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RATIONALIZING GENOCIDE DENIAL: ASBAREZ'S RESPONSE TO LIBARIDIAN
http://asbarez.com/112300/rationalizing-genocide-denial-asbarezs-response-to-libaridian/
Wednesday, July 31st, 2013
Genocide denial
On June 5, Asbarez published an article by its editor, Ara
Khachatourian, entitled "Armenian Scholars at the Center of Genocide
Denial," in which he questioned the participation of Armenian scholars
at a conference in Tbilisi organized by the Turkish Studies Project
of the University of Utah, which is funded by the notorious Genocide
denial-machine known as the Turkish Coalition of America.
Arguing that the participation of Armenian scholars in such conferences
feeds into the decades-long Turkish denialist efforts, Khachatourian
challenged the Armenian scholars who went to Tbilisi to "be accountable
to the public" and through the Armenian press "report on their efforts
to 'counter' Genocide denial in these forums."
Asbarez subsequently published a letter to the editor on the matter
and republished a piece from its sister publication, The Armenian
Weekly, entitled "The Case Against Legitimizing Genocide Deniers:
Scholars Speak Up," in which several prominent scholars expressed
their views on the Tbilisi conference.
Soon after the publication of the aforementioned articles, Asbarez
was contacted by Professor Jirair Libaridian, who was scheduled
to deliver a keynote at the Tbilisi conference, asking for an
opportunity to respond to the articles. Libaridian was the former
adviser to President Levon Ter-Petrosian and one of the architects
of the failed Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission, which had
an agenda to discuss the "historical fact" of the Armenian Genocide
and emboldened the notion argued by Turks that the veracity of the
Genocide can be questioned within political and academic circles.
We received his response, in which he terms the Asbarez article
"libelous," and are publishing it simultaneously with our response.
While Libaridian claims he is answering the challenge put forth
by Khachatourian in his initial article, the response is a lengthy
rationalization of Armenian scholars' participation in conferences
organized by Turkish denialists as well as misplaced attacks on
Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly. Judge for yourself.
It is also worth noting that the Turkish press and the TCA went
to great lengths to admonish Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly,
accusing the publications of "doing everything they can to block
the way forward, even putting heavy pressure on Armenians who want
to participate in these programs. In this way, many intellectuals
are prevented from joining in the general process of compromise and
solution-finding [Today's Zaman 6/19/2012]." The same publication
dubbed the Armenians who participated in the conference as scholars
who are "open to compromise."
Similarly, the TCA, in an electronic newsletter sent to its supporters
condemned Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly for "humiliating" and
"threatening" the scholars who took part in the Tbilisi conference.
The TCA went on to deny the Genocide further by saying: "The fact
remains that the full narrative of the contested historical period is
still a matter of controversy among historians and other scholars. The
continued study of this period in Ottoman-Armenian relations is
essential. But such study should not require a genocide-or-not-genocide
litmus test as an entry point."
A US Federal Appeals Court in May 2012 designated TCA as an
organization engaging in Genocide denial when it sued an academic
institution for advancing Genocide awareness. In his response,
Libaridian neglects to discuss the TCA's denialist track record and
the impact the organization had on the Tbilisi conference and on
Genocide denial generally.
Libaridian's assertion that Asbarez, Khachatourian or The Armenian
Weekly should have contacted him prior to publishing the articles,
which he calls an "assault," is unwarranted since Khachatourian and the
subsequent articles substantiated the premise and, in Khachatourian's
case, challenged the Armenian scholars in attendance to present to
the public the thesis they presented, not merely as justification
for participation but to enlighten the Armenian public at large about
the ways in which they are countering denialist efforts, even if they
are attending conferences organized by rabid deniers. Incidentally,
none of the participants have answered Khachatourian's call as of
the date of this publication.
"We believe that denialist-funded and denialist-organized conferences
are best left to denialists," wrote The Armenian Weekly in its response
to the same article by Libaridian.
It seems Libaridian is outraged that Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly
informed their readers about the existence of such a conference. If
we had not shed light on the Tbilisi conference, Libaridian and the
academicians who participated in the conference would have gone
about their business of scholarship without being called to task
or accountability.
In its response, the Weekly also argued that "Had Holocaust scholars
not had the wisdom to marginalize Holocaust deniers decades ago,
they would still be arguing with fringe elements because denialists
will never be satisfied with any amount of evidence presented."
We remain steadfast in our opposition to any effort to deny the
Armenian Genocide or dispute its veracity. Hence our publication's
strong stance against the dangerous Armenia-Turkey Protocols and its
predecessor-enabler-the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission. At
the same time, we reiterate the challenge posed by Khachatourian
in his initial article to the Armenian scholars who attended the
Tbilisi conference.
