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GENOCIDE FACT BECOMES KNOWN TO ENTIRE WORLD NOTWITHSTANDING TURKEY'S DENIAL POLICY: DANIEL FEIERSTEIN
11:27, 31 March, 2015
YEREVAN, 31 MARCH, ARMENPRESS: In July for several days, Yerevan will
become a gathering place of the world famous Genocide experts. More
than 300 representatives of the scientific world from different
continents will come to participate in the conference of the
International Association of Genocide Scholars. Armenpress presents an
exclusive interview with the President of the International Association
of Genocide Scholars Daniel Feierstein.
- What kind of expectations do you have with the upcoming 13th
Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars?
- All the IAGS Conferences used to be enriching due the wide spectrum
of disciplines and cultures among the IAGS members. However, this
Conference will be particularly significative due to the importance
of the centennial of the Genocide committed by the Ittihadist Turkey
against the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks. The origins of the
IAGS in 1994 were directly concerned with the recognition of the
genocide against those groups, in a moment in which the theories
of the uniqueness of the Nazi genocide were still strong. So,
many scholars of the IAGS have that recognition in our hearts as
one of the origins of the comparative genocide studies and most
of the first IAGS´s resolutions were directly concerned with the
clear recognition that the annihilation of Armenians, Assyrians and
Greeks had a genocidal dimension. That´s why the possibility to meet
for the first time in Yerevan, commemorating the annihilation of the
Armenians and contributing with the memorialization and the fight for
justice and against the oblivion makes this Conference very special
in its consequences.
- How and why had been made a decision to run the upcoming 13th
Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars
in Armenia?
- The IAGS issues Call for Proposals for its next Conferences,
usually a couple of years before. As usual, we have received many good
proposals but no one had doubts when we have received the proposal
by the Armenian Genocide Museum to host the 2015 Conference in Yerevan.
The significance of being in Yerevan in the moment of the Centennial
of the genocide was too strong for the Committee which took the
decission. On the other hand, the proposal prepared by the Museum
was quite good and it will guarantee an outstanding and enriching
Conference, probably one of the most important in the whole history
of the IAGS.
- What kind of actions are needed in international recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, taking in to account the
fact that 100 years after the crime it had not achieved the proper
appraisal from the international society. The last fact promotes the
repetition of such crimes?
- In my opinion, the most important element is to spread the
information among the civil population all over the world and to
allow the different societies to deal with the consequences of the
genocide, either in Turkey, in the diasporas and elsewhere. I am
convinced that, during the last decades, most of these objectives
were successful beyond the role of the different govts in Turkey. The
genocide committed by the Ittihadist State was denied for more than
70 years but during the last decades it became clear in almost the
whole world what happened and even if the current government in Turkey
continues denying the facts or pushing different States against that
recognition, most of the people know (inside and outside Turkey)
what happened to the Ottoman society between 1915 and 1917 and the
following years. I am not particularly confident in the political
recognitions by international bodies like Parliaments but it is more
important the deep and more fruitful work with the civil societies,
the works in schools, universities, in the streets of any country and
the different ways in working through the consequences of the different
genocidal experiences, the eternal fight for justice, truth and memory.
- 100 years ago Osmanian Turkey massacring Armenians and other
Christians for their nationality and belief. Then the same happened to
Jews. Today in Northern Iraq under the target are the Yezidis. Arising
from the previous question, how would you evaluate the actions of
the international society and global superpowers to prevent Yezidis'
Genocide.
- During the last century many populations (like the Yazidis nowadays)
have been victims of the games of geopolitics, sometimes direct
or indirect victims of the different types of intervention of the
"super-powers" in societies in which they ignore almost everything.
The ISIS was not a genuine product of the Islamic world but, as other
organizations like Al Qaeda or others, a creation of intelligence
services of the "super-powers" trying to overthrow or destabilize
secular Islamic governments (it was the case in Irak or Aghanistan in
the past and it is the case, for example, in Bangladesh nowadays with
groups like Jamaat al Islami). So, instead of asking for more and more
"military interventions" against "enemies" which change day-by-day
(the heroes used to be devils months after and no one remember what
the media said a year ago) my conviction is that the international
community should be more respectful and supportive of the own processes
in each region. The most destabilized regions in the Islamic world
nowadays are the places which suffered foreign military interventions
by the UN or the "super-powers" (Irak, Afghanistan, Libya) or places in
which the foreign intervention supported militarily different groups
trying to influence in a possible civil war (like in Sirya). So,
it is quite clear the these "interventions" have not produced any
kind of improvement for the civilian population.
On the contrary, the number of civilians killed multiplied by 3, 5
or 6 after the military interventions. In all of these countries the
situation worsened from a repressive regime to a total anarchy and
chaos, in which genocidal groups like ISIS or others could grow and
expand and different military gangs took control of different regions.
So, it is clear that reality is far more complex than the superficial
and banal pictures presented by the international media and that,
so, we need a deeper and more careful analysis before any decission
to drop bombs or send military equipment. To recover the humanitarian
character of international interventions instead of military actions,
the involvement with regional and national institutions and the
cooperation South-South have shown better results than "dropping
bombs" or creating "no-fly zones". The "super-powers" have been the
mega-killers during the XXth Century, so particularly the southerners
like me (I am Argentine) have no hopes at all they will be the ones to
protect the world from genocide. Maybe we should start the work among
us (the ones who suffered the violence) trying to develop smaller
but more effective ways to work together, asking the "super-powers
(or mega-killers)" to stop sending weapons to our regions instead of
asking them to send more.
