Armenian Genocide
A Bad Deal for Armenia?
Published October 06, 2009 @ 05:29AM PT
The transgenerational sting of an unrecognized genocide is being felt on the world stage once again, as thousands of Armenian-Americans converged on Los Angeles over the weekend to protest a US-backed plan by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to normalize relations with neighboring Turkey later this month.
Turkey's stubborn denial of the Armenian Genocide, committed by Ottoman Turks during World War I, remains a sticking point for the Armenians and anyone who openly supports their cause -- Turkey has been known to recall its ambassadors from countries who've pushed for official recognition of the genocide, among other threats. The protesters in California, following those in Paris, are outraged that Sarkisian has largely set the genocide question aside, commenting that it will not stand in the way of the path to renewed ties with Turkey.
(One of President Obama's first broken campaign promises came when he failed to recognize the genocide during a visit to Turkey in April -- though to be fair, perhaps it's not a campaign promise broken, but one not yet fulfilled.)
The death of 1.2 million people certainly can leave a bad taste in one's mouth, especially when the suffering is not only never officially recognized, but actively and vehemently denied, and when no restitution is ever offered. But might it also be possible that normalization will offer Armenians a path towards the recognition they've sought for nearly a century?
Genocide and the Ohio Second
Published July 02, 2009 @ 08:58PM PT
Genocide denial has become a big issue in the race for Ohio's 2nd Congressional seat.
David Krikorian, a "grandson of survivors of the Armenian Genocide" according to his candidate biography, is running against incumbent Jean Schmidt, co-chair of the House Turkish Caucus.
Last November, days before his first contest against Schmidt, Krikorian demanded in an open letter:
"her immediate withdrawal from this race and her apology to the people of the United States of America for the crime she has committed against our American soldiers and humanity by denying the undisputed facts of the Armenian Genocide."
Krikorian claimed that Schmidt, during House debate on US recognition of the Armenian genocide in 2007, said:
"The question comes to the definition of genocide and I don't think we are comfortable making that attribution at this time".
Krikorian told voters:
"The only deniers of this great tragedy which led to the Holocaust of the Jews by Nazi Germany are the Turkish Government and certain members of the United States Congress including Jean Schmidt [...] Jean Schmidt is a self-serving politician and an embarrassment to her district and to the United States of America. The people of Ohio's second district will, if they elect her on November 4th, condone her denial of the Genocide of 1.5 million Christians. And, in so doing, be guilty of a crime against humanity as the cover-up is just as bad as the crime."
Schmidt won that race with 45% of the vote. Her Democratic opponent received 37%, and Krikorian, running as an Independent, received 17%.
Not Funny.
Published June 18, 2009 @ 03:00PM PT
Few people are able to successfully pull off a joke about genocide. Most of us are not, try as we might, as adept as Eddie Izzard.
Case in point: Two radio talk show hosts in California recently apologized for tactless remarks made at the expensive of Armenians. On May 13, Bill Handel of KFI640-AM "made an off- hand comment to ‘get rid of the Armenians,' as well as other groups, as a humorous solution to the cost of healthcare in America."
Not a sensitive thing to say about a community wounded by an actual attempt to "get rid of" them.
Public outcry led to an apology, aired almost a month later.
Corporate Interest Over Human Interest: Companies Lobby Against Armenian Genocide Recognition
Published June 14, 2009 @ 02:39PM PT
It appears that Armenian-Americans have yet another foe in their persistent campaign for recognition of the Armenian Genocide: Corporate America. Six companies --- five military contractors and an energy company --- are lobbying against a measure introduced in the US House of Representatives to recognize the murder of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) during World War I.
According to the Associated Press, the companies have strong ties with the Turkish government, which has been historically adamant in its denial of the genocide. In a somewhat skeevy move, however, the lobbying efforts are being conducted on the down-low, out of the companies' fears of public reprisals:
"They don't want to be seen opposing a resolution that has a very evident human rights element," said Rouben Adalian, director of the Armenian National Institute, a Washington research organization. "It would put them on the side of denying history and denying genocide."
Well, it looks like the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. (No offense to cats.) The companies are: BAE Systems Inc., Goodrich Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon Co., United Technologies Corp., and Chevron Corp.
Shame.
If you want to make the argument that recognition of the Armenian Genocide will damage an important strategic relationship with Turkey, come out and say it. I still think that you're wrong --- that genocide denial is fundamentally wrong, and even dangerous, and those who engage should not be accommodated or catered to --- but pursuing it as a secret agenda just adds insult to injury. Perhaps your fear of a public backlash over an anti-human rights stance is an indication that you shouldn't be doing it in the first place.
