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.

Comments

[PeteBogs]

this resolution almost seems like a roundabout way of drawing down the war effort... whatever works...

[iburl]

All this roundabout bullshit ISN'T working. We need real leadership, not this B.S.. What is the freaking point of condemning the Ottman empire?! We need to stop committing genocide in Iraq ourselves before we start pointing the finger at turkey for stuff that happened 100 years or more ago!

[UltraClassic]

You are so right Pete, Pelosi's efforts will make our relationship with Turkey more tense than it already is and likely end the small amount of help they give us.

Pretty pathetic Pete, Imagine yourself a commander on the ground having to deal with the results of Pelosi's nonsense such as disrupted supply lines. But it's obvious that some folks have no problem with that at all, quite obvious.

[snaggster]

Yeah Pete, imagine sending troops into a city like Baghdad in Hummers w/o armor when you know that there are IEDs everywhere. It's obvious that the Republicans that did that have no regard for our troops or Iraqis. Imagine that!

[pzdoff]

Thank you for the wonderful history lesson Mr. Giraldi. We all know this mass murder happened one hundred years ago. To me that means that the murderers have had one hundred years to own up to it, which they haven't done. So I say quite simply, fuck them and the horses they rode in on,. If their Little Turkish feelings are hurt, too bad. It is what it is........­.murder, and they SHOULD be made to answer for it.

[paixa3]

Same for the USA in Iraq. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.

[claytongrayum]

This is stupid. People in Iraq are dying now. People in Suddan are dying now.

[LongBeachDave]

Uh, people everywhere are dying now, that does not mean we should not ask the current Turkish government to own up to genocide that was committed by the Ottoman Muslim government of 1915 against the Christian Armenian population in their own country. Just admit that it happened, own up to it, stop making it a crime to even mention it in Turkey. Jeez, if they can't take these simple steps just because it might hurt their feelings, then too bad.

[desertdweller]

I fully support this action. It is long overdue and has relevance to today's situation in Darfur. We stand by as innocent people in Darfur are abused, raped, and murdered. Our government will not confront the government of Sudan because it is considered an ally in the global war on terror. The U.S. stood by in the 1950s while China destroyed the Tibetan culture and contunues to condone this atrocity. What about Rwanda? Did we not have any strategic interests there? By not speaking up, we are in effect, deniers of history.

[knowhelpnow]

Hogwash all of it, if we just stay out of everyone's business we would be better off. Take us back to pre WW11 if after WW11 we had gone back to our ways we wouldn't be in the messes we are in now.
The world will always have these atrocities going on, it has happened since the beginning of the humans as a species or if you like Cain and Able.

[RDixon]

Nancy " rubber stamp" Pelosi.

[charlietuna11]

I BELIEVE IT WAS THOMAS MOORE WHO STATED THAT NOTHING IN LIFE GOES UNRECORDED­.I KNOW THE ARMENIANS REPRESENT A SMALL FRACTION IN OUR COUNTRY SO I WILL BE SHOCKED IF CONGRESS REALLY DOES SOME THING MEANINGFUL FOR A CHANGE.IVE ONLY MET A FEW ARMENIANS IN MY 75 YEARS.THEY RIGHTLY GRIEVE THE FACT THE WORLD REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE THEIR GENOCIDE.A­S FOR THE GENTLEMAN WHO FEELS TO MUCH TIME HAS ELAPSED AND WE SHOULD JUST MOVE ON,I WOULD REMIND HIM HOW THRILLED THE ARAB COMMUNITY WAS WHEN POPE JOHN APOLOGIZED FOR THE CRUSADES THAT STARTED IN 1099.HOW HAPPY THE JEWISH COMMUNITY REACTED WHEN THAT SAME POPE APOLOGIZED FOR THE ANTI-SEMITISM CREATED BY HIS CHURCH.THE ALLIANCE WITH TURKEY IS IMPORTANT,BUT NOT IF WE ARE TO SACRAFICE OUR PRINCIPALS AND INTEGRETY.­DO THE RIGHT THING CONGRESS.A­LLOW THE ARMENIANS CLOSURE ON THIS SAD HISTORICAL TRAJEDY.

