HyeOctane

Obama Fails to Recognize Armenian Genocide Citing Progress Between Armenia and Turkey

hyeoctane — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:05:31 +0000

By Daren Djirikian

In the weeks and months leading up to president Barack Obama’s proposed acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide as such, Armenians around the world were hoping he would use his prior statements calling it a genocide that would once and for all state that the Ottoman Empire was responsible for the deaths of at least 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1918. Obama’s record on the subject was consistent between the time he was a senator and on his presidential campaign. He even wrote a letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice while he was a senator saying that America must speak the truth and call what happened starting 94 years ago in modern day Turkey a genocide. However, there were warning sings in the month of April that Obama might back of his previous forceful and lucid statements.

During his speech to the Turkish parliament on April 6, 2009 Obama did raise the issue of the Armenian Genocide, but did not use the actual term genocide. Rather, he called the events terrible when referring to what took place in 1915. He said at the time that his views on the history of the events had not changed, but that he thought Armenia and Turkey were establishing relations that included establishing a historical commission to bring forth the truth regarding the genocide. However, the historical mission was Turkish president Gül’s idea, and its results, even if it found evidence of genocide, would likely be brushed aside by Turkey. The commission is really just a way to placate Armenia, and is more geared toward establishing a relationship so that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and issue and be resolved, and also that the border between Turkey and Armenia can be re-opened so that Turkey can export its goods into Armenia. There would be little benefit for Armenians if either of these events came to fruition.

Therefore, it was only mildly surprising that Obama did not use the “G” word when he spoke of the events of 1915 during the annual Armenian Remembrance Day on April 24, 2009. Rather, his text read like a movie script, and he even used a derogatory phrase that Turks currently use by calling the genocide a “great calamity.” Furthermore, he said it in Armenian, calling it “Meds Yeghern.” The Armenian American community reacted adversely to Obama’s statements, with overall sentiments showing feelings of being let down when the history on the genocide is crystal clear. Politically, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation spoke out against a purported deal that Armenian president Serge Sargsyan and Turkey came to. Hrant Markarian, chairman of the ARF stated, “If there were some agreements on forming some commission of historians; and if there was any intention on Karabakh and the recognition of Turkey’s territorial integrity and the existing border, we must abandon all of that.” That article, written by The Armenian Weekly, went on to state that, “Analysts close to the issue have long seen the commission as a Turkish ploy designed to deter more countries, notably the United States, from recognizing the Armenian Genocide.” The ARF warned about Armenia’s complicity in the commission by Sargsyan last year when he agreed to the creation of the commission. Sargsyan’s internal maneuvering is a sure sign that he believes Armenia and Turkey can move forward, but he fails to recognize that countries and societies that do not recognize their past are likely not to be reliable allies. The fear is that Turkey will continue to take advantage of Armenia’s weak position in world affairs, especially since Turkey is a NATO ally and is critical to America’s exit from Iraq.

While it is understandable that America does need Turkey as a point of exit from Iraq, it is not understandable why U.S. presidents continuously fail to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. Even Barack Obama, who seemed to be a stalwart on the facts of the Armenian Genocide, seemed to cave to Turkish pressure from both its government and lobby, even after three documented occasions in which he recognized the Armenian Genocide. In his letter to Secretary Rice in 2006 that spoke against the firing of Ambassador John Evan’s following his use of “genocide” that properly characterized the events between 1915 and 1918. Obama then stated “…I believe that the controversy over Ambassador Evans’ use of the term “genocide” underscores the fact that the current U.S. position is untenable. That the invocation of a historical fact by a State Department employee could constitute an act of insubordination is deeply troubling…The occurrence of the Armenian Genocide in 1915 is not an “allegation,” a “personal opinion,” or a “point of view.” Supported by an overwhelming amount of historical evidence, it is a widely documented fact.” Obama also stated, in a letter to ANCA chairman Ken Hachikian, that “We must recognize this [Armenian Genocide] tragic reality. The Bush Administration’s refusal to do so is inexcusable, and I will continue to speak out in an effort to move the Administration to change its position.”[4] Obviously, Obama failed to follow his own words on Armenian Remembrance Day. The only caveat that can come from his statement is that he “will continue to speak out in an effort to move the Administration to change its position.” That being said, Armenians should recognize some rays of hope during his April 24, 2009 speech. He stated, “I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts.” Obama went on to state essentially that he wants to see Armenia and Turkey resolve the genocide and other issues. These statements may signal that he may be willing, in the years to come, to speak properly on the Armenian Genocide and actually call it a genocide. The current political climate in the American congress provides a strong signal that the Armenian lobby is making great progress toward the U.S. finally recognizing the genocide.