From: A. Papazian
http://asbarez.com/112300/rationalizing-genocide-denial-asbarezs-response-to-libaridian/
Wednesday, July 31st, 2013
Genocide denial
On June 5, Asbarez published an article by its editor, Ara
Khachatourian, entitled "Armenian Scholars at the Center of Genocide
Denial," in which he questioned the participation of Armenian scholars
at a conference in Tbilisi organized by the Turkish Studies Project
of the University of Utah, which is funded by the notorious Genocide
denial-machine known as the Turkish Coalition of America.
Arguing that the participation of Armenian scholars in such conferences
feeds into the decades-long Turkish denialist efforts, Khachatourian
challenged the Armenian scholars who went to Tbilisi to "be accountable
to the public" and through the Armenian press "report on their efforts
to 'counter' Genocide denial in these forums."
Asbarez subsequently published a letter to the editor on the matter
and republished a piece from its sister publication, The Armenian
Weekly, entitled "The Case Against Legitimizing Genocide Deniers:
Scholars Speak Up," in which several prominent scholars expressed
their views on the Tbilisi conference.
Soon after the publication of the aforementioned articles, Asbarez
was contacted by Professor Jirair Libaridian, who was scheduled
to deliver a keynote at the Tbilisi conference, asking for an
opportunity to respond to the articles. Libaridian was the former
adviser to President Levon Ter-Petrosian and one of the architects
of the failed Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission, which had
an agenda to discuss the "historical fact" of the Armenian Genocide
and emboldened the notion argued by Turks that the veracity of the
Genocide can be questioned within political and academic circles.
We received his response, in which he terms the Asbarez article
"libelous," and are publishing it simultaneously with our response.
While Libaridian claims he is answering the challenge put forth
by Khachatourian in his initial article, the response is a lengthy
rationalization of Armenian scholars' participation in conferences
organized by Turkish denialists as well as misplaced attacks on
Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly. Judge for yourself.
It is also worth noting that the Turkish press and the TCA went
to great lengths to admonish Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly,
accusing the publications of "doing everything they can to block
the way forward, even putting heavy pressure on Armenians who want
to participate in these programs. In this way, many intellectuals
are prevented from joining in the general process of compromise and
solution-finding [Today's Zaman 6/19/2012]." The same publication
dubbed the Armenians who participated in the conference as scholars
who are "open to compromise."
Similarly, the TCA, in an electronic newsletter sent to its supporters
condemned Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly for "humiliating" and
"threatening" the scholars who took part in the Tbilisi conference.
The TCA went on to deny the Genocide further by saying: "The fact
remains that the full narrative of the contested historical period is
still a matter of controversy among historians and other scholars. The
continued study of this period in Ottoman-Armenian relations is
essential. But such study should not require a genocide-or-not-genocide
litmus test as an entry point."
A US Federal Appeals Court in May 2012 designated TCA as an
organization engaging in Genocide denial when it sued an academic
institution for advancing Genocide awareness. In his response,
Libaridian neglects to discuss the TCA's denialist track record and
the impact the organization had on the Tbilisi conference and on
Genocide denial generally.
Libaridian's assertion that Asbarez, Khachatourian or The Armenian
Weekly should have contacted him prior to publishing the articles,
which he calls an "assault," is unwarranted since Khachatourian and the
subsequent articles substantiated the premise and, in Khachatourian's
case, challenged the Armenian scholars in attendance to present to
the public the thesis they presented, not merely as justification
for participation but to enlighten the Armenian public at large about
the ways in which they are countering denialist efforts, even if they
are attending conferences organized by rabid deniers. Incidentally,
none of the participants have answered Khachatourian's call as of
the date of this publication.
"We believe that denialist-funded and denialist-organized conferences
are best left to denialists," wrote The Armenian Weekly in its response
to the same article by Libaridian.
It seems Libaridian is outraged that Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly
informed their readers about the existence of such a conference. If
we had not shed light on the Tbilisi conference, Libaridian and the
academicians who participated in the conference would have gone
about their business of scholarship without being called to task
or accountability.
In its response, the Weekly also argued that "Had Holocaust scholars
not had the wisdom to marginalize Holocaust deniers decades ago,
they would still be arguing with fringe elements because denialists
will never be satisfied with any amount of evidence presented."
We remain steadfast in our opposition to any effort to deny the
Armenian Genocide or dispute its veracity. Hence our publication's
strong stance against the dangerous Armenia-Turkey Protocols and its
predecessor-enabler-the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission. At
the same time, we reiterate the challenge posed by Khachatourian
in his initial article to the Armenian scholars who attended the
Tbilisi conference.
From: A. Papazian