April 24th marked the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It also marked the 7th year in
a row that Obama has broken his promise to use the “g” word to describe the
1915 massacre. Obama stands alone among a number of other major leaders,
including France, Germany, Russia, and Austria, who have recently stepped up to
describe the atrocity as genocide. The disappointment among scholars, the
Armenian-American community, and really anyone who cares about this issue has
been overwhelming. In my opinion, President Obama has been a good leader.
However, he is not the energized leader declaring “change” that we hoped and
thought we were electing in 2008. His failure to recognize the genocide gives
us another disappointing example of Obama’s inability to fulfill promises of
“hope” and “yes we can” that the American public yearned for.
Turkey repeatedly denies that the “events of 1915” could be
considered genocide, but scholars say otherwise. David Simon, professor of
political science and co-director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale,
says, “There is a near consensus that the Armenian genocide was a genocide, or that genocide is the right word. The deportations and massacres amounted to a crime we now know is genocide. In 1915 there was no such word.”
There wouldn’t be a debate about this issue, if it weren’t for Turkey’s denial of the genocide and the strategic importance of Turkey to us. As a NATO ally, rising economic power, and important Middle East partner, Turkey is much more important to us than Armenia, a comparatively impoverished, small state.
As a Senator and presidential candidate Obama repeatedly referred to the atrocity as genocide, and in 2008 pledged that as president he would recognize the genocide. Academic and author Samantha Power has championed this cause, and even recorded a five-minute video insisting that the Armenian-American community give Obama their vote because he would keep his promise on this issue. He sure got the vote, but where is the follow-through?
There wouldn’t be a debate about this issue, if it weren’t for Turkey’s denial of the genocide and the strategic importance of Turkey to us. As a NATO ally, rising economic power, and important Middle East partner, Turkey is much more important to us than Armenia, a comparatively impoverished, small state.
As a Senator and presidential candidate Obama repeatedly referred to the atrocity as genocide, and in 2008 pledged that as president he would recognize the genocide. Academic and author Samantha Power has championed this cause, and even recorded a five-minute video insisting that the Armenian-American community give Obama their vote because he would keep his promise on this issue. He sure got the vote, but where is the follow-through?
It is imperative that we recognize genocide, no matter how
long ago it may have occurred, in order to ensure that history does not repeat
itself. If we fail to do this and allow nations to overlook past atrocities, we
leave room for actions to repeat again. Recognizing the past is just as
important for the Armenian loss as it is for Turkey to come to terms with their
history, something that is important for a democratic way of life.
Political alliances are real and important to global governance, but President Obama can endure the brief blowback from Turkey. We are a more important alliance for Turkey than they are for us. Though other countries have stepped up, the U.S. is needed to isolate Turkey on this issue. I hope that President Obama can remember the candidate he was in 2008, and in his final years in office really change the status quo.
Political alliances are real and important to global governance, but President Obama can endure the brief blowback from Turkey. We are a more important alliance for Turkey than they are for us. Though other countries have stepped up, the U.S. is needed to isolate Turkey on this issue. I hope that President Obama can remember the candidate he was in 2008, and in his final years in office really change the status quo.
I am in full agreement and disappointment that President Obama has failed to speak out on this issue, particularly when we are all aware that this is not something he contests himself. His refusal to recognize the 1915 mass murders of the Armenians shows cowardice, and his silence defends Turkish President Erdogan’s staunch defiance and ignorance. Genocide prevention begins with recognition and education to ensure that such atrocities will not be repeated. It seems that the US government is overlooking how dangerous such a decision truly is. I also find it a bit laughable that Erdogan is shaming all the leaders that referred to this event as genocide. Condemning France, Germany, Russia and Austria to “clean the stains on their own histories” is the utmost hypocrisy.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has been really strange towards the end of his presidency. His recent sketch at the White House Correspondents Dinner and much more dramatically in regards to the Iran Nuclear Agreement has shown him taking on a lot of bravado this second term, much more than we saw during his first term. At the same time, his inability to speak about global issues that might rile up contempt from the global community is strange.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the White House feels it has little to gain by taking a stance on the issue, as it's a sort of 'damned if you do, damned if you don't situation', but it seems to show that the White House is acting in its best interest rather than from any sort of ethical platform. If Obama's failure to close Guantanamo Bay and his lack of action with the NSA PRISM Scandal are any indicators, any talk on 'doing the right thing for its own sake' is pure posturing and should be taken as such.