On April 23, 2009, during a historical event at the U.S. capitol that was attended by over 500 Armenian Americans and dozens of democratic and republican members of congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “It is long past the time for the United States to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide. How far we can go with the resolution [H.Res.252] this year depends on the outreach that each and every one of us in this room can do to win on the floor of the House. We can do any amount of inside maneuvering in the Congress and Washington, but what is important is the outside mobilization to bring to bear the voices of people across America.” Pelosi’s comments raised applause from the largely Armenian American crowd, as did other statements by congressmen. Two congresswomen of Armenian descent added their personal stories toward genocide recognition. Overall, these congressmen pointed out that the Armenian lobby is strong and is making progress in the halls of congress and the senate toward a U.S. president properly recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

In spite of their statements, however, these congressmen were not able to persuade Obama to recognize the Armenian Genocide as such. Rather, Obama seemed to be an island among politicians in not recognizing the Armenian Genocide. As he pointed out that his views on the issue haven’t changed, it gives Armenian Americans hope that they can persuade Obama to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide during his term(s), even if Armenia and Turkey are able to establish a lasting relationship. It is this hope, and with vigor, that the writer believes the Armenian lobby and Armenian diaspora, as well as native Armenians, will continue to call on the United States to properly recognize the genocide.

Obama’s Visit to Turkey Strong Armenian and Political Support for Genocide Recognition

hyeoctane — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:18:29 +0000

By Daren Djirikian

Remarks by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in early March signaled President Barack Obama’s intent to speak before the Turkish Parliament leaders on April 5, 2009. The projected meeting comes at an important time for formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States. During Clinton’s visit to Turkey, she stated Obama’s visit would be to “emphasize the work the U.S. and Turkey must do on behalf of peace, prosperity, and progress.” Many diasporan and native Armenians view his trip to Turkey as a way for Obama to declare that he will formally recognize the Armenian Genocide which was perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and led to at least 1.5 Armenian deaths. Obama’s track record is strong on the Armenian Genocide. He does not see it as a “question.” It is indeed fact.

Obama’s stance on the Armenian Genocide is clearly backed by at least two speeches he made as a senator and on his presidential campaign. In January 2008, presidential candidate Obama stated “The Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of evidence. America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that president.” In a statement on relations between the United States and Armenia on January 19, 2009, President Obama said “As a senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

Several U.S. representatives are backing an Armenian Genocide resolution that is intended to recognize the Armenian Genocide rather than just mass killings or slaughter, as U.S. presidents have previously stated. In a letter to President Obama, Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA) , Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (D-IL) commended him on his record of supporting the truth of the Armenian Genocide and are “urging the President to make a strong statement of recognition on April 24,” which is the annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day.

The letter comes in advance of Obama’s trip to Turkey. The congressmen backing the resolution voiced their opinions. Said Radanovich, “Over the years, the President of the United States, regardless of political party, has done a great disservice by refusing to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. As a proud representative of the Armenian American community, and co-author of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, I commend President Obama for his previous commitment to the truth and I eagerly await the fulfillment of his promises to recognize the Genocide as President.” Representative Pallone corroborated Radanovich’s stance by adding, “As a senator and as a candidate, President Obama demonstrated a clear record of supporting recognition of the Armenian Genocide. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, I am hopeful that both the President and Congress will not waiver in their efforts to discuss the past openly and honestly.” The letter by these representatives further states, “During your upcoming trip to Turkey and in discussions with your advisors over how to commemorate the events of 1915-23, you will doubtless be counseled by some to continue the practice of avoiding the truth in favor of short-term political expediency. We do not minimize Ankara’s threats of adverse action when you recognize the genocide, or when Congress takes action to formally recognize the genocide, but we believe that our alliance is strong enough to withstand the truth.” The period of 1915-1923 encompasses the Armenian Genocide, which spanned 1915-1918. During that period, Young Turk leaders including Talat and Enver Pasha, Behaeddin Sakir, and Jemal Pasha, orchestrated genocide and en masse deportations of Armenians throughout the Middle East and present day Armenia and Turkey. After 1918, when the Turkish republic was established, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk continued to murder hundreds of thousands of Armenians. It is worth understanding that Armenians were not able to defend themselves, as the Ottoman and later Turkish law forbade Armenians to possess weapons. Adding insult to these murders is the fact that Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide to this day. To paraphrase Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, perpetrating and denying the genocide and mass murders that occurred before and after World War I is a double killing of the Armenian people, their culture, heritage, and furthermore prevented a progressive growth in Armenian population.

