Tweet
'FACTS SHOULD DRIVE' GENOCIDE ANALYSIS, SAYS POWER
http://asbarez.com/111725/%E2%80%98facts-should-drive%E2%80%99-genocide-analysis-says-power/
Thursday, July 18th, 2013
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
and Ranking Republican Robert Corker (R-TN) with U.S. Ambassador to
the UN nominee Samantha Power (AP Photo)
WASHINGTON-UN Ambassador-nominee Samantha Power said during her
confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Wednesday that "facts should drive" analysis of Genocide.
This came in response to a series of questions from committee chairman,
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who was probing Power's position on
Genocide, given her past record of being an advocate for Armenian
Genocide recognition.
Power played an instrumental role in getting Sen. Obama to issue
a strongly-worded statement on the Armenian Genocide and Armenian
issues in general during Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. She also
made a videoin which she recounted Sen. Obama's outstanding record
on issues of special concern to Armenian Americans, including his
"very forthright statement on the Armenian Genocide; his support for
the Senate Resolution acknowledging the Genocide; his willingness as
President to commemorate it and call a 'spade a spade'; and to speak
the truth about it."
Power failed to deliver-just as the Obama Administration-on her pledge
to get US recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
"Is genocide, genocide when all of the facts that we observe would
lead to a conclusion that a genocide has taken place, or is that only
when it is convenient to acknowledge it as genocide?" asked Menendez.
"The former, the facts should drive the analysis," responded Power.
"And if the facts drive the analysis, then we should call that set
of actions-whether historical in nature or present, god forbid-in
reality a genocide," queried Menendez.
"I believe so, yes," said Power.
"Is violation of human rights a violation of human rights depending
upon where it takes place, or is it universal?" asked Menendez,
to which Power responded: "Universal, sir."
"I think you understand why I asked you those questions. And I
hope that your past history in this regard-even in the context of
understanding the new role that you'll play-will not diminish your
fire for making the case internally why genocide should be called
genocide when the historical facts attain themselves to that standard,"
Menendez told Power, who had no response to the statement.
Menendez told Power that he is "incredibly appreciative of the
principled position you've taken on the Armenian Genocide."
At the start of the highly anticipated and widely broadcast hearing,
Chairman Menendez noted that, "You have been an unrelenting, principled
voice when it comes to human rights and crimes against humanity -
and I know that voice will be heard around the world - should you
be confirmed," adding: "Personally, I am incredibly appreciative of
the principled position you've taken on the Armenian Genocide. In
2007, you wrote in Time Magazine - 'a stable, fruitful, 21st century
relationship' [with Turkey] cannot be built on a lie,' and I completely
agree," reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
The New Jersey Democrat also stressed that, "Your belief that we should
use the lessons of what clearly was an atrocity of historic proportions
to prevent future crimes against humanity is a view consistent with my
own and which is supported by your role on the President's Atrocities
Prevention Board. I agree that we must acknowledge and study the past,
understand how and why atrocities happen, to put-into-practice and
giving meaning to the phrase, "never again."
Watch the video of the opening remarks by Chairman Menendez.
http://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/chair/release/chairman-menenadez-opening-statement-at-nomination-hearing-for-samantha-power-to-serve-as-us-ambassador-to-the-united-nations
Watch the hearing
http://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/nomination-07-17-2013
In 2003, Power received the Pulitzer Prize in literature for the best
general non-fiction book was awarded to Samantha Power for her book
"A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide."
Power's book revisited the Armenian Genocide-the Holocaust-Cambodia's
Khmer Rouge-Iraqi attacks on Kurdish populations-Rwanda-and
Bosnian ethnic cleansing. Power makes a compelling argument that US
intervention in all these instances of genocide has been inadequate.
http://asbarez.com/111725/%E2%80%98facts-should-drive%E2%80%99-genocide-analysis-says-power/
Thursday, July 18th, 2013
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
and Ranking Republican Robert Corker (R-TN) with U.S. Ambassador to
the UN nominee Samantha Power (AP Photo)
WASHINGTON-UN Ambassador-nominee Samantha Power said during her
confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Wednesday that "facts should drive" analysis of Genocide.
This came in response to a series of questions from committee chairman,
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who was probing Power's position on
Genocide, given her past record of being an advocate for Armenian
Genocide recognition.
Power played an instrumental role in getting Sen. Obama to issue
a strongly-worded statement on the Armenian Genocide and Armenian
issues in general during Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. She also
made a videoin which she recounted Sen. Obama's outstanding record
on issues of special concern to Armenian Americans, including his
"very forthright statement on the Armenian Genocide; his support for
the Senate Resolution acknowledging the Genocide; his willingness as
President to commemorate it and call a 'spade a spade'; and to speak
the truth about it."
Power failed to deliver-just as the Obama Administration-on her pledge
to get US recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
"Is genocide, genocide when all of the facts that we observe would
lead to a conclusion that a genocide has taken place, or is that only
when it is convenient to acknowledge it as genocide?" asked Menendez.
"The former, the facts should drive the analysis," responded Power.
"And if the facts drive the analysis, then we should call that set
of actions-whether historical in nature or present, god forbid-in
reality a genocide," queried Menendez.
"I believe so, yes," said Power.
"Is violation of human rights a violation of human rights depending
upon where it takes place, or is it universal?" asked Menendez,
to which Power responded: "Universal, sir."
"I think you understand why I asked you those questions. And I
hope that your past history in this regard-even in the context of
understanding the new role that you'll play-will not diminish your
fire for making the case internally why genocide should be called
genocide when the historical facts attain themselves to that standard,"
Menendez told Power, who had no response to the statement.
Menendez told Power that he is "incredibly appreciative of the
principled position you've taken on the Armenian Genocide."
At the start of the highly anticipated and widely broadcast hearing,
Chairman Menendez noted that, "You have been an unrelenting, principled
voice when it comes to human rights and crimes against humanity -
and I know that voice will be heard around the world - should you
be confirmed," adding: "Personally, I am incredibly appreciative of
the principled position you've taken on the Armenian Genocide. In
2007, you wrote in Time Magazine - 'a stable, fruitful, 21st century
relationship' [with Turkey] cannot be built on a lie,' and I completely
agree," reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
The New Jersey Democrat also stressed that, "Your belief that we should
use the lessons of what clearly was an atrocity of historic proportions
to prevent future crimes against humanity is a view consistent with my
own and which is supported by your role on the President's Atrocities
Prevention Board. I agree that we must acknowledge and study the past,
understand how and why atrocities happen, to put-into-practice and
giving meaning to the phrase, "never again."
Watch the video of the opening remarks by Chairman Menendez.
http://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/chair/release/chairman-menenadez-opening-statement-at-nomination-hearing-for-samantha-power-to-serve-as-us-ambassador-to-the-united-nations
Watch the hearing
http://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/nomination-07-17-2013
In 2003, Power received the Pulitzer Prize in literature for the best
general non-fiction book was awarded to Samantha Power for her book
"A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide."
Power's book revisited the Armenian Genocide-the Holocaust-Cambodia's
Khmer Rouge-Iraqi attacks on Kurdish populations-Rwanda-and
Bosnian ethnic cleansing. Power makes a compelling argument that US
intervention in all these instances of genocide has been inadequate.