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BEING RIGHT AND WRONG AT THE SAME TIME
by JOOST LAGENDIJK
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
This week Turkey is again forced to use all its power of persuasion
and its political, economic and diplomatic clout to try and stop
another country from meddling with Turkey's national history.
We have been here before and it is no surprise to see what the fuss
is all about: the Armenian massacres in 1915 and whether or not they
should be labeled as genocide. This time it is the French senate that
is about to vote on a proposal to criminalize the denial of what the
French state officially considers genocide. If this new legislation
is adopted, everyone who explicitly disagrees with the French reading
of history will be punished by a maximum one-year prison sentence or
a 45,000 euro fine.
The Turkish government is fully right in trying to prevent such a
ludicrous decision for two reasons. The first is that determining what
happened in the past is definitively not a task for politicians but
for historians. Parliamentarians should simply stay out of historical
debates.
The second reason why Turkey has a good point is the fact that this
new law violates the very freedom of speech the French always claim to
uphold. Are these French lawmakers the heirs to Voltaire, the French
philosopher who famously said: "I may not agree with what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it"? Or are they
spineless opportunists who are willing to sacrifice their professed
principles in return for some expected electoral benefits? Can you
imagine the cries of indignation these same people would produce if
Turkey adopts a similar piece of legislation, punishing those who
disagree with the official Turkish state version of history?
At the same time, Turkey is also wrong. Wrong in thinking it can
keep on bullying and blackmailing its way out of these uncomfortable
situations. It is an illusion to think that in the run-up to the 1915
centenary, the pressure on Turkey will decrease. Whether or not Turkey
likes it, there is a widely shared feeling among many all over the
world -- including many friends of Turkey -- that the time has come
for Turkey to come to terms with these dark pages in its history,
both for its own good and for the sake of good relations with its
neighbor Armenia.
No country wants to be forced to accept a stranger's version of its
own history. That is why all these genocide recognition initiatives
coming from the Armenian diaspora were never going to produce a change
of mind among Turks. To the contrary, they created resentment and
anger. What Turkey needs is a debate among Turks about what happened
in 1915. Based on a new, unprejudiced reading of history, using all
the pieces of information that have already been gathered by Turkish,
Armenian and other specialists.
That is why Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 2005 proposal to
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan to establish a joint commission
of historians was such a good idea. That is why it is such a pity
that the 2009 Turkish-Armenian protocols that would have led to the
establishment of such a body have still not been ratified. But why
should Turkey wait any longer to start something that needs to be
done anyway?
Three weeks ago, during a visit to Turkey, Alain Juppé, the French
foreign minister who does not see eye to eye on this issue with
President Nicolas Sarkozy, came up with an offer that went almost
unnoticed at the time. He said his country would be willing to host
a Turkish-Armenian joint history commission meeting to at least start
a dialogue on the events of 1915 that are so painful to both peoples.
It is easy to be cynical about his offer or to conclude immediately
that it will never work. Yes, it won't be easy and no, there is no
guarantee that such a mixed group of historians will come up with a
shared vision that will convince both Turks and Armenians. But it is
worth trying. Instead of constantly trying to block others, would it
not be wise, clever and surprising for Turkey to respond positively
and take the lead in trying to find a solution to a problem that,
if kept unsolved, will keep on haunting Turkey? Why is there no
Turkish delegation in Paris this week to discuss the details of his
plan with Juppé?
by JOOST LAGENDIJK
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
This week Turkey is again forced to use all its power of persuasion
and its political, economic and diplomatic clout to try and stop
another country from meddling with Turkey's national history.
We have been here before and it is no surprise to see what the fuss
is all about: the Armenian massacres in 1915 and whether or not they
should be labeled as genocide. This time it is the French senate that
is about to vote on a proposal to criminalize the denial of what the
French state officially considers genocide. If this new legislation
is adopted, everyone who explicitly disagrees with the French reading
of history will be punished by a maximum one-year prison sentence or
a 45,000 euro fine.
The Turkish government is fully right in trying to prevent such a
ludicrous decision for two reasons. The first is that determining what
happened in the past is definitively not a task for politicians but
for historians. Parliamentarians should simply stay out of historical
debates.
The second reason why Turkey has a good point is the fact that this
new law violates the very freedom of speech the French always claim to
uphold. Are these French lawmakers the heirs to Voltaire, the French
philosopher who famously said: "I may not agree with what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it"? Or are they
spineless opportunists who are willing to sacrifice their professed
principles in return for some expected electoral benefits? Can you
imagine the cries of indignation these same people would produce if
Turkey adopts a similar piece of legislation, punishing those who
disagree with the official Turkish state version of history?
At the same time, Turkey is also wrong. Wrong in thinking it can
keep on bullying and blackmailing its way out of these uncomfortable
situations. It is an illusion to think that in the run-up to the 1915
centenary, the pressure on Turkey will decrease. Whether or not Turkey
likes it, there is a widely shared feeling among many all over the
world -- including many friends of Turkey -- that the time has come
for Turkey to come to terms with these dark pages in its history,
both for its own good and for the sake of good relations with its
neighbor Armenia.
No country wants to be forced to accept a stranger's version of its
own history. That is why all these genocide recognition initiatives
coming from the Armenian diaspora were never going to produce a change
of mind among Turks. To the contrary, they created resentment and
anger. What Turkey needs is a debate among Turks about what happened
in 1915. Based on a new, unprejudiced reading of history, using all
the pieces of information that have already been gathered by Turkish,
Armenian and other specialists.
That is why Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 2005 proposal to
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan to establish a joint commission
of historians was such a good idea. That is why it is such a pity
that the 2009 Turkish-Armenian protocols that would have led to the
establishment of such a body have still not been ratified. But why
should Turkey wait any longer to start something that needs to be
done anyway?
Three weeks ago, during a visit to Turkey, Alain Juppé, the French
foreign minister who does not see eye to eye on this issue with
President Nicolas Sarkozy, came up with an offer that went almost
unnoticed at the time. He said his country would be willing to host
a Turkish-Armenian joint history commission meeting to at least start
a dialogue on the events of 1915 that are so painful to both peoples.
It is easy to be cynical about his offer or to conclude immediately
that it will never work. Yes, it won't be easy and no, there is no
guarantee that such a mixed group of historians will come up with a
shared vision that will convince both Turks and Armenians. But it is
worth trying. Instead of constantly trying to block others, would it
not be wise, clever and surprising for Turkey to respond positively
and take the lead in trying to find a solution to a problem that,
if kept unsolved, will keep on haunting Turkey? Why is there no
Turkish delegation in Paris this week to discuss the details of his
plan with Juppé?