Nancy Pelosi and the Armenians
There is something peculiar about the way the political class in the United States thinks. At a recent meeting on U.S. foreign policy that I attended, a speaker noted that Americans are "results-oriented." I believe that he is correct but he should have noted that the generalization does not apply to politicians. Politicians are image-oriented and are not interested in results, particularly when the results are bad.
The Armenian Genocide resolution, which is sailing through Congress, is a great image builder for some politicians who want to register their disapproval of mass slaughter, but it is a terrible result. It comes at the worst possible time as the U.S. is trying to convince Turkey to show restraint and not invade northern Iraq and one has to wonder why the United States should be involved in this at all. If Speaker Nancy Pelosi carries out her pledge to bring the resolution before the entire House of Representatives next month, it is almost certain to pass as 226 out of the 435 Congressman have already signed on to it. The resolution accomplishes precisely nothing apart from alienating the Turkish government and people from the United States. It is non-binding on the White House and State Department and it essentially documents a tragedy that took place nearly one hundred years ago, carried out by the Ottoman Empire, which no longer exists, and implemented by politicians and military officers who are long since in their own graves. One wonders if a congressional resolution condemning Uzbekistan for Tamerlane's slaughter of two million residents of Baghdad in the fourteenth century is coming up next or possibly an indictment of Italy for Scipio Aemilianus' destruction of the city of Carthage in 146 BC. It is particularly ironic that the U.S. Congress believes it can seize the moral high ground regarding mass killing in light of its collaboration in the destruction of Iraq.
Turkey has been a parliamentary republic since 1923, though one has to note that its military has intervened in the democratic process more than once and the Turkish definition of republicanism is heavily flavored by a sense of nationhood that does not always permit in practice much in the way of minority rights. Turkey was the only Muslim nation that was a founding member of NATO, it fought bravely by the side of the US in Korea, and has been a staunch ally up until the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Within NATO, Turkey's army is second in size only to that of the United States. Turkey is the strategic key to a stable Middle East. It is the only Muslim country that has a genuinely close relationship with Israel and it cooperates with Tel Aviv in many areas. It is also a bridge to Europe for the Islamic world and a role model of how relatively open pluralistic politics and a free media can actually work within the framework of Islam. Turkey is also home of the large US airbase at Incirlik near Adana, which is responsible for 70 percent of all air shipments into Iraq. Thirty per cent of all fuel supplied by road to Iraq enters through the port of Adana. All of the new bomb proof Mine Resistant Ambush Protected personnel carriers that are being supplied to U.S. forces are flown into Iraq over Turkish airspace. Incirlik Airbase hosted more than 3,000 flights of C5 and C17 transports going to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006 as well as 3,800 missions by K-135 tankers. If the use of Incirlik were halted by the Turkish government, it would have a major impact on US military operations in the region.
Currently, less than 10 percent of Turks view the United States favorably and that percentage is likely to decline further given the events of the past week. In the late 1980s the favorable percentage was closer to 90. What has happened in the intervening time to change that? Congressional grandstanding by Pelosi and company is partly to blame, but most of the decline in Turkish support for the U.S. is a result of the Iraq war and also the inability or unwillingness of the Bush Administration to do anything about the terrorists who are using Iraq's Kurdish region as a base of operations.
From the Turkish point of view, the United States is completely hypocritical. The United States became a great power through its genocide of the red Indians and is hardly in a good position to point the finger at others. It currently is fighting a self-declared and self-defined global war on terrorism in which it claims the right to attack terrorists anytime and anywhere. It publicly states that its goal is to end all terrorism everywhere in the world. An apparent exception appears to be NATO ally Turkey, which has been plagued by Kurdish terrorism for more than 20 years. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush have both promised to stop the terrorist group the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) from using its havens in northern Iraq to stage attacks inside Turkey but they have done nothing, largely because they do not want to put pressure on the government of the Kurdish region, which is admittedly the only stable part of Iraq. Turkey has repeatedly warned that the failure to act against the terrorists might lead to intervention by its own armed forces. More than 30 Turkish soldiers and civilians have been killed by the PKK over the past two weeks and the Turkish public and the army General Staff are both demanding a military response.
