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ACKNOWLEDGING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Pakistan Today
April 14 2015
BY Dr James J Zogby
It is wrong to say to just "get over it" to victim nations
In less than two weeks we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. Armenian Remembrance Day, April 24th, recalls
the horrifying events that resulted in the deaths of more than one
million Armenians and the forced expulsion and ethnic cleansing
of many more from their ancestral homeland at the hands of Turkish
nationalists. It is an event that has defined Armenian history. And
it has left an open wound that must be acknowledged and addressed
for there to be closure for both peoples.
For Armenians, the beginning of the healing process requires that
the events of 100 years ago be called, what they were, a genocide.
Six years ago, Armenian Americans were deeply disappointed by the
Remembrance Day statement issued by the White House because the
President did not term the horrors of 1915 as a genocide. They had
great hopes that President Obama would do so since, during the 2008
Presidential campaign, he had been forceful not only in declaring that
the events of 1915 were, in fact, genocide, but in criticizing those
who would not use that word. In a statement issued on January 19,
2008, Obama said:
"As a US Senator, I have stood with the Armenian American community in
calling for Turkey's acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide... the
Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a
point of view, but rather a widely documented fact... An official
policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an
untenable policy... as President I will recognise Armenian Genocide."
Armenians were further encouraged in early April of 2009, when the
President urged the Turks to deal with this blot on their history in
his address to the Turkish Parliament. By beginning with a lesson
learned from US history, he sought to prod his hosts into dealing
with their past by saying:
"The United States is still working through some of our own darker
periods in our own history... our country still struggles with the
legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native
Americans... History is often tragic, but unresolved, it can be a heavy
weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with
the past can help us seize a better future. I know there are strong
views in this chamber about the terrible events of 1915. And while
there's been a good deal of commentary about my views, it's really
about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the past. And the
best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people is a process that
works through the past in a way that is honest, open and constructive."
To be fair, the President's statement on Remembrance Day 2009 was
more forceful than those that had been made by his predecessors and
his hesitation to use the term "genocide" was most likely prompted by
the fact that just two days before the 24th, the Turkish and Armenian
governments had agreed to a "road map" for normalizing relations
and he was concerned that he not disrupt this process by provoking
a hostile Turkish response.
Thus, the statement the White House issued on April 24, 2009 read,
in part:
"Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th century
began. Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who
were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the final days
of the Ottoman Empire. The Meds Yeghern must live on in our memories,
just as it lives on in the hearts of the Armenian people... I have
consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view
of that history has not changed. My interest remains the achievement
of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts...
The best way to advance that goal right now is for the Armenian and
Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their
efforts to move forward... To that end, there has been courageous
and important dialogue among Armenians and Turks, and within Turkey
itself. I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey and Armenia
to normalize their bilateral relations... the two governments have
agreed on a framework and road map for normalisation. I commend this
progress, and urge them to fulfill its promise."
In the end, both Turks and Armenians were left angry. The Turks because
of the strong language the President did use, and the Armenians because
he had failed to deliver on his promise to call the horrors of 1915 a
"genocide".
Six years later, Armenians are still waiting for recognition of
their national tragedy so that their healing process can begin. And
the Turkish government has remained intransigent, still not coming
to grips with their past. The White House is not in an enviable
possession. They are engaged in a battle against ISIL and have been
pushing the Turks to "step up their game" as part of the international
coalition fighting this evil movement. I must admit that although I
understand the demands of politics and diplomacy, I am also acutely
aware of the demands of history that still cry out for recognition.
On a personal note, I was struck how this past week, DeirYassin Day
passed unnoticed. That day, April 9th, marks the 1948 massacre of over
200 Palestinian civilians in the small village of DeirYassin--they
were slaughtered, with many of the dead stuffed into a well and left
to rot. It was one of the many horrors that accompanied the Nakba--the
name given to the program of ethnic cleansing that left thousands of
Palestinians dead, and forced hundreds of thousands more into exile.
