by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Octorber 10, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

o country wants to acknowledge atrocities committed on any group, race or population. Germany had to face the music and pay for the crimes of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich with the Holocaust, his systematic attempt to exterminate European Jews. Hitler learned from the Ottoman Turks, whose mass extermination of Armenians preceded the Holocaust by a quarter century. Yet unlike Germany, Turkey refuses to acknowledge the overwhelming historical record documenting atrocities against Armenians. Sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a House resolution attempts to set the record straight calling the Turk's1915-21 ethnic cleansing, killing up to 1.5 million Armenians, genocide. Turkey objects to the word “genocide,” threatening to break-off diplomatic relations with the U.S., interrupting vital supply lines for prosecuting the Iraq War.

      History doesn't play politics but must, to the greatest extent possible, record events without regard to political correctness. Germany and other European countries made it a crime to deny the Holocaust, Europe's darkest chapter, where otherwise moral and principled countries acquiesced to one of the most atrocious events in human history. Before the Holocaust, Polish scholar Raphael Lempkin presented his essay on “Crime of Barbarity” in 1933 to the League of Nations in Madrid, making state-sponsored mass murder a crime against international law. Lempkin cited historical barbarism, including the 1915-21 Turkish slaughter of Armenians and 1933 massacre of Assyrians in Iraq as good historic cases. It wasn't until 1948, after the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals, that a newly minted United Nations adopted Lemkin's 1943 definition of genocide.

      Lemkin coined the term “genocide” in 1943 to mark the Nazi's systemic slaughter of Euopeans Jews. Ten years earlier, he harked back to the Ottoman Turk's methodical annihilation of Armenians. “We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915. This resolution is not the right response to those historic mass killings,” said President George W. Bush, concerned about political fallout from Turkey. Bush can't have it both ways: Calling Saddam Hussein a genocidal maniac for his 1988 poison gas attack on the Kurds at Halabja but sparing the Turks from the unspeakable label of genocide. Over 90 years have passed since the Turks massacred the Armenians and history can't wait any longer for convenient political excuses. If Turkey breaks off diplomatic relations or blocks supply lines to Iraq, the U.S. must find a different route.

      Schiff's resolution is long overdue for his constituents in Glendale, Calif, the largest Armenian population in the United States, estimated at about 85,000. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged the House to avoid antagonizing Turkey. “We recognize the feelings of those who want to express their concern or their disdain for what happened many years ago,” said Rice. “But the passage of this resolution at this time would, indeed, be very problematic for everything that we're trying to do in the Middle East because we are very dependent on a good Turkish strategic ally to help with our efforts,” divulging to the world how the U.S. compromises principles to exploit its allies. No Secretary of State should tell the world how “dependent” the U.S. is on any ally or foe. There can be no compromise when it comes to accurately recording history. France already resolved that the Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians.

      When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke Sept. 24 at Columbia University, the White House raised loud objections. They protested because Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust and refuses to stop enriching uranium. Allowing Turkey to blackmail the U.S. into accepting a revisionist view of history is shameful. “In the case that Armenian allegations are accepted, there will be serious problems in the relations between the two countries,” Turkish President Abdullah Gul wrote President Bush in a letter. Bush should write him back that the U.S. Congress doesn't rewrite history. What he calls “allegations” are part of a long-overdue historical record that must be recognized and accepted by all U.N. members pledged to human rights. No amount of quibbling can change what Gul's ancestors did to the Armenians between 1915-21. It's Turkey's turn to accept history.

      There's no timing when it comes to accepting recognized historical facts. Armenians have watched intently over 50 years while the world recognized, acknowledged, accepted and remedied Nazi genocide against the Jews. No person of conscience can continue to deny the Turkish genocide against Armenians. Nations, like the United States, that crusade for human rights around the globe must accept history and manage the fallout. If Turkey ever expects to enter the European Union, it needs to face its past, like Germany has for the past 52 years. “The United States has a compelling historical and moral reason to recognize the Armenian genocide, which cost a million-and-a-half people their lives,” said Schiff, urging the White House to stop pandering to Turkey. If Turkey breaks off relations or threatens the Kurds, the U.S. has to deal with the consequences.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2005 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.