Given Ankara's concerns about Washington's lackadaisical attitude towards terrorism, the genocide vote will likely transform the United States into "public enemy number one" for many Turks. There has been a great deal of speculation as to why the genocide resolution came up now and why some congressmen who normally would have voted against it changed their minds. Pelosi is definitely influenced by the large numbers of wealthy Armenians in her own district and more generally speaking in key blue states like California and New Jersey. This is ethnic politics at its finest, where the national interest takes a back seat to long simmering animosities and events that took place long ago and far away. The argument that the resolution is being promoted to force Turkey to establish diplomatic relations with neighboring Armenia is a complete red herring as the problem between the two countries goes back to Armenia's seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh from neighboring Azerbaijan in 1988-1994. The Turks regard the Azeris as fellow Turks and have refused to regularize relations while the enclave continues to be largely in Armenian hands. The political animosity between Turkey and Armenia therefore has nothing to do with the events of 1915 and will not be resolved by accusing the Turks of genocide.
More curious still is the actual voting in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the resolution. Normally, the Israel first crowd lines up to protect Turkey as Ankara has been a reliable Muslim ally to Tel Aviv. Outspoken Abe Foxman, who heads the Anti-Defamation League, has vacillated on whether or not to support any official recognition of the Armenian genocide. Groups like B'nai Brith International and the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs have refused to endorse recognition. Foxman in particular has been criticized by other Jews who object to his constant citing of the Holocaust while wavering over the Armenian claim to having had a similar experience. In Congress, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos of California is so close to Israel that he often acts for that country as a spokesman. Lantos has ambitions to become Secretary of State in a Hillary Clinton administration, so it is possible that he is attempting to establish his credentials as a statesman and an independent voice, but he always looks to Israel's interests first and it may be that the Israel lobby is concerned by the increased Islamic manifestations in Turkey and is delivering a warning shot to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Seven out of eight Jews on the Foreign Affairs Committee followed Lantos's lead by voting in support of the resolution. One other theory is that diminishing Turkey's regional role will enhance the need to rely more on Israel, making it perforce the "indispensable" U.S. ally in the Middle East and a third possibility is that pressuring the Kurds will speed the break-up of Iraq, which could be construed as being in the Israeli interest. If any of those arguments is driving the genocide resolution process the end result will be bad for the United States and not necessarily good for Israel. Embroiled in Iraq without any easy way out and heavily dependent on the supply line passing through southern Turkey, Washington has much more to lose than to gain by turning Ankara into an enemy.
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it proves to be so difficult to explain some people that without the recognition of the Genocide the US will never be able to claim moral authority in the World - it likes to apply/mention so often. If before simple naming a genocide a genocide they need a calculator to weight the ‘consequences’ - then what’s the difference between them and, say, China (which will surpass American economy in 20 years)? If they tacitly acknowledge that, yes, you in fact *can* conduct a well-planned and carried out extermination of your own minority- providing that you prove to be useful to US interests - then they have no right criticizing other countries (the list of which keeps growing) applying the same ‘techniques’. It’s not about Armenians, even more it’s not about today’s Armenia, it’s all about the US moral weight, and not only moral… whether it’d allow thirdish-world Turkey shamelessly and openly force US Congress to take a decision they wish for (whatever the results are - I guess everybody now understands how good Turkish ‘friend’ is… with such friends nobody needs enemies). So… I am convinced the resolution is in best US national interest, it’s about justice and democracy in this country, which are notions far more important than an airfield in Turkey…
Something stinks in this game over recognizing Armenian genocide. I use the word game because upon some thought on this issue why would any Congressperson bring this up at this point in time? Knowing the absolute value of our relationship with Turkey and how instrumental that relationship is to our efforts in Iraq. ( I have been against this war from the get go.)
The initiator of this resolution is Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA). I went to Rep Schiff's webpage and in his bio it is mentioned that he had gotten an award from the Armenian Church in his district. Maybe a medal, maybe a check, who knows? Now comes the question does that amount to a conflict of interest? I dunno, let the lawyers decide or maybe more of you energetic bloggers can dig deeper into that fact. Also I wonder where he falls on the list of donations from AIPAC? Somethings stinks here and I feel sure that what we are being shown isnt really what is.