Radanovich, also added that that America must stand up for the abuses incurred by the Ottoman Empire on the Armenians. “As a nation we must hold ourselves to the utmost moral standards, which includes having the courage to appropriately recognize atrocities of the past to prevent future occurrences,” said Radanovich. “The facts surrounding the Armenian Genocide are clear and it benefits no one to continue the denial of grotesque human rights abuses.” These facts are well represented in history books, literature, newspapers during and after the Armenian Genocide, and modern-day congressional records. While it is obviously in the best interest of the U.S. to prevent future genocides, Obama’s formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide could start the ball rolling for a formal Turkish apology.

The Armenian National Committee of America, a potent Armenian issues lobbying organization, weighed in on the congressmen’s letter. Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, articulated “Representatives Schiff, Radanovich, Pallone and Kirk are right on the mark in commending Barack Obama’s clear and unequivocal stand against genocide and its denial. We join with them in welcoming the President’s pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide.” Referring to the Jewish Holocaust, enslaved African Americans, and modern genocides such as Rwanda, the congressmen concluded the letter to Mr. Obama by stating, “The importance of speaking unequivocally about a matter as grave as genocide is a human rights imperative affecting us all. Whether it is today’s Sudanese government or yesterday’s Ottoman Empire, the perpetrators of genocide, as well as the victims, must know that the United States will not shrink from confronting the truth.” Armenian-Americans believe that Obama’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide has its best chance since Ronald Reagan recognized it during the 1980s based on the current political demography.

Armenian-American campaigners are more confident of passage of the resolution than they were in 2007 based on the fact that 94 percent of candidates now in the administration and Congress were endorsed by the Armenian National Committee of America. Said Hamparian, “Now – with longstanding advocates of this noble and necessary cause in the White House, leading the State Department, serving in the Cabinet, heading up both Houses of Congress, and chairing key Congressional committees – we are set to overcome the final barriers to full and formal U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide.”

Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Erdogan Criticizes Petition

hyeoctane — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:44:52 +0000

By Daren Djirikian

“I haven’t committed any crime. Why should I apologize?” asked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan in response to an online petition in which thousands of Turks apologized for the brutal killing of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I. Erdogan rejected the petition, stating further that an apology would actually have to come from the Ottoman perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide, who in truth are responsible for killing 1.5 million Armenians during World War I, and several thousands of Armenians before and after the war. Former Turkish ambassadors support rejecting the petition by declaring it against Turkey’s national interests.

Calling the killings the “Great Catastrophe,” more than 22,000 Turks, including journalists and academics have signed the petition on the Website www.ozurdiliyoruz.com. The petition states “I cannot accept the denial of the great catastrophe of 1915
that Ottoman Armenians were subjected to. I condemn this injustice and acting on my own behalf I share the feelings of pain of my Armenian brothers.” The petition flies in the face of official Turkish policy that denies the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians during the dying days of the Ottoman Empire as genocide. The Turkish state continues to assert that the murders were the result of civil uprisings during World War I, which continues to add to Turkey’s identity crisis as it moved from an empire to a republic. An ongoing impact of Turkish denial is that Turkey and Armenia do not have a diplomatic relationship. However, in order for justice to be served in the long run, Armenians and Turkish citizens alike must continue to speak out against Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide.

