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Kerry's Dilemma: The Groupthink On Turkey

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  • Kerry's Dilemma: The Groupthink On Turkey

    Kerry's Dilemma: The Groupthink On Turkey

    Secretary of State John Kerry

    BY SETO BOYADJIAN, ESQ.


    Last week Sen. John Kerry - a long-time supporter of Armenian American
    issues - was confirmed as our new Secretary of State. In the process
    of his confirmation hearing, Kerry shied away from his continued
    stance on Armenian issues and revealed a new face, which in fact is
    the old face of the outgoing Secretary Hillary Clinton.

    In his responses to the written questionnaires submitted by Senators
    Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Kerry sounded
    pathetic enough to evade his outspoken convictions on the Armenian
    Genocide and Armenia. At the same time he sounded hypocritical enough
    to reflect President Obama's unabashed retreat on Armenian issues.

    We have become accustomed to this kind of `change of heart' by our
    friends on Capitol Hill as soon as they are offered the opportunity to
    hold an executive pedestal within the Administration. As such, there
    must be an explanation to the about-face of `friends' such as Obama,
    Biden, Clinton, Kerry and their ilk.

    The explanation lies in the groupthink on Turkey that is embedded
    within the National Security Council circles and State Department
    staffers. This groupthink expresses itself in favor of Turkey on all
    issues that relate to Armenia and Armenian American concerns.

    Groupthink on Turkey at the level of the Administration operates in
    rationalizing and decision making to support, to please and to appease
    Turkey irrespective of prevalent realities that manifest harmful
    consequences to U.S. interests. This is an utterly biased practice
    that has been going on unchallenged over that past fifty years.

    In meetings and dealings with the White House and State Department
    staffers on Armenian American concerns, it is easily detected how they
    display an instinctive as well as rationalized conformity to a policy
    that blindly favors Turkey. When confronted with hard political and
    geopolitical facts denoting the damaging effects of Turkish positions
    on U.S. strategic interests, they try to minimize or ignore the
    problem and stubbornly adhere to their fallacious analysis of the
    problem.

    Groupthink on Turkey is so perfected that our policy makers in the
    Administration are not bothered with their incorrect or deviant
    decisions that place our national interests in the harm's way.

    A case in point is the overblown assumption that Turkey is a valuable
    and loyal ally. Time and again Turkey has evidenced that its
    credentials as a U.S. ally - let alone as valuable and loyal - is
    highly dubious. Turkey, just like any other country, pursues its own
    national interest. In this pursuit it has crossed and conflicted with
    U.S. strategic interest over and over again. Since 2002, the Erdogan
    government, with its Ottoman empirical ambitions and Islamist
    penchants, has repeatedly proven that it has no qualms in ignoring and
    even confronting U.S. interests.

    Another case in point is the exaggerated importance of Turkey in
    geopolitical terms. Turkey is an important country. It carries its
    weight in the region. However, in reference to the South Caucasus,
    Turkey's geopolitical importance is counterbalanced in significant
    measures by Armenia. Given the current regional realities and the
    prevalent instabilities in Georgia and Azerbaijan, Armenia is an
    important gatekeeper to Eurasia in general and to the South Central
    Asian countries in particular. In reference to the latter Armenia
    becomes significantly important given those countries' proximity to
    China and China's relations with the U.S.

    Turkey is not the only country that carries geopolitical weight in the
    region. Armenia, with its geographic location and stability, presents
    significant geopolitical importance to U.S. strategic interests in the
    region. Turkey has made one of its main political objectives to
    minimize Armenia's geopolitical importance in the eyes of U.S. and the
    West. The Baku-Ceyhan pipeline is a glaring example of Turkish
    attempts to bypass Armenia, thereby trying to diminish Armenia's
    geopolitical value.

    Unfortunately, the U.S. groupthink on Turkey has become a major
    obstacle for our policy makers to render Armenia its due share of
    importance. As explained by the groupthink theory pioneer Irving
    Janis, the groupthink `tends to override realistic appraisal of
    alternative courses of action.' Such an attitude does not serve our
    national interest well.

    Secretary Kerry became the new victim of groupthink on Turkey. The
    choice now rests with him not too victimize U.S. interests to this
    groupthink process. This choice is also Kerry's dilemma.

    Seto Boyadjian is an attorney and serves on the national board of ANCA.

    http://asbarez.com/108218/kerry%E2%80%99s-dilemma-the-groupthink-on-turkey/

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