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THE SAME FILM, OVER AND OVER AGAIN
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=the-same-film-over-and-over-again-2010-12-23
Dec 23 2010
Turkey
The Armenian community of North America is disappointed again. This
time the object of its ire is outgoing U.S. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi. Armenian-Americans clearly feel a "golden opportunity" was
allowed to slip by, thus preventing them once more from "catching
Turkey."
Put briefly, the anti-Turkish mood in the U.S. Congress over Ankara's
Iran and Israel policies was expected to swing the balance against
Turkey this time. The fact that Pelosi has always fervently supported
the Armenian cause clearly fuelled expectations further.
Once more it was seen, however, that U.S. national interests carry
more weight than constituency considerations, even if there is anger
in Congress directed at Turkey. The Turkish media also reported that
incoming House Speaker John Boehner was influential in ensuring the
Armenian resolution was not passed.
If true, this would mean Boehner did not want U.S.-Turkish relations
to sustain any further blows given that the present state of ties
is not so great anyway. He probably also felt that a serious blow
to these ties would undermine what little chance there may be for a
rapprochement between Turkey and Israel.
It is certain, however, that none of this will deter the highly
motivated Armenian lobby in the United States - especially in the
lead-up to the 100th anniversary of the events of 1915. Put another
way, we can expect a similar "Armenian genocide resolution" to come
up in the U.S. Congress as early as next spring.
But whether the Armenian community's hand will be any stronger
than it is today remains an open question. There is also a new and
increasingly significant phenomenon that has to be factored in by
Armenian-Americans.
The Turkish-American community has started displaying much more
solidarity and strength, and has been acting much more in unison,
and with a clearer focus on its target, than it did a decade or so ago.
Many members of this community are professional and influential U.S.
citizens who are endowed with the capacity to make themselves listened
to, and understood.
Gunay Evinch, the president of the Assembly of Turkish-American
Associations, and Kaya Boztepe, the president of the Federation of
Turkish-American Associations, both expressed their gratitude for
this in a joint statement they issued to the Turkish community after
Pelosi failed to bring the resolution recognizing Armenian claims of
genocide to a vote.
But they also cautioned Turkish-Americans that "the years ahead will
continue to be a challenge" in this respect. In other words, there is
still much to be done by Turkish-Americans as they rally and organize
in order to counter the anti-Turkish initiatives of the Armenian lobby.
Put briefly, after the suspense of the earlier part of this week,
we are again at the "I've seen this film before" stage as far as this
bout of the "genocide resolution" fight is concerned. Neither is there
much to indicate that this vicious circle will be broken anytime soon.
Turkey has gained too much critical mass both politically and
economically in the international arena, thus making it harder - even
for Congressmen or Congresswomen who hate Turkey - to be lackadaisical
about the state of Turkish-American ties.
There are, of course, the many lawsuits by Armenians in California
against Turkey, Turkish institutions and companies that did business
in the Ottoman Empire, as Evinch and Boztepe pointed out in their
joint statement.
One of these goes so far as to lay claim to the land occupied by
the İncirlik Airbase near Adana, while another lays claim to the
Presidential Palace in Ankara. But few legal experts expect these
cases to get anywhere in real terms, regardless of what publicity
they may ultimately provide Armenians for their cause.
Not withstanding the "I've seen this film before" stage, we are also
at the "It can't go on like this" stage as far as sensible people
on both sides are concerned. But it is clear that these are not the
most popular people among the diehards on both sides of the seemingly
unbridgeable divide between Turks and Armenians.
It was these hard-line elements that eventually scuttled the Zurich
Protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia, which proposed normalized
relations among the two nations. The hardliners on both sides hated
these protocols from the start, indicating in so many words that they
are prepared to continue with what a Turkish nationalist historian
calls "the blood feud of the century," for another 100 years if
need be.
This is why there is a need for more logical and sensible people to
try and do their bit in an effort to build bridges between the two
peoples that will help chip away at the ossified paradigms of hatred
that have been allowed to develop on both sides.
There is a need, in this context, to increase contacts between ordinary
Turks and Armenians, a prospect that is not as impossible as it may
sound to some people. This is, in fact, already happening silently
between Turks from Turkey and Armenians from Armenia. Despite the
failure to implement the Zurich Protocols, cultural contacts are
increasing.
The fact that the Armenian Surp Hac Church on Akdamar Island in
eastern Turkey, near the city of Van, will be open to prayer on holy
days will also make a contribution in this respect, especially now
that the cross of the church has been put in its rightful place as
demanded by Armenian religious leaders.
Van is, of course, central to the bloody Turkish-Armenian experience
and any healing process that might start there will have great
significance. There is also a need for the Turkish and Armenian
communities in the West, and especially in the United States, to
try and reach out to each other. The battle lines between the two
communities appear so set that there seems little hope for this at
first glance.
But there are still sensible people in both communities that realize
the present state of affairs between the two peoples can not go on
like this forever. Neither is calling for bridges to be built between
these estranged people as "utopian" as the hot-heads on both sides
would like to make it out to be.
If Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian are doing such a wonderful job
(and I would strongly recommend www.theyoungturks.com to everyone)
there seems little reason why other Turks and Armenians cannot work
out their differences, and learn to work together just like these
two young people.
It all comes down to whether we want "an eye for an eye," or whether we
want to try to and understand each other's pain by exercising strong,
and "cathartic," empathy. Maintaining enmity is always easy.
Empathy and understanding is the hard part.
While the odds are stacked to the advantage of the radicals and
hot-heads on both sides, there nevertheless exists the possibility
for sensible Turks and Armenians to try and chip away at what appears
to be a hatred of monolithic proportions.