[historyprof]

The fact that over 1/2 million Armenian-Americans live in California, primarily in Los Angeles, Glendale, Fresno, and San Francisco might have something to do with Pelosi pushing this bill.

Armenian-Americans are still very passionate about getting the world to acknowledge their genocide by Turks nearly a century ago. The U. S. could negate some of the ill will in Turkey that passage of this resolution will cause if Congress would simultaneously pass a resolution condemning the genocide of Native Americans by those of European ancestry.

Also, if the government of Turkey would acknowledge that Armenians had been slaughtered by a previous government nearly a century ago, and that the current rulers apologize for and regret that genocide, then this issue could inch toward reconciliation.

[bookish]

I live in Fresno and have talked with survivors of the Armenian genocide. One tiny, toothless (from starvation) old lady told me how she used to smuggle food to her brother, who was hiding in a crypt.

That being said...thi­s Congress has far more pressing issues to address.

Nancy and Harry have shown themselves to be worthless and weak.

[nuthinbutnet]

I am completely at a loss now. Bush can commit Omnicide (the killing of life as a whole), the biggest war crime their is, and we condemn something that should be water under the bridge. I can't believe we live in these hyprocritical times. If Pelosi don't watch it, she's going to get canned by Sheehan. The people like you and I are really pissed off at this point. We don't need any of this stupid stuff right now. With impeachment off the table, she has only confirmed one thing. That democrats and republicans are all made from the same fabric. Shame. I really do believe that Dr. Paul is the solution. Vote for him.

[JimR]

Excellent point. Gee, is there any kind of current military action that is resulting in the deaths of vast numbers of innocent people? Hmmm....

[Amhet]

Yea. Rwanda. Ethiopia. Sudan.

[paixa3]

I would love to see Cindy eliminate Nancy. That would be quite rich, so to speak.

[massimo1]

Let the Armenians find the descendants of the last Ottoman emperor or the Young Turks, and ask for acknowledgement and apologies from them. This Kemalist Turkish goverment came into existence several years after the event. Asking them to be accountable is insulting to their national pride. I don't blame them for being pissed off. Pelosi and her minions should be holding Bush's feet to the fire over Iraq, not performing in this stupid, pointless sideshow. Of course, this is the same Ms. Pelosi who took impeachment, her main anti-Bush weapon, off the table as soon as she could.

[AriN]

All those comments praising Turkey and their status as an ally of the United States unfortunately are so hollow. Is the author so uninformed?

Did we already forget that at the beginning of Iraq war Turkey did not allow us to open a Northern Front? Moreover their public opinion is the most anti-American among all countries surveyed by PEW research. This survey, by the way, was done before talks of Armenian Genocide Resolution surfaced.

It is an outright lie to call Turkey a democratic country when the pictures of an assasin of a prominent dissident journalist circulates with approving government officials, as was the case for Hrant Dink.

How about their treatment of their biggest minority, the Kurds? It speaks volumes about their democracy when they don't even recognize their existance and call them offically as "mountain Turks".

Let's not also forget that Turkey has a lot more to lose than U.S. if they cut their relationship with us. With their country so much hated in Europe, the only reason their E.U. talks have gone forward is thanks to us. Europeans live a lot closer to Turkey and they are well aware of their despicable record in democracy and human rights. Every single European poll shows that majorities in Europe want to keep Turkey away from the European Union. We have lobbied the British to keep their candidacy alive.

What about the yearly foreign aid they receive from us? the military aid? What would happen to their military planes if we stop servicing them? Would they be able to fix it on their own?

So what do we have to lose, an access to one airport. The Turks, meanwhile have to lose their candidacy to European Union, millions of dollars of financial aid, unreplacable amount of military aid, and bilateral trade with us.

