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American Conservative Magazine
June 11 2010
U.S. Hawks Have Suddenly Discovered The Armenian Genocide
Posted on June 11th, 2010 by Daniel Larison
One of the more absurd responses to the flotilla raid during the last
two weeks has been the sudden discovery of the importance of Armenian
genocide commemoration by many of the same people and institutions
that used to go out of their way to cast doubt on the reality of the
genocide or to mock efforts to commemorate it with a non-binding
resolution in Congress. Three years ago, when the new Democratic
majority under Pelosi was seriously considering bringing the genocide
resolution to a vote (partly because of the strong influence of
Armenian-Americans in California politics), The Washington Times
published one of the most appalling denialist op-eds by Bruce Fein.
Today Turkey has become the new target of vilification, particularly
on the American right, and so recognizing the genocide has suddenly
become so great an imperative that The Washington Times has published
an op-ed by Raffi Hovanissian that joins in the vilification campaign
while also arguing for genocide recognition. Indeed, bashing Turkey
has apparently become important enough that the reason why Turkey is
being vilified seems to have been lost on the editors at the Times, as
Hovanissan writes this:
Israel's blockade of Gaza is wrong and requires resolution. Palestine,
like mountainous Karabagh, has earned its right of sovereign
statehood.
If the blockade is wrong and requires resolution, how exactly was
Turkey in the wrong by permitting or even encouaging activists to try
to break it? If Hovanissian thinks Palestine and Karabakh should both
have status as sovereign states, why would he take this opportunity to
side with the government that is doing to Palestinians the same thing
he complains that Turkey is doing to Armenia and Karabakh? The
initiative to re-open the border between Turkey and Armenia has
stalled, but does anyone think that Ankara is going to be more
inclined to relent in its pro-Azeri position in the future if
Armenians, especially former Armenian foreign ministers, choose this
moment to jump on the anti-Turkish bandwagon? Hovanissian may not
appreciate how bizarre it is for him to take to the op-ed pages of a
newspaper that happily entertained the arguments of pro-Turkish
lobbyists who were working to quash recognition of the genocide just a
few years ago, but the cynicism on the part of the newspaper's editors
is awesome to behold.
There is no question that Ankara's efforts to quash genocide
recognition in Congress here is infuriating and wrong, and I have
written many times over the last three years against this lobbying and
the state-enforced genocide denial in Turkey. For years and decades,
`pro-Israel' figures, hawks and hegemonists all rallied against the
genocide resolution because they claimed they did not wish to damage
our valuable alliance with Turkey. I have normally ridiculed the
assumption that a non-binding resolution, even one with great symbolic
importance, was going to damage a major military and political
alliance significantly, and I still take that view. Until the last two
weeks, I could at least take seriously that there were many reasonable
people who opposed the genocide resolution because they feared it
would unnecessarily strain relations with Turkey. With some important
exceptions, I no longer think that's true.
Now some of the very same people who pretended that a non-binding
resolution commemorating the victims of a CUP government that ceased
to exist ninety years ago was going to be a terrible blow to the
U.S.-Turkish relationship are working overtime to destroy that
relationship. These hawks are now so intent on wrecking the
relationship that they are even trying to co-opt genocide
commemoration simply to score points against the Turkish government.
And why is Turkey the new villain? Because it has not been as
subservient to U.S. policies and because it has been unduly critical
of Israel. Unfortunately, because genocide commemoration has been
stymied for so many years by many of these hawks and their allies,
there is going to be an impulse to capitalize on the situation, push
through the genocide resolution when resistance is at its weakest, and
thereby guarantee that Turkish-Armenian relations will remain in limbo
for years and decades to come.
There is an opportunity here for the Republic of Armenia and Diasporan
Armenians to generate some goodwill in Turkey by supporting Turkey's
complaints over the raid and the blockade, and possibly revive the
chances of Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. That opportunity will be
lost if Armenia and American supporters of genocide commemoration
effectively throw in their lot with a government that has subjected a
large civilian population to immiseration and poverty and has killed
civilians who were attempting to bring them aid. Congress should pass
the resolution, but it should do so in an atmosphere in which it is
clear that it is not part of a petulant attack on the modern Turkish
republic, and it certainly should not pass it as part of the general
anti-Turkish hysteria building in Congress on account of Congressional
support for Israel's wrongdoing against Turkey.
