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THINK TANKS AND SEPTIC TANKS
Editorial, 13 January 2014
We are living in the "Golden Age" of think tanks. There are about
6,000 of these research institutions (3,000 in the U.S) in the
world. Politics, military, social policy, economy, technology,
cultureâ?¦ they all have scores of think tanks dedicated to them. While
the first think tanks, such as the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace (established in 1910) and the Brookings (1919), were policy
institutes dedicated to unbiased research, with the proliferation
of think tanks there has been a distortion in the profile of many a
think tank.
The rot set in when think tanks extended their raison d'être from
research into advocacy. Rather than limit themselves to providing
objective research data, they became glorified lobbyists. They became
hired pens for various causes. Thus there are now right wing agenda
promoting Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the
Cato Institute and their less numerous left wing counterparts. Although
many think tanks are partisan, they claim to be independent, objective,
and without ideological predisposition.
The main objective of think tanks is to influence government and
public opinion. They do so by supplying "experts" to governments,
by writing op-ed articles, by providing advice to politicians and to
civil servants.
Enter Turkey and the Turkic Alliance of America (TAA). Mainly to
neutralize American-Armenians, Turkey has established university
chairs in the U.S and funded the publication of books by disreputable
scholars. Meanwhile, Turkic-Americans have acted as the local arm of
Turkey. Established through the efforts of the Gulen Movement, the
TAA works closely with a think tank called the Rethink Institute
of Washington. How closely? The TAA and Rethink have the same
address, suite number, and telephone number. The "Rethink" tag is
deliberate. It's intended to change the American view of Turkey.
The Rethink Institute ponderously--and perhaps with tongue in
cheek--describes itself as "an independent, not-for-profit, nonpartisan
research institution devoted to deepening understanding of contemporary
political and cultural challenges facing communities and societies
around the world in realizing peace and justice, broadly defined."
Ahem. Reading the description one would assume that its interests
are global. However, the articles it publishes, the events it
organizes, "research" it sponsors are on Turkic topics. It's
headed by Executive Director Dr. Fevzi Bilgin, a graduate of Ankara
University. Board member Dr. Rovshan Ibrahimov's email address ends
with "gov.az" meaning he is an Azerbaijani government official. On
the board are also Dr. Ebru Ogurlu (Turkey) and Dr. Galym Zhissbek
(Kazakhstan). Others who contribute are Ihsan Dagi and Hakan Tasci
of the misleadingly-named Middle East Technical University (Ankara),
Cagri Erhan (Ankara University), Savas Genc (Bilgin University), Sener
Akturk (Koc University), Hasan T. Arslan (Marmara University graduate),
Bezen Balamir Cozkun (Bogazci University graduate), Oguz Dilek (Zirve
University), and Kilik Bugra Kanat, executive director of TUSKON-US
(Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkiye). In a
failed attempt to "fig leaf" its identity as a Turkish front, Rethink
features research fellow Vladimir Fedorenko and Michael Werz, senior
fellow, Center for American Progress.
Rethink doesn't respond to queries re its funding.
Last year Rethink published a research paper titled "Revisiting the
Armenian-Turkish Reconciliation" by Executive Director Bilgin and
Yelena Osipova of the American University in Washington. Ostensibly
intended to encourage Armenians and Turks to make peace, the paper's
skewed content belied the supposed lofty intentions of the authors.
More than once the paper referred to the Genocide as "the events of
1915" and said that it's Armenians who claim there was genocide.
The paper said Armenians and Turks should "adopt more pragmatic
approach to the issue [Genocide] and in dealing with its present
repercussions, all the while being sensitive to painful historical
memories." This is standard Ankara double-talk where Turkey alleges
equivalency of the Genocide and Turkey's losses during WWI, as if
Armenians were responsible for Turkey's defeat.
The paper insisted Azerbaijan take part in Armenian/Turkish
reconciliation negotiations. It didn't explain why Baku's participation
in Turkey's recognition of the Genocide is relevant.
Bilgin and Osipova then dug deep into their hostility toward Armenians
and wrote: "Armenians, as an ethnic group, have lived in the Armenian
Plateau for centuries, coming under the rule of all the various
empires and kingdoms that have conquered the regionâ?¦" In other words,
according to them, there never was an Armenian state. Armenians had
no kings; they just swapped one imperial master for another. And note
"all the various empires". Saying "the various empires" couldn't do
the trick: it was required to add the "all".