It is wrong to say to just "get over it" to victim nations. For there
to be reconciliation, there must be acknowledgment and justice. Just
as we demand that Israel acknowledge and make recompense for its
"original sin", we can want no less for the Armenian people.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/04/14/comment/acknowledging-the-armenian-genocide/
Pakistan Today
April 14 2015
BY Dr James J Zogby
It is wrong to say to just "get over it" to victim nations
In less than two weeks we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. Armenian Remembrance Day, April 24th, recalls
the horrifying events that resulted in the deaths of more than one
million Armenians and the forced expulsion and ethnic cleansing
of many more from their ancestral homeland at the hands of Turkish
nationalists. It is an event that has defined Armenian history. And
it has left an open wound that must be acknowledged and addressed
for there to be closure for both peoples.
For Armenians, the beginning of the healing process requires that
the events of 100 years ago be called, what they were, a genocide.
Six years ago, Armenian Americans were deeply disappointed by the
Remembrance Day statement issued by the White House because the
President did not term the horrors of 1915 as a genocide. They had
great hopes that President Obama would do so since, during the 2008
Presidential campaign, he had been forceful not only in declaring that
the events of 1915 were, in fact, genocide, but in criticizing those
who would not use that word. In a statement issued on January 19,
2008, Obama said:
"As a US Senator, I have stood with the Armenian American community in
calling for Turkey's acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide... the
Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a
point of view, but rather a widely documented fact... An official
policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an
untenable policy... as President I will recognise Armenian Genocide."
Armenians were further encouraged in early April of 2009, when the
President urged the Turks to deal with this blot on their history in
his address to the Turkish Parliament. By beginning with a lesson
learned from US history, he sought to prod his hosts into dealing
with their past by saying:
"The United States is still working through some of our own darker
periods in our own history... our country still struggles with the
legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native
Americans... History is often tragic, but unresolved, it can be a heavy
weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with
the past can help us seize a better future. I know there are strong
views in this chamber about the terrible events of 1915. And while
there's been a good deal of commentary about my views, it's really
about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the past. And the
best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people is a process that
works through the past in a way that is honest, open and constructive."
To be fair, the President's statement on Remembrance Day 2009 was
more forceful than those that had been made by his predecessors and
his hesitation to use the term "genocide" was most likely prompted by
the fact that just two days before the 24th, the Turkish and Armenian
governments had agreed to a "road map" for normalizing relations
and he was concerned that he not disrupt this process by provoking
a hostile Turkish response.
Thus, the statement the White House issued on April 24, 2009 read,
in part:
"Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th century
began. Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who
were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the final days
of the Ottoman Empire. The Meds Yeghern must live on in our memories,
just as it lives on in the hearts of the Armenian people... I have
consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view
of that history has not changed. My interest remains the achievement
of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts...
The best way to advance that goal right now is for the Armenian and
Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their
efforts to move forward... To that end, there has been courageous
and important dialogue among Armenians and Turks, and within Turkey
itself. I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey and Armenia
to normalize their bilateral relations... the two governments have
agreed on a framework and road map for normalisation. I commend this
progress, and urge them to fulfill its promise."
In the end, both Turks and Armenians were left angry. The Turks because
of the strong language the President did use, and the Armenians because
he had failed to deliver on his promise to call the horrors of 1915 a
"genocide".
Six years later, Armenians are still waiting for recognition of
their national tragedy so that their healing process can begin. And
the Turkish government has remained intransigent, still not coming
to grips with their past. The White House is not in an enviable
possession. They are engaged in a battle against ISIL and have been
pushing the Turks to "step up their game" as part of the international
coalition fighting this evil movement. I must admit that although I
understand the demands of politics and diplomacy, I am also acutely
aware of the demands of history that still cry out for recognition.
On a personal note, I was struck how this past week, DeirYassin Day
passed unnoticed. That day, April 9th, marks the 1948 massacre of over
200 Palestinian civilians in the small village of DeirYassin--they
were slaughtered, with many of the dead stuffed into a well and left
to rot. It was one of the many horrors that accompanied the Nakba--the
name given to the program of ethnic cleansing that left thousands of
Palestinians dead, and forced hundreds of thousands more into exile.
It is wrong to say to just "get over it" to victim nations. For there
to be reconciliation, there must be acknowledgment and justice. Just
as we demand that Israel acknowledge and make recompense for its
"original sin", we can want no less for the Armenian people.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/04/14/comment/acknowledging-the-armenian-genocide/