http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2010/06/11/u-s-hawks-have-suddenly-discovered-the-armenian-genocide/
From: A. Papazian
June 11 2010
U.S. Hawks Have Suddenly Discovered The Armenian Genocide
Posted on June 11th, 2010 by Daniel Larison
One of the more absurd responses to the flotilla raid during the last
two weeks has been the sudden discovery of the importance of Armenian
genocide commemoration by many of the same people and institutions
that used to go out of their way to cast doubt on the reality of the
genocide or to mock efforts to commemorate it with a non-binding
resolution in Congress. Three years ago, when the new Democratic
majority under Pelosi was seriously considering bringing the genocide
resolution to a vote (partly because of the strong influence of
Armenian-Americans in California politics), The Washington Times
published one of the most appalling denialist op-eds by Bruce Fein.
Today Turkey has become the new target of vilification, particularly
on the American right, and so recognizing the genocide has suddenly
become so great an imperative that The Washington Times has published
an op-ed by Raffi Hovanissian that joins in the vilification campaign
while also arguing for genocide recognition. Indeed, bashing Turkey
has apparently become important enough that the reason why Turkey is
being vilified seems to have been lost on the editors at the Times, as
Hovanissan writes this:
Israel's blockade of Gaza is wrong and requires resolution. Palestine,
like mountainous Karabagh, has earned its right of sovereign
statehood.
If the blockade is wrong and requires resolution, how exactly was
Turkey in the wrong by permitting or even encouaging activists to try
to break it? If Hovanissian thinks Palestine and Karabakh should both
have status as sovereign states, why would he take this opportunity to
side with the government that is doing to Palestinians the same thing
he complains that Turkey is doing to Armenia and Karabakh? The
initiative to re-open the border between Turkey and Armenia has
stalled, but does anyone think that Ankara is going to be more
inclined to relent in its pro-Azeri position in the future if
Armenians, especially former Armenian foreign ministers, choose this
moment to jump on the anti-Turkish bandwagon? Hovanissian may not
appreciate how bizarre it is for him to take to the op-ed pages of a
newspaper that happily entertained the arguments of pro-Turkish
lobbyists who were working to quash recognition of the genocide just a
few years ago, but the cynicism on the part of the newspaper's editors
is awesome to behold.
There is no question that Ankara's efforts to quash genocide
recognition in Congress here is infuriating and wrong, and I have
written many times over the last three years against this lobbying and
the state-enforced genocide denial in Turkey. For years and decades,
`pro-Israel' figures, hawks and hegemonists all rallied against the
genocide resolution because they claimed they did not wish to damage
our valuable alliance with Turkey. I have normally ridiculed the
assumption that a non-binding resolution, even one with great symbolic
importance, was going to damage a major military and political
alliance significantly, and I still take that view. Until the last two
weeks, I could at least take seriously that there were many reasonable
people who opposed the genocide resolution because they feared it
would unnecessarily strain relations with Turkey. With some important
exceptions, I no longer think that's true.
Now some of the very same people who pretended that a non-binding
resolution commemorating the victims of a CUP government that ceased
to exist ninety years ago was going to be a terrible blow to the
U.S.-Turkish relationship are working overtime to destroy that
relationship. These hawks are now so intent on wrecking the
relationship that they are even trying to co-opt genocide
commemoration simply to score points against the Turkish government.
And why is Turkey the new villain? Because it has not been as
subservient to U.S. policies and because it has been unduly critical
of Israel. Unfortunately, because genocide commemoration has been
stymied for so many years by many of these hawks and their allies,
there is going to be an impulse to capitalize on the situation, push
through the genocide resolution when resistance is at its weakest, and
thereby guarantee that Turkish-Armenian relations will remain in limbo
for years and decades to come.
There is an opportunity here for the Republic of Armenia and Diasporan
Armenians to generate some goodwill in Turkey by supporting Turkey's
complaints over the raid and the blockade, and possibly revive the
chances of Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. That opportunity will be
lost if Armenia and American supporters of genocide commemoration
effectively throw in their lot with a government that has subjected a
large civilian population to immiseration and poverty and has killed
civilians who were attempting to bring them aid. Congress should pass
the resolution, but it should do so in an atmosphere in which it is
clear that it is not part of a petulant attack on the modern Turkish
republic, and it certainly should not pass it as part of the general
anti-Turkish hysteria building in Congress on account of Congressional
support for Israel's wrongdoing against Turkey.
http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2010/06/11/u-s-hawks-have-suddenly-discovered-the-armenian-genocide/
From: A. Papazian