[Photo from marchforhumanity.org: Headlines on Armenia in the New York Times.]
Turkish PM Admits Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians...Or Did He?
Published May 27, 2009 @ 06:30PM PT
In a surprising, controversial statement this week, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan kinda-sorta admitted that certain minority groups that may or may not include the Armenians received less than hospitable treatment at certain points in Turkey's history.
"For years, those of different identities have been kicked out of our country. ... This was not done with common sense. This was done with a fascist approach," Erdogan said on May 23, during the annual congress of the Justice and Development Party, held in the western province of Duzce.
"For many years," Erdogan continued, "various facts took place in this country to the detriment of ethnic minorities who lived here. They were ethnically cleansed because they had a different ethnic cultural identity. The time has arrived for us to question ourselves about why this happened and what we have learned from all of this. There has been no analysis of this right up until now. In reality, this behavior is the result of a fascist conception. We have also fallen into this grave error."
F-ing fascists.
Though a bit of a wink-wink, read-between-the-lines type of statement, Erdogan's admission is a major step for a government that has maintained consistent denial about the murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during WWI. The article linked above notes a diversity of reaction to the PM's remarks, ranging from outright condemnation, to laudatory praise, to skepticism over his sincerity and motive.
Curious to know what the American Armenian community thinks? (Once y'all are finished making sure Obama knows you're still waiting, of course.)
[Photo: Images of the execution of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople, marking the beginning of the Genocide in 1915.]
Remembering Armenia
Published April 24, 2009 @ 06:43PM PT
On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire rounded up some 250 Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople, marking the beginning of the genocide that would see the demise of 1.5 million Armenians.
On his blog "Life's a Journey...", Hovig (from whom I stole above the video) wrote today:
"Stories of extreme hardship are shared by every single genocide survivor, not just Armenians. They each have their own stories of hardship and survival that we, as the next generation, must honor by fighting to have these atrocities recognized and preventing their repetition. The debt is due.
And as we honor the Armenian Genocide today, let us also pray for God's people who continue to suffer persecution and war through out the world."
On WaPo's "44" blog, Michael Fletcher parses the politics behind President Obama's less-than-genocide commemoration remarks. (Which is particularly interesting, given that Obama spoke out against denial during his Holocaust remembrance speech on Thursday.)
After watching the survivor speak in the video, it's not difficult to understand why the lack of official recognition of the genocide remains a sore spot for the Armenian community.
(Also watch Archbishop Vicken Aykazian's remarks at last week's "Honor the Past, Act Now for Darfur" event by the White House, filmed and posted by Righteous Pictures.)
Obama on Armenia: When is a Promise Worth Breaking?
Published April 08, 2009 @ 06:21PM PT
On the campaign trail, then-candidate Barack Obama promised American Armenians that he would, at long last, officially recognize the genocide committed against them by the Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey) from 1915 - 1923. In fact, his exact words were: "As president I will recognize the Armenian genocide."
The opportunity to do so came and went earlier this week, when the President was in Turkey, and sparked significant debate, and no small amount of disappointment from the Armenian community:
On Monday, a reporter asked Obama about his position on the matter during a joint press conference in Ankara with President Abdullah Gul of Turkey. Obama said his views hadn't changed, but then wouldn't use the word "genocide." He said Turkish and Armenian officials are meeting now to discuss a range of issues.
"I don't want to, as the president of the United States, pre-empt any possible arrangements or announcements that might be made in the near future. …"
The government of Turkey has been stubbornly resistant to any and all efforts to declare the murder of 1.5 million Armenians a genocide. Turkey even threatened to cut off access to military bases used by the US for operations in Iraq after Congress introduced a resolution on the issue in 2007.
Are diplomatic relations with Turkey worth playing politics with the term "genocide"? Does it set a double standard, vis-a-vis the administration's stance on Darfur --- or is that like comparing apples and oranges, given that Armenia is past, and Darfur is on-going? Or does that even matter --- why can't we just call it what it is?
Angie Drobnic Holan writes at the Obamameter:
Some might argue that Obama used wise diplomacy here, that as a guest in Turkey he was right not to upset his host. But the argument that it would be undiplomatic to antagonize Turkey is the same one the Bush administration used, which Obama criticized in making his promise.
We think Obama is trying to have it both ways. He said his views haven't changed, but he wouldn't use the term "genocide," which is what his campaign promise was all about.
Thoughts?
[Photo: U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the Turkish parliament in Ankara April 6, 2009.]