Theodore Bagosora, a former army official during the Rwandan genocide was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday, January 18 by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Such a conviction can give hope to Armenians worldwide that Turkey may be held responsible for apologizing for the Armenian genocide and perhaps offering reparations to descendants of Armenians killed during the genocide.

‘I Apologize’ Website Silenced; Will the International Community Speak Up?

hyeoctane — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:36:35 +0000

Cynics would have argued that it was only a matter of time until the Turkish Government or hackers (or Turkish Government supported hackers) would take down a website where over 13,000 Turkish scholars, journalists and citizens issued an apology for the “great catastrophe” committed against the Armenian people from 1915-1923.

And they were right.

On Thursday, www.ozerdiliyoruz.com — initiated by three scholars — Ahmet Insel, Baskin Oran and Cengiz Aktar — and journalist, Ali Bayramoglu, went off-line, first to return with the listing of signatories removed and then – not to return at all.

Sadly, given Turkey’s history of repression of free speech (just look at any of the annual reports issued by the U.S. State Department, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters without Borders, etc. to read about the sad state of affairs) this was not a surprise.

Even before the “I Apologize” petition was placed online, reports of the effort sent some members of Turkey’s Parliament into a rampage. Today’s Zaman reported that Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy for Erzurum Zeki Ertugay accused the signatories of being in “a state of hysteria,” while Behiç Çelik, a MHP deputy from Mersin, stated, “It is impossible to refer to these people as intellectuals. The so-called intellectuals trying to apologize to Armenians do not know the past. They don’t know history.”

Once the petition went online to allow Turkish citizenry of good conscience to sign, higher officials in Turkey went public slamming the effort – including Turkey’s PM Recep Tayip Erdogan and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.

Alone in defending the free speech right of the petitioners was Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul – who considered the petition a public relations coup – to show the world that Turkey’s freedom of speech record has improved. Gul was immediately chastised for not denouncing the effort, with opponents accusing his mother of being of Armenian heritage and the Gul family threatening to sue the accusers of slander!

And what of the courageous folks who started the petition in the first place? And the 13,000 who added their names to the website? Who is going to stand up for them?

Now, to be clear, the petition was not perfect. The authors stopped short of properly characterizing the centrally planned and systematically executed campaign of deportations, starvation and murder of 1.5 million Armenians as ‘genocide.’ Nor did they give the full scope of the campaign, which ranged from 1915-1923.

But these intellectuals spoke out in an atmosphere where a website gets hacked and a journalist is shot dead in broad daylight for speaking about the Armenian Genocide.

This is where the United States and the international community need to be vocal – to speak the truth about the Armenian Genocide and give Turkey’s civil society some breathing room to help their country confront their genocidal past.

In Lemkin’s Shadow: International Court Convicts Rwandan Genocide Perpetrators

hyeoctane — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:19:14 +0000

by Aleek Kahramanian

On Thursday, December 18, the International Criminal Tribunal sentenced Theoneste Bagosora, Aloys Ntabakuze, and Anatole Nsengiyumva to life in prison for the Rwandan Genocide. As reported in the New York Times, the United Nations sentenced the officers to “life imprisonment for ‘genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.’” The 1994 Rwandan genocide left an estimated 800,000 people dead, and many more displaced and as refugees.

Not only has the recognition of the Rwandan Genocide been a struggle, but the prosecution of the leaders behind the Tutsi genocide has been long overdue. Punishing the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity is an integral component in preventing future atrocities. The fact that these masterminds of genocide have been able to live freely and continue their mission for so long is a stain on humanity.

Last week, the 60th anniversary commemoration of the United Nation’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide — the landmark law spearheaded by Raphael Lemkin — reiterated the moral imperative of punishing leaders who commit such crimes. The fact that the leaders of the Ottoman Turkish Empire went unpunished for the Armenian Genocide only paved the way for Hitler to execute his plans in Nazi Germany. And it has given the green light to successive Turkish governments deny the crimes of their predecessors, creating regional instability some 90 years after the fact.

Do we not celebrate great leaders for their good work? Shouldn’t there be an equal response to terrible leaders who commit such crimes? Today we saw a modicum of justice in the case of the Rwandan Genocide. Tomorrow - perhaps justice for the Armenian Genocide and the end to all genocides.