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ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUST BE RECOGNIZED
UConn Daily Campus , CT
Oct 16 2007
On Oct. 10, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a
bill that condemns the Ottoman Empire for the genocide of Christian
Armenians during World War I. The bill has now moved to the House
for deliberation.
The approval has caused a flurry of controversy, because the Ottoman
Empire directly evolved into the modern nation of Turkey, because
Turkey is a pivotal economic and military partner of the United States
and because Turkey has categorically refused to admit that a genocide
ever occurred. If the House passes the measure, Turkey has warned,
"military ties with the U.S. will never be the same again."
Turkey's military aid to the Iraqi effort is not insignificant. Seventy
percent of U.S. air cargo bound for Iraq passes through a major
U.S. Air Force base in Turkey. Recognition of the genocide might have
practical implications for our troops in Iraq. Nevertheless, for a
nation which professes to love liberty and justice, the magnitude of
the killings outweighs base pragmatism.
The Armenian genocide is one of the most underappreciated atrocities
in recent history. Theodore Roosevelt called it "the greatest crime
of the [First World] War," and the best official estimates on the
death toll hover around 1.5 million. As the genocide occurred it was
recognized as an "administrative holocaust," a conscious attempt to
eliminate an entire race, by both Allied scholars and the Ottomans'
own German allies.
In spite of all evidence, the genocide has received disturbingly little
official recognition. Turkey continues to insist that the killings were
not orchestrated and were wartime necessities justified by Armenians'
Allied sympathies. The genocide has been officially recognized by
only 22 countries with the U.K., the U.S. and Germany suspiciously
absent from that list.
Yet to America's credit, 40 of the 50 states have officially recognized
the genocide. Connecticut is among the 40, with a proclamation by
Governor John G. Rowland designating April 24, 2001 as "A Day of
Remembrance for the Armenian genocide." The federal government ought
to follow the states' lead on this matter.
While House Democrats have moved to recognize the Genocide, a push
to drop the issue has come from the Bush Administration. Condoleezza
Rice has called passage of the bill "problematic," while Bush has said
that passage of the bill "would do great harm to our relations with
a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror." In return, House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has noted that there is never what one could call
a "good time" to highlight the genocidal behavior of a major strategic
ally. Unfortunately for the Bush Administration, justice does not wait
for a "good time." The Armenian genocide ought to be recognized now.
http://media.www.dailycampus.com/media/stora ge/paper340/news/2007/10/16/Commentary/Armenian.Ge nocide.Must.Be.Recognized-3035020.shtml
From: Baghdasarian
UConn Daily Campus , CT
Oct 16 2007
On Oct. 10, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a
bill that condemns the Ottoman Empire for the genocide of Christian
Armenians during World War I. The bill has now moved to the House
for deliberation.
The approval has caused a flurry of controversy, because the Ottoman
Empire directly evolved into the modern nation of Turkey, because
Turkey is a pivotal economic and military partner of the United States
and because Turkey has categorically refused to admit that a genocide
ever occurred. If the House passes the measure, Turkey has warned,
"military ties with the U.S. will never be the same again."
Turkey's military aid to the Iraqi effort is not insignificant. Seventy
percent of U.S. air cargo bound for Iraq passes through a major
U.S. Air Force base in Turkey. Recognition of the genocide might have
practical implications for our troops in Iraq. Nevertheless, for a
nation which professes to love liberty and justice, the magnitude of
the killings outweighs base pragmatism.
The Armenian genocide is one of the most underappreciated atrocities
in recent history. Theodore Roosevelt called it "the greatest crime
of the [First World] War," and the best official estimates on the
death toll hover around 1.5 million. As the genocide occurred it was
recognized as an "administrative holocaust," a conscious attempt to
eliminate an entire race, by both Allied scholars and the Ottomans'
own German allies.
In spite of all evidence, the genocide has received disturbingly little
official recognition. Turkey continues to insist that the killings were
not orchestrated and were wartime necessities justified by Armenians'
Allied sympathies. The genocide has been officially recognized by
only 22 countries with the U.K., the U.S. and Germany suspiciously
absent from that list.
Yet to America's credit, 40 of the 50 states have officially recognized
the genocide. Connecticut is among the 40, with a proclamation by
Governor John G. Rowland designating April 24, 2001 as "A Day of
Remembrance for the Armenian genocide." The federal government ought
to follow the states' lead on this matter.
While House Democrats have moved to recognize the Genocide, a push
to drop the issue has come from the Bush Administration. Condoleezza
Rice has called passage of the bill "problematic," while Bush has said
that passage of the bill "would do great harm to our relations with
a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror." In return, House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has noted that there is never what one could call
a "good time" to highlight the genocidal behavior of a major strategic
ally. Unfortunately for the Bush Administration, justice does not wait
for a "good time." The Armenian genocide ought to be recognized now.
http://media.www.dailycampus.com/media/stora ge/paper340/news/2007/10/16/Commentary/Armenian.Ge nocide.Must.Be.Recognized-3035020.shtml
From: Baghdasarian