The above quote belongs to David P. Perley (1901-1979), the Assyrian-American intellectual who dedicated his life to the Assyrian cause. Perley's insightful words were written in reference to the unfortunate tendency of many Assyrians to mix up their denominational identities with their national identity. While this lamentable propensity continues till today among a significant number of Assyrians, his wise observation is even more fitting in reference to a much greater mental challenge the Assyrian nation has been facing since long. 

That challenge is scientifically known as ‘collective victimhood mentality’, and in its most basic form it constitutes a mental state which permeates the Assyrian collective with a deep sense of powerlessness. Its effects can be observed in the different forms of cries for help Assyrians engage in through demonstrations in the streets, calls on the “international community” for a safe haven, advocacy work for ‘recognition’ and so on, all of which signal that Assyrians collectively do not believe they have the power to change their situation on their own.  

While it was the enormous and bloody upheavals our nation faced a long time ago that once implanted this mental demon in our minds, it's the recurrent traumas we continue to be subjected to that have kept it nurtured and able to dominate our thinking till today. The greatest feat of this devious monstrosity has been to convince the powerful that they are powerless, luring a nation once bursting with energy and self-confidence into a deep sense of powerlessness and a state of fateful apathy. Our minds have become our worst enemy and logic dictates that our greatest battle is therefore fought internally.

Insofar as this invisible and insidious enemy holding back the Assyrian nation has been and continues to be far more consequential for us than any physical enemy in modern times, our greatest battle is indeed to be fought in the intellect and spirit of our own, as Perley aptly noted. It’s precisely this internal battle we need to win in order to be able to face the more traditional adversaries. 

Most Assyrians are unaware of this condition and as a result the attention of Assyrian patriots is not focused inwards as is necessary, but outwards. The Movement for New Assyria is here precisely because the real battle for the land of Ashur is nothing like most Assyrians imagine or believe it to be. We are a movement working to make more Assyrians aware and shape minds and actions in the needed direction. So far, we are the only Assyrian organisation to fight this battle, but we hope that we will not remain alone for long.