October 10, 2007
The Armenian Genocide: When Purity Meets Pragmatism
Let's get this detail out of the way: The United States does not brook genocide. Maybe this country does not always go far enough to stop genocide where it occurs (Rwanda, Sudan), but it has not ignored, let alone denied, the mass extermination of an ethnic group since World War II. What the U.S. always does do in reaction to genocide is condemn the killing wherever it occurs.
So why the opposition to a nonbinding House resolution that compels the U.S. government to formally recognize the 1915-17 mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide -- something George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush did not do as commander in chief?
The answer, of course, is Turkey's resistance to the resolution. Almost anywhere else in the world, official government condemnation of genocide is an easy position for Washington to take. Not so with the Armenian genocide, because Turkey holds many cards, and the U.S. is in no position to strong-arm anyone it might still count as an ally in the war on terror.
President Bush abruptly capped a statement to Congress on FISA legislation today with a warning not to press forward on the resolution. "We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915. This resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings, and its passage would do great harm to our relations with a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror," he said.
As the Armenian-American community well knows, Bush (and his father) promised to formally recognize the genocide in their presidential campaigns, but dropped the G-word upon arriving into office. Turkey's pivotal geographic location in a region largely hostile to U.S. interests makes angering Ankara something that is most definitely not in U.S. interests. When Turkey's mad, we feel it. For example, Ankara's restrictions on U.S. military movements before the 2003 invasion of Iraq hampered initial troop levels.
Yesterday, Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., reversed her position on condemning the Armenian genocide and urged House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Tom Lantos to yank the resolution.
"Following a visit to Turkey earlier this year that included meetings with Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch... I have great concern that this is the wrong time for the Congress to consider this measure," the former ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee wrote in a letter [PDF]. "I have made 18 trips to the Middle East region over the past 14 years and am persuaded that Turkey plays a critically important role in moderating extremist forces there. Given the nature of the threat, I believe it is imperative to nurture that role -- however valid from the historical perspective, we should avoid taking steps that would embarrass or isolate the Turkish leadership."
"Embarrass" being the key word here. On its own, Turkey has gone to some lengths to meet Armenians halfway, and newly elected President Abdullah Gul has said he favors reforming a widely ridiculed law penalizing anyone who writes or talks about the genocide or anything else considered an "insult" to Turkish culture. But government officials have warned Washington of the price it will pay should the resolution pass. "About 70 percent of all air cargo going into Iraq goes through Turkey. About a third of the fuel that [U.S. troops] consume comes from Turkey," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates this morning, in remarks reported by the Washington Times.
"This is not because the United States fails to recognize the terrible tragedy of 1915, the mass killings that took place there," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who'd attended a meeting with Gates at the White House. "The passage of this resolution at this time would indeed be problematic for everything that we are trying to do in the Middle East, because we are very dependent on a good Turkish strategic ally to help with our efforts." All eight of the living former secretaries of state have signed a letter urging Congress to pull the resolution, the Washington Post reports.
Earlier this week, Turkey authorized military action against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, which could potentially destabilize that relatively peaceful region. The Plank's Michael Crowley is not alone in suspecting Ankara's action was timed to coincide with today's committee vote in the House.
Turkey had already unleashed an army of lobbyists on Washington in anticipation of the House resolution, which is expected to pass easily if it makes it onto the floor. A Senate version has attracted 33 sponsors. Both Democratic leaders of Congress have indicated they support the measures and will bring them before the full chambers.
Despite its threats, Turkey is under some pressure itself. The only Muslim member of NATO wants badly to be a member of the European Union, while that body's member nations have made clear that softening Turkey's position on the genocide is a deal-maker. Several nations, including France, were already resistant to the overwhelmingly Muslim nation's inclusion in the body, and some observers believe they are harping on the Armenian genocide as a way to hang out the "Not Welcome" sign.
Washington does not join Europe in its anti-Turkey sentiment for at least one good reason: that country's potential to be a become a beacon in the poverty- and violence-stricken Muslim world. Turkey is one of the few Muslim nations allied with Israel -- a relationship it has also threatened hangs in the balance with today's vote.
There's an argument to be made that Turkish-Armenian reconciliation should be allowed to unfold on its own, The Economist observed earlier this month. The Los Angeles Times' Matt Welch, meanwhile, is criticizing lawmakers backing away from the resolution. In 2004, the New Yorker published a fascinating vignette on how the Gray Lady finally came around to using the G-word to describe the Ottoman massacres.
Posted at 3:50 PM
Posted to:
Bill Clinton, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Congress, EU, Europe, France, George H.W. Bush, House, Iraq, Israel, Kurds, Middle East, President Bush, Robert Gates, Senate, Turkey
Share via