I think it is a very decent thing to do to recognize the 1.5 million Armenian deaths of nearly a century ago. But I question the timing of it. Could the timing be more worse? I think not. This boils down to the influence of a particular special interest group exercising it's power in our Congress for it's own benefit. How is this good for the interests of the American soldier in Iraq at this time? How is this good for the security interests of the United States?
So when do you suggest would be a good time? When we are out of Iraq in 20 years? When Turkey is not our "staunch ally"? When exactly is the right time for condemning genocide???
Hey Pelosi, how about sponsoring a bill condeming Bush and Cheney's genocide in Iraq?
Too spineless?
Thought so....
It is easy to dismiss this resolution, and call it "bad timing" or foolish. Many have, and will continue to say "who cares." Clearly, most here, seem to feel as though this is a pointless resolution.
Then again, some of us live with notion that out ancestors died for nothing. Those that survived the horros of genocide live with the nightmares of watching their mothers raped before their eyes. Witnessed their parents, bothers and sisters, grandparents being mutilated slowly; body parts being hacked off as the soilders laugh over their screaming tortured victims.
Not pretty is it.
So when many say that this is pointless, and foolish, I ask that you close your eyes for just a moment and ask yourself how you would feel if you were a witness to these atrocities, and then were told that it never happened by the torturer himself.
The Ottoman empire might be long gone. Those soilders of the very same empire, along with their government and the purveyors of this genocide may be long buried. But the CURRENT Turkish government continues the conspiracy and the denial of the Armenian Genocide to this very day—nearly 100 years after the fact.
In the event you don't grasp it, imagine that the current German government never admitting the horrors of the holocaust. And further, criminalizing even mention the holocaust. Imagine 6,000,000 Jews who died for absolutly nothing—simply exterminated.
This is what has happened to the Armenians.
As for America and it's history of genocide and atrocities; they are and continue to be revealed and well documented—againts African Americans, Native Americans and others.
Either this nation is against genocide or not. If the so-called moral right wing in charge of this country really cared about life, they would actually work to stop war, and speak out against it—not promote it and start it.
Excellent post, well said, and I just ask everyone to take the time to read the chapter "The First Holocaust" in Robert Fisk's excellent book "The Great War for Civilisation" and then tell me that this is the "wrong" time to bring up this issue. I personally do not care if the current Turkish regime is our "ally." They should be willing to admit that the government of the early 20th century had a government sponsered program of genocide, and the current government needs to stop telling it's own people that it is against the law to even mention it.
There are people still alive who remember the genocide against armenians. It is quite the insult to compare it to ancient history.
This is stupidity. They keep funding the wars and DEA raids on Cancer and aids patients. Now they want to sell our national interest out to the Armenian lobby?
Turkey was against the War in Iraq and has excellent realations with both Isreal and Iran. They sould be courted as stablizing force. They welcomed The Jews fleeing Europe. Don't forget the Ottomans and Allies took far more losses. 400,000 at Galipoli alone. The Armenians were fighting on the side of the Russians. There were mass killings as in any war. Not quite the parameters of a genocide. In fact many Armenians still live in Turkey.
People like me who don't trust far democrats in general and Pelosi in particular see this what what it is, an effort to poke the eye of a country that is providing some help (not a lot) in the Iraq effort. It's an end-around play to jerk around with supply lines and logistics going through that country.
This is pathetic. If Pelosi cares so much about murder en masse, she and her far left buddies should get their rears in gear on Darfur. But this is not going to happen. After the efforts by the far left to destroy our efforts in the war on terror, they will never be taken seriously again when it comes to military action. Who would take them seriously on anything other than taking money from one group and giving to another? That, they can do very well.
Despite any semantic arguments over whether the Armenian disaster qualifies as "genocide", this was a truly significant and horrible event. However, as a committed Democrat, I am as puzzled as many of other posters regarding the wisdom of bringing forth this particular resolution at this particular time. We have a misguided war in Iraq, and a government moving towards a war with Iran; this is not a reasonable time promote further discord with Turkey, who has been a reliable ally in the region. Where are the resolutions to end the Iraq war and prevent the Iran war? Where are the resolutions to forbid our countrymen from extraordinary rendition and torture? Is this really the most compelling priority of our day? This resolution is further evidence that there is no wisdom in the Democratic leadership.