Interview by Anahit Minasyan
Photo by www.lmneuquen.com.ar
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799817/genocide-fact-becomes-known-to-entire-world-notwithstanding-turkey%E2%80%99s-denial-policy-daniel-feierstein.html
11:27, 31 March, 2015
YEREVAN, 31 MARCH, ARMENPRESS: In July for several days, Yerevan will
become a gathering place of the world famous Genocide experts. More
than 300 representatives of the scientific world from different
continents will come to participate in the conference of the
International Association of Genocide Scholars. Armenpress presents an
exclusive interview with the President of the International Association
of Genocide Scholars Daniel Feierstein.
- What kind of expectations do you have with the upcoming 13th
Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars?
- All the IAGS Conferences used to be enriching due the wide spectrum
of disciplines and cultures among the IAGS members. However, this
Conference will be particularly significative due to the importance
of the centennial of the Genocide committed by the Ittihadist Turkey
against the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks. The origins of the
IAGS in 1994 were directly concerned with the recognition of the
genocide against those groups, in a moment in which the theories
of the uniqueness of the Nazi genocide were still strong. So,
many scholars of the IAGS have that recognition in our hearts as
one of the origins of the comparative genocide studies and most
of the first IAGS´s resolutions were directly concerned with the
clear recognition that the annihilation of Armenians, Assyrians and
Greeks had a genocidal dimension. That´s why the possibility to meet
for the first time in Yerevan, commemorating the annihilation of the
Armenians and contributing with the memorialization and the fight for
justice and against the oblivion makes this Conference very special
in its consequences.
- How and why had been made a decision to run the upcoming 13th
Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars
in Armenia?
- The IAGS issues Call for Proposals for its next Conferences,
usually a couple of years before. As usual, we have received many good
proposals but no one had doubts when we have received the proposal
by the Armenian Genocide Museum to host the 2015 Conference in Yerevan.
The significance of being in Yerevan in the moment of the Centennial
of the genocide was too strong for the Committee which took the
decission. On the other hand, the proposal prepared by the Museum
was quite good and it will guarantee an outstanding and enriching
Conference, probably one of the most important in the whole history
of the IAGS.
- What kind of actions are needed in international recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, taking in to account the
fact that 100 years after the crime it had not achieved the proper
appraisal from the international society. The last fact promotes the
repetition of such crimes?
- In my opinion, the most important element is to spread the
information among the civil population all over the world and to
allow the different societies to deal with the consequences of the
genocide, either in Turkey, in the diasporas and elsewhere. I am
convinced that, during the last decades, most of these objectives
were successful beyond the role of the different govts in Turkey. The
genocide committed by the Ittihadist State was denied for more than
70 years but during the last decades it became clear in almost the
whole world what happened and even if the current government in Turkey
continues denying the facts or pushing different States against that
recognition, most of the people know (inside and outside Turkey)
what happened to the Ottoman society between 1915 and 1917 and the
following years. I am not particularly confident in the political
recognitions by international bodies like Parliaments but it is more
important the deep and more fruitful work with the civil societies,
the works in schools, universities, in the streets of any country and
the different ways in working through the consequences of the different
genocidal experiences, the eternal fight for justice, truth and memory.
- 100 years ago Osmanian Turkey massacring Armenians and other
Christians for their nationality and belief. Then the same happened to
Jews. Today in Northern Iraq under the target are the Yezidis. Arising
from the previous question, how would you evaluate the actions of
the international society and global superpowers to prevent Yezidis'
Genocide.
- During the last century many populations (like the Yazidis nowadays)
have been victims of the games of geopolitics, sometimes direct
or indirect victims of the different types of intervention of the
"super-powers" in societies in which they ignore almost everything.
The ISIS was not a genuine product of the Islamic world but, as other
organizations like Al Qaeda or others, a creation of intelligence
services of the "super-powers" trying to overthrow or destabilize
secular Islamic governments (it was the case in Irak or Aghanistan in
the past and it is the case, for example, in Bangladesh nowadays with
groups like Jamaat al Islami). So, instead of asking for more and more
"military interventions" against "enemies" which change day-by-day
(the heroes used to be devils months after and no one remember what
the media said a year ago) my conviction is that the international
community should be more respectful and supportive of the own processes
in each region. The most destabilized regions in the Islamic world
nowadays are the places which suffered foreign military interventions
by the UN or the "super-powers" (Irak, Afghanistan, Libya) or places in
which the foreign intervention supported militarily different groups
trying to influence in a possible civil war (like in Sirya). So,
it is quite clear the these "interventions" have not produced any
kind of improvement for the civilian population.
On the contrary, the number of civilians killed multiplied by 3, 5
or 6 after the military interventions. In all of these countries the
situation worsened from a repressive regime to a total anarchy and
chaos, in which genocidal groups like ISIS or others could grow and
expand and different military gangs took control of different regions.
So, it is clear that reality is far more complex than the superficial
and banal pictures presented by the international media and that,
so, we need a deeper and more careful analysis before any decission
to drop bombs or send military equipment. To recover the humanitarian
character of international interventions instead of military actions,
the involvement with regional and national institutions and the
cooperation South-South have shown better results than "dropping
bombs" or creating "no-fly zones". The "super-powers" have been the
mega-killers during the XXth Century, so particularly the southerners
like me (I am Argentine) have no hopes at all they will be the ones to
protect the world from genocide. Maybe we should start the work among
us (the ones who suffered the violence) trying to develop smaller
but more effective ways to work together, asking the "super-powers
(or mega-killers)" to stop sending weapons to our regions instead of
asking them to send more.
Interview by Anahit Minasyan
Photo by www.lmneuquen.com.ar
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799817/genocide-fact-becomes-known-to-entire-world-notwithstanding-turkey%E2%80%99s-denial-policy-daniel-feierstein.html