To justify the Genocide, the authors said that Ottoman Turkey believed
"Armenians could switch sides and join the Russians, in case the
latter invaded." No word about the centuries of Turkish persecution
and massacres which could have pushed defenseless Armenians into the
Russian embrace.
Regarding the unlamented Protocols, the paper blamed Armenia for
their failure. It said Armenian and Turkish lobbies in the West are
"in intense competition to out-spendâ?¦" thus implying that Diaspora
Armenians have pockets as deep as that of the world's 17th largest
economy.
Finally, the paper advised Ankara to make a formal and sincere
acknowledgment of the "events of 1915" while adding that Armenians
"will have to recognize that lands cannot be 'returned' and
reparation cannot be paid where official documentation and insurance
are absent." How foolish and irresponsible of Armenians, who while
being driven to the desert, neglected to take along the deeds of
their houses and businesses, and didn't keep the sales receipts of
their furniture, not to mention detailed lists of family jewelry.
Which brings us to Raffi Bedrossian's article ("Two Solitudes, Two
Narratives") about the Zoryan Institute, the only Diaspora Armenian
think tank. Unlike many other think tanks, Zoryan is truly independent
and non-partisan. Its work is respected and is acknowledged as an
unbiased centre for global genocide research. While Ankara spends
millions through its "think tanks" and hired "scholars" to deny the
undeniable, Diaspora Armenians have just one think tank: an institute
where genuine scholarly work is being done. The Zoryan Institute is the
brain-child of the three Sarkissian brothers and is headed by Kourken
(Greg) Sarkissian of Toronto. In an interview with Istanbul's "Agos"
last August, he said: "We study the forces and factors that shape
the Armenian reality worldwide."
For 30 years the Sarkissian brothers have been, by far, the largest
financial contributors to the Zoryan Institute. To guarantee
that the vital work the institute continues long into the future,
people concerned in truth, in human rights, and in the prevention
of genocide should pitch in and financially support the Zoryan
Institute. Armenians have a particular moral obligation to support
this lonely light in the murky Turkish night. The contact addresses
are: [email protected] and [email protected] .
http://keghart.com/Editorial-ThinkTanks
Editorial, 13 January 2014
We are living in the "Golden Age" of think tanks. There are about
6,000 of these research institutions (3,000 in the U.S) in the
world. Politics, military, social policy, economy, technology,
cultureâ?¦ they all have scores of think tanks dedicated to them. While
the first think tanks, such as the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace (established in 1910) and the Brookings (1919), were policy
institutes dedicated to unbiased research, with the proliferation
of think tanks there has been a distortion in the profile of many a
think tank.
The rot set in when think tanks extended their raison d'être from
research into advocacy. Rather than limit themselves to providing
objective research data, they became glorified lobbyists. They became
hired pens for various causes. Thus there are now right wing agenda
promoting Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the
Cato Institute and their less numerous left wing counterparts. Although
many think tanks are partisan, they claim to be independent, objective,
and without ideological predisposition.
The main objective of think tanks is to influence government and
public opinion. They do so by supplying "experts" to governments,
by writing op-ed articles, by providing advice to politicians and to
civil servants.
Enter Turkey and the Turkic Alliance of America (TAA). Mainly to
neutralize American-Armenians, Turkey has established university
chairs in the U.S and funded the publication of books by disreputable
scholars. Meanwhile, Turkic-Americans have acted as the local arm of
Turkey. Established through the efforts of the Gulen Movement, the
TAA works closely with a think tank called the Rethink Institute
of Washington. How closely? The TAA and Rethink have the same
address, suite number, and telephone number. The "Rethink" tag is
deliberate. It's intended to change the American view of Turkey.
The Rethink Institute ponderously--and perhaps with tongue in
cheek--describes itself as "an independent, not-for-profit, nonpartisan
research institution devoted to deepening understanding of contemporary
political and cultural challenges facing communities and societies
around the world in realizing peace and justice, broadly defined."