Did you ever think this might also be about sticking it to GWB. The Pols have never been above revenge and penetration however slight is sufficient to raise the angst level or create favorable conditions for a deal. And it is just the sort of underhanded tactic the repugs have used on the Dems for years.
Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, 90, was born in Fresno, California, to Armenian immigrants. Kerkorian didn't learn the English language until he was 9 years old. He dropped out of school to become an amateur boxer. He joined the British Royal Air Force and was a pilot in the second world war.
Kerkorian has enough money to buy and sell the U.S. Congress many times over.
and this means????
This may be a case of Pelosi doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
If Turkey finds this resolution -- which attributes the genocide to the Ottoman Empire, not the modern, semi-democratic state -- then one must wonder how strong our relationship with Turkey is.
If the United States can stand criticism of its own historical wrongdoings -- Native Americans, Slavery, Viet Nam, Iraq -- by other nations, why should we expect less of our allies.
The Armenian Genocide may be old news, but the Turkish government still censors and arrests its own citizens from publicly speaking out about the deliberate and systematic slaughter of between one and two million innocent victims. We can not be silent partners in this cover up.
This is the time to learn whether Turkey truly deserves a place at the table in the European Union and free nations, or remains trapped in its despotic theocratic past.
>>Outspoken Abe Foxman, who heads the Anti-Defamation League, has vacillated on whether or not to support any official recognition of the Armenian genocide. Groups like B'nai Brith International and the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs have refused to endorse recognition.
What if the Germans were denying the Jewish genocide?
My point as well. THANK YOU!
My grandparents fled from the Armenian Genocide in 1915. They escaped Eastern Turkey, but not before seeing their children slaughtered.
They made their way to Lebanon and then France where my grandmother and the rest of the women in their family remained while my grandfather and his brother found work in central America.
It took the men two years to make enough money working in the cane plantations to bring themselves, their wives and remaining children to the United States.
My grandparents settled in Chicago and raised 3 more children, two boys, my uncles and a girl, my mother.
My grandmother succumbed to tuberculosis when my mother was twelve.
My uncles served their country honorably in the Second World War. One in the Pacific and one in Europe where we were fighting against tyranny imposed by the man who when someone asked him how he could get away with annihilating an entire race of people replied;
"Who remembers the Armenians.
If we don't shine a bright light on tyranny and murder whenever it occurs, now or ninety two years in the past or three hundred years ago then our constitution really is just a "goddamned piece of paper". And we have no business calling ourselves a democracy.
So it's an inconvenient time to acknowledge what most of the rest of the free world takes as a historical fact?
I would propose to all of you so called progressives and all of you freedom loving patriots who inhabit the right side of the spectrum that truth and justice matter most in times of inconvenience.
The sons and daughters of the victims of the Armenian Genocide are still alive as are their sons and daughters and we look to you to speak the truth and really believe in those ideals embodied in that piece of paper.
Armenian Americans fought for this country, in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and they are fighting today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mindless and irresponsible legislation?
Not as long as Armenian Americans are giving their life's blood in service and defense of this nation, it's not.
To stillanidiot above:
You have made some valid points, but as usual the Congress has its' priorities wrong. Before we mess with Turkeys' shortcomings, we should pass a resolution that acknoledges our genocidal actions toward Native Americans. Next we need to acknoledge our inhumane treatment of the slaves we brought from Africa. After that we need to acknoledge our policies of indentured service that we inflict on migrant Hispanic workers. After that we should probably apologize for funding the IRA for all those years. Then and only then should we turn our attention to Armenia.
My condolences for your loss. But as to our national policies, I have this xenophobic wish that old feuds remain in the old country.
As to Nancy Pelosi putting the issue on the table at this time, one has to wonder if she's trying to throw the election.
THANK YOU. Excellent post
give me a bloody break everyone..
part of spreading democracy around the world is learning to listen and accept responsibility for your acts (refering to Turkey). Turkey is part of the region and learning about democracy.
now we have to find a political balance before anything is said....
you can't have it one day one way and another the other....
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