The only alternative to this seems to be that we will continue to see
a repeat of a film that we have seen over and over again for the past
30 odd years.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=the-same-film-over-and-over-again-2010-12-23
Dec 23 2010
Turkey
The Armenian community of North America is disappointed again. This
time the object of its ire is outgoing U.S. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi. Armenian-Americans clearly feel a "golden opportunity" was
allowed to slip by, thus preventing them once more from "catching
Turkey."
Put briefly, the anti-Turkish mood in the U.S. Congress over Ankara's
Iran and Israel policies was expected to swing the balance against
Turkey this time. The fact that Pelosi has always fervently supported
the Armenian cause clearly fuelled expectations further.
Once more it was seen, however, that U.S. national interests carry
more weight than constituency considerations, even if there is anger
in Congress directed at Turkey. The Turkish media also reported that
incoming House Speaker John Boehner was influential in ensuring the
Armenian resolution was not passed.
If true, this would mean Boehner did not want U.S.-Turkish relations
to sustain any further blows given that the present state of ties
is not so great anyway. He probably also felt that a serious blow
to these ties would undermine what little chance there may be for a
rapprochement between Turkey and Israel.
It is certain, however, that none of this will deter the highly
motivated Armenian lobby in the United States - especially in the
lead-up to the 100th anniversary of the events of 1915. Put another
way, we can expect a similar "Armenian genocide resolution" to come
up in the U.S. Congress as early as next spring.
But whether the Armenian community's hand will be any stronger
than it is today remains an open question. There is also a new and
increasingly significant phenomenon that has to be factored in by
Armenian-Americans.
The Turkish-American community has started displaying much more
solidarity and strength, and has been acting much more in unison,
and with a clearer focus on its target, than it did a decade or so ago.
Many members of this community are professional and influential U.S.
citizens who are endowed with the capacity to make themselves listened
to, and understood.
Gunay Evinch, the president of the Assembly of Turkish-American
Associations, and Kaya Boztepe, the president of the Federation of
Turkish-American Associations, both expressed their gratitude for
this in a joint statement they issued to the Turkish community after
Pelosi failed to bring the resolution recognizing Armenian claims of
genocide to a vote.
But they also cautioned Turkish-Americans that "the years ahead will
continue to be a challenge" in this respect. In other words, there is
still much to be done by Turkish-Americans as they rally and organize
in order to counter the anti-Turkish initiatives of the Armenian lobby.
Put briefly, after the suspense of the earlier part of this week,
we are again at the "I've seen this film before" stage as far as this
bout of the "genocide resolution" fight is concerned. Neither is there
much to indicate that this vicious circle will be broken anytime soon.
Turkey has gained too much critical mass both politically and
economically in the international arena, thus making it harder - even
for Congressmen or Congresswomen who hate Turkey - to be lackadaisical
about the state of Turkish-American ties.
There are, of course, the many lawsuits by Armenians in California
against Turkey, Turkish institutions and companies that did business
in the Ottoman Empire, as Evinch and Boztepe pointed out in their
joint statement.
One of these goes so far as to lay claim to the land occupied by
the İncirlik Airbase near Adana, while another lays claim to the
Presidential Palace in Ankara. But few legal experts expect these
cases to get anywhere in real terms, regardless of what publicity
they may ultimately provide Armenians for their cause.
Not withstanding the "I've seen this film before" stage, we are also
at the "It can't go on like this" stage as far as sensible people
on both sides are concerned. But it is clear that these are not the
most popular people among the diehards on both sides of the seemingly
unbridgeable divide between Turks and Armenians.
It was these hard-line elements that eventually scuttled the Zurich
Protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia, which proposed normalized
relations among the two nations. The hardliners on both sides hated
these protocols from the start, indicating in so many words that they
are prepared to continue with what a Turkish nationalist historian
calls "the blood feud of the century," for another 100 years if
need be.
This is why there is a need for more logical and sensible people to
try and do their bit in an effort to build bridges between the two
peoples that will help chip away at the ossified paradigms of hatred
that have been allowed to develop on both sides.
There is a need, in this context, to increase contacts between ordinary
Turks and Armenians, a prospect that is not as impossible as it may
sound to some people. This is, in fact, already happening silently
between Turks from Turkey and Armenians from Armenia. Despite the
failure to implement the Zurich Protocols, cultural contacts are
increasing.
The fact that the Armenian Surp Hac Church on Akdamar Island in
eastern Turkey, near the city of Van, will be open to prayer on holy
days will also make a contribution in this respect, especially now
that the cross of the church has been put in its rightful place as
demanded by Armenian religious leaders.
Van is, of course, central to the bloody Turkish-Armenian experience
and any healing process that might start there will have great
significance. There is also a need for the Turkish and Armenian
communities in the West, and especially in the United States, to
try and reach out to each other. The battle lines between the two
communities appear so set that there seems little hope for this at
first glance.
But there are still sensible people in both communities that realize
the present state of affairs between the two peoples can not go on
like this forever. Neither is calling for bridges to be built between
these estranged people as "utopian" as the hot-heads on both sides
would like to make it out to be.
If Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian are doing such a wonderful job
(and I would strongly recommend www.theyoungturks.com to everyone)
there seems little reason why other Turks and Armenians cannot work
out their differences, and learn to work together just like these
two young people.
It all comes down to whether we want "an eye for an eye," or whether we
want to try to and understand each other's pain by exercising strong,
and "cathartic," empathy. Maintaining enmity is always easy.
Empathy and understanding is the hard part.
While the odds are stacked to the advantage of the radicals and
hot-heads on both sides, there nevertheless exists the possibility
for sensible Turks and Armenians to try and chip away at what appears
to be a hatred of monolithic proportions.
The only alternative to this seems to be that we will continue to see
a repeat of a film that we have seen over and over again for the past
30 odd years.
From: A. Papazian