Ahem. Reading the description one would assume that its interests
are global. However, the articles it publishes, the events it
organizes, "research" it sponsors are on Turkic topics. It's
headed by Executive Director Dr. Fevzi Bilgin, a graduate of Ankara
University. Board member Dr. Rovshan Ibrahimov's email address ends
with "gov.az" meaning he is an Azerbaijani government official. On
the board are also Dr. Ebru Ogurlu (Turkey) and Dr. Galym Zhissbek
(Kazakhstan). Others who contribute are Ihsan Dagi and Hakan Tasci
of the misleadingly-named Middle East Technical University (Ankara),
Cagri Erhan (Ankara University), Savas Genc (Bilgin University), Sener
Akturk (Koc University), Hasan T. Arslan (Marmara University graduate),
Bezen Balamir Cozkun (Bogazci University graduate), Oguz Dilek (Zirve
University), and Kilik Bugra Kanat, executive director of TUSKON-US
(Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkiye). In a
failed attempt to "fig leaf" its identity as a Turkish front, Rethink
features research fellow Vladimir Fedorenko and Michael Werz, senior
fellow, Center for American Progress.
Rethink doesn't respond to queries re its funding.
Last year Rethink published a research paper titled "Revisiting the
Armenian-Turkish Reconciliation" by Executive Director Bilgin and
Yelena Osipova of the American University in Washington. Ostensibly
intended to encourage Armenians and Turks to make peace, the paper's
skewed content belied the supposed lofty intentions of the authors.
More than once the paper referred to the Genocide as "the events of
1915" and said that it's Armenians who claim there was genocide.
The paper said Armenians and Turks should "adopt more pragmatic
approach to the issue [Genocide] and in dealing with its present
repercussions, all the while being sensitive to painful historical
memories." This is standard Ankara double-talk where Turkey alleges
equivalency of the Genocide and Turkey's losses during WWI, as if
Armenians were responsible for Turkey's defeat.
The paper insisted Azerbaijan take part in Armenian/Turkish
reconciliation negotiations. It didn't explain why Baku's participation
in Turkey's recognition of the Genocide is relevant.
Bilgin and Osipova then dug deep into their hostility toward Armenians
and wrote: "Armenians, as an ethnic group, have lived in the Armenian
Plateau for centuries, coming under the rule of all the various
empires and kingdoms that have conquered the regionâ?¦" In other words,
according to them, there never was an Armenian state. Armenians had
no kings; they just swapped one imperial master for another. And note
"all the various empires". Saying "the various empires" couldn't do
the trick: it was required to add the "all".
To justify the Genocide, the authors said that Ottoman Turkey believed
"Armenians could switch sides and join the Russians, in case the
latter invaded." No word about the centuries of Turkish persecution
and massacres which could have pushed defenseless Armenians into the
Russian embrace.
Regarding the unlamented Protocols, the paper blamed Armenia for
their failure. It said Armenian and Turkish lobbies in the West are
"in intense competition to out-spendâ?¦" thus implying that Diaspora
Armenians have pockets as deep as that of the world's 17th largest
economy.
Finally, the paper advised Ankara to make a formal and sincere
acknowledgment of the "events of 1915" while adding that Armenians
"will have to recognize that lands cannot be 'returned' and
reparation cannot be paid where official documentation and insurance
are absent." How foolish and irresponsible of Armenians, who while
being driven to the desert, neglected to take along the deeds of
their houses and businesses, and didn't keep the sales receipts of
their furniture, not to mention detailed lists of family jewelry.
Which brings us to Raffi Bedrossian's article ("Two Solitudes, Two
Narratives") about the Zoryan Institute, the only Diaspora Armenian
think tank. Unlike many other think tanks, Zoryan is truly independent
and non-partisan. Its work is respected and is acknowledged as an
unbiased centre for global genocide research. While Ankara spends
millions through its "think tanks" and hired "scholars" to deny the
undeniable, Diaspora Armenians have just one think tank: an institute
where genuine scholarly work is being done. The Zoryan Institute is the
brain-child of the three Sarkissian brothers and is headed by Kourken
(Greg) Sarkissian of Toronto. In an interview with Istanbul's "Agos"
last August, he said: "We study the forces and factors that shape
the Armenian reality worldwide."
For 30 years the Sarkissian brothers have been, by far, the largest
financial contributors to the Zoryan Institute. To guarantee
that the vital work the institute continues long into the future,
people concerned in truth, in human rights, and in the prevention
of genocide should pitch in and financially support the Zoryan
Institute. Armenians have a particular moral obligation to support
this lonely light in the murky Turkish night. The contact addresses
are: [email protected] and [email protected] .
http://keghart.com/Editorial-ThinkTanks