Giraldi may want to look at the map of Europe. Every single major country in Europe, including France, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Russia already recognize the Armenian Genocide. Does he want us to win the prize with Iran for denying Genocides or Holocausts?

[secondharmonic]

What AriN said. Look, the Turks desperately need the moneys their Gastarbeiter bring in; moreover that was the previous (and not really well remembered regime, except for their one-time military conquests). Moreover again, IIRC the US Congress HAS apologized for the slaughter of Indians and for Slavery -- something which the RW castigated Carter and Clinton about. Lastly, the levelling of Baghdad that occured in the early 14 century was under a lieutenant Khan, under the Great Khan, not Timur. See the historical novel "Das Buch von Eden", written in 2003 by Kai Meyer, and dealing with those events.

[Annoula]

EXACTLY RIGHT, AriN!
According to Mr. Giraldi, the US should recognize ONLY those crimes whose perpetrators are not friendly or useful to the US [after all, we wouldn't want our "good friends", the Turks to get angry at us, right????]
If the sole passing of a non-binding resolution by Congress is enough to compromise US-Turkish relations and make the Turks reconsider their loyalty...­what does alone say about Turkey as a "staunch ally"??????
Could it be that they are friendly to us ONLY IF we do what they like (and send them lots of money!) and don't ask for anything in return?????
Good-weather friends are always easy to find!
Why did everybody jump on Ahmadinejad when he questioned the Holocaust a few weeks ago but nobody ever objects when Gyul and Erdogan blatantly and systematically deny the Armenian genocide?
How many standards does this country have when it comes to judging barbaric acts?????
It looks like it is time to reconsider ALL OUR ALLIANCES.
But, more importantly, it is time to take a good look at OURSELVES and decide if we ever practice what we keep preaching to others...
Our HYPOCRISY has become too evident to the rest of the world.

[ljsfolly]

I recently read that the past should remain in the past for this issue as it will affect the safety and the actual lives of those soldiers we have in the middle east. With 70% of all of the military arms and flights going through Turkey at this time to stir up a fight which will further destabilize the middle east makes little sense. I agree what the turks did was a horrible thing but for this moment in time is our soldiers lives being put at more risk worth the blasting from our congress? The article says it all but the need for justice for a long ago event has to not be on the table right now. For the glory of a few who can say they stood up for the dead in the past when they will not stand for the lives of the people now is not something they should be proud of. If they must stand may it be to stand up to this horrible person and those who represent him in our own country.

[i'm peach bush]

I propose a Non Binding resolution condemning Non Binding resolutions. I recommend spitting in the wind it would make Congress look more productive.

[The Truth]

The only tax payer waste of time and money is the 26 Billion dollars we gave to Turkey at the start of the Iraq war. Turkey, that so called "ally" that you rave about, didn't let the American 4th ID troops go through. Anti American and Anti Israeli attitudes make up the common fabric of Turkish society. No minority has rights in Turkey. These are genocide perpetrating people that not only have not acknowledged the Armenian Genocide but have never been remorseful or apologetic. Last, Giraldi, should we forget the Rowandan Genocide, Cambodian Genocide or the Holocaust. After all, they all happened in the past and according to your logic, it does us no good so why acknowledge those? Or is just the Armenian Genocide disposable? Nanci Pelosi is doing the right thing. It is about time!

[Kendo Nagasaki]

The US killed three million South Vietnamese.

You know, those people we saved from communism.

Prez Johnson should receive a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize.

[dBlogger]

Yeah, what about the Vietnamese genocide, Nancy? If I remember correctly, you even were AGAINST that particular war.

[dBlogger]

Maybe we should start by cleaning our own house first: how about a resolution condmening the massacre of the Native Americans?

[JimR]

Yup. Maybe the should name the bill the "Pot Calling the Kettle Black" resolution.