stomach that this happened.”

 I remember reading that when the economy is down, patriotism is up, so is, apparently, religiosity. 

The election of 34 years old Mamdani, against such established names and connections, native to New York is indeed phenomenal. 

Apparently, democracy, if allowed, marches on in its own tempo. For some its march is a promise. For others its march is a peril. Well beyond that, what Churchill has allegedly said rings true, that Democracy is the worst form of government, but there is no better, simply because democracy is a reflection of the true nature of us, we have to contend with by taming our worst impulses and nurturing the best; the best we can.

Mount Ararat with Noah’s Ark: or a tempest in a teapot

Vaհe H Apelian

On September 11, 2025, the Armenian government decided to change the passport stamp. The new design took effect on November 1, 2025. The change removed the image of Mount Ararat, replacing it with a simplified design featuring essential border crossing data.

 A lot was and is being commented on the government’s decision, sentimentalizing and politicizing the issue, with an holier than thou posture. But the fact of the matter is that depicting Mount Ararat on any Armenian government issued stamp or document without Noah's Ark is simply unconstitutional. 

On July 5, 1995, the citizens of Armenia first adopted a constitution for Armenia by a nationwide referendum. The president of the country was Levon Ter-Petrosyan (November 11, 1991, to February 3, 1998.).

The article 13 of the 1995 Constitution, read in part as follows: “The coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia depicts, in the center on a shield, Mount Ararat with Noah's ark……”

On November 27, 2005, the constitution was amended by a nationwide referendum.  The president of the Armenia was Robert Kocharyan (April 9, 1998 to March 2003).

The article 13 of the 2005 Constitution, reads in part as follows: “The coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia: in the center, a shield with the representation of Mount Ararat with Noah’s Ark…..”

On December 6, 2015, the constitution was amended again that changed the political structure of Armenia from presidential system to a parliamentary system. The president of the country was Serzh Sargsyan (from April 9, 2008, to April 9, 2018).

The article 21 of the 2015 Constitution, reads in part as follows: “The coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia shall depict, in the center on a shield, Mount Ararat with Noah’s ark…..”

From its inception, the Constitution of Armenia carried the same wordings for depicting Mount Ararat on its coat-of-arms, with Noah’s Ark. At no time has the constitution made reference to Mount Ararat without Noah’s Ark. Understandably Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat makes for an awkward graphical presentation.

I believe that the framers of the Armenian Constitution made that depiction deliberately for an understandable reason. Depicting Mount Ararat as a real estate, may come across infringing on the territorial sovereignty of Turkey. Mount Ararat is in Turkey and has an awkward name, Agri Dagh.

According to our traditional if not mythical lineage, Mount Ararat with Noah’s Ark very much symbolizes our history at the foot of the biblical mountain. In the genealogy compiled by Movses Khorenatsi we trace our lineage  from Noah through his son Hapet (Japheth), to Japheth's son Gomer, and Gomer’s son - Noah’s  great grandson Togarma -, and finally to Hayk, our legendary patriarch. We do refer to ourselves belonging to the House of Torgoma (Torkomadoun).

The uproar over the removal of that depiction of Mount Ararat from the entry stamp, is political. It is a. tempest in a tea pot strangely by the  LTP-Kocharyan-Sargsyan factions, even though they are led by the former presidents under whose watch the Constitution of Armenia was drafted, adopted and amended, not once but twice, with the wording for depicting Mount Ararat remaining the same, always with Noah's Ark on it.

 

The Marshall Plan – when America was at its greatest

Vaհe H Apelian

George C. Marshall 

In the aftermath of World War II, America acted in a self-imposed restraint. No nation, so powerful, had imposed upon itself and curtailed the human impulses for conquering and domination. On the contrary, it lent help and assistance to have the devastated nations recover. I too have read about the Marshall plan and knew that it was about the assistance the U.S. rendered for rebuilding the Western Europe after the catastrophic 1937-1945 World War II. It had never occurred to me to find out why it was called Marshall plan and the ideals that catapulted the plan.

As a noun "marshal" with one "l", is the standard spelling for an  army officer, and as a verb it is understood to mean, organize, mobilize, summon, rally, muster, as synonyms listed by Merriam-Webster dictionary. 

But the Marshall Plan is with two "l's", which typically is used as a proper noun, as in the case of the famed plan. The man behind the plan for assisting Western Europe to recover was George Catlett Marshall Jr., who was, according to Wikipedia, an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, then served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman. On June 5, 1947, George C. Marshall was the U.S. Secretary of State under president Harry S. Truman.

I came across the following as to what transpired on June 5, 1947. I reproduced it here.

“George C. Marshall sat silent as senators tried to turn victory into vengeance.

 It was 1947, and Europe lay in ruins, cities hollowed by bombs, economies starving, governments collapsing. The United States could have walked away. Instead, Marshall, then Secretary of State, proposed something unthinkable: rebuilding the very continent America had just fought.

In a Harvard commencement address on June 5, 1947, he spoke for barely ten minutes. No grand promises. No applause lines. Just a blueprint for mercy that would become the Marshall Plan — a $13 billion recovery effort (over $170 billion today) to feed, rebuild, and stabilize Western Europe. “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine,” he said, “but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.”

Behind that calm voice was a soldier who understood the cost. As Army Chief of Staff during World War II, he’d commanded more than 8 million men, yet refused personal glory. When Roosevelt wanted to give him command of D-Day, Marshall declined so Eisenhower could lead, saying only, “The President must decide where I’m of most use.” No medals, no press tours. His aides joked that Marshall’s ego had been “drafted out of him.”

The Marshall Plan was attacked as naive, even treasonous. Critics warned he was giving away the treasury to “feed foreigners.” But within four years, Europe’s industrial output rose 35%, and former enemies like Germany and Italy became allies. The plan didn’t just rebuild cities. it rebuilt trust.

In 1953, Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize, the first career soldier ever to do so. He accepted it quietly, saying peace required “the same qualities of discipline and sacrifice as war.” He died in 1959, leaving behind no memoirs, no self-promotion — just a legacy carved in rebuilt streets and reopened schools.

George C. Marshall proved that real strength isn’t domination and it’s the courage to rebuild what war destroyed.” (True Stories)

As an added note, it should be noted that the United States of America was at its greatest in the world in the aftermath of World War II. It possessed nuclear power when no other nation possessed such power. It had the greatest economy of any nation in the world. It provided to its citizens a standard of living unheard and unexperienced before. 

Indeed, in the aftermath of World War II, America acted in a self-imposed restrain no nation, so powerful, had imposed upon itself and curtailed the human impulses for conquering and domination. On the contrary, it lent help and assistance to have the devastated nations recover.    

In short, we would be living in an altogether different and not as free a world, had the United States of America not emerged victorious in the greatest conflict that humankind had experienced hitherto, up to that time.