Turkish Forum

Category: Armenian Question

“The great Turk is governing in peace twenty nations from different religions. Turks have taught to Christians how to be moderate in peace and gentle in victory.”Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary

  • AMERICAN ERMENIAN DİASPORA STARTED FULL SCALE ATTACK ON OBAMA

    AMERICAN ERMENIAN DİASPORA STARTED FULL SCALE ATTACK ON OBAMA

    Biz ne yapıyoruz? Bütün ülke mışıl mışıl uyuyoruz, uyutuluyoruz.

    Bütün siyasi ve diğer kurumlar dahil.

    Tatlı rüyalar dilerim

    Şükrü S. Aya

    TURK ERMENILERI WEB SITESINDEN ALINTI:


    We Wonder If Turks Has Produced Anything Substantial At All?


    · Many Newly Built Armenian Diaspora WebSites Like:

    • People Mobilising Ideas Like:
    • Documents Like Obama’s Letter To Condoleezza Rice:

    • Commentaries Like: “Obameter” Keeps Track of President’s Campaign Promise on Armenian Genocide

    By Harut Sassounian,
    Those interested in finding out whether Pres. Barack Obama is keeping the . .
    . . hundreds of promises he made during the presidential campaign, including the one on the Armenian Genocide, now have a simple tool to keep track of all of them.
    A group of journalists, headed by Bill Adair, Washington Bureau Chief of the St. Petersburg Times of Florida, have set up a website –www.politifact.com — that tracks down the promises made by various politicians during their campaigns.
    Politifact.com has received widespread media attention from scores of newspapers and various TV networks, including CNN. Such public scrutiny makes it more difficult for politicians to evade their pledges to the voters.
    The website promises to “provide an up-to-the-minute report card” on how Pres. Obama is faring with his agenda of change. Visitors to the website can find out the status of his campaign promises by checking the “Obameter” which is divided into three categories: No Action, In the Works, or Stalled. After action is taken by the President on a particular issue, it is rated as either Promise Kept or Compromise or Promise Broken. The website’s scorecard indicates that in his first three weeks in office, Pres. Obama has already kept 7 promises, compromised on 1, broke 1, stalled on 1, 18 are in the works, and no actionis yet taken on the remaining 482.
    Two weeks ago, when I first checked the website’s “Obameter,” it had a list of 510 Obama promises, everything from “requiring large employers to contribute to a national health plan” to “directing military leaders to end war in Iraq.” But there was no trace of Pres. Obama’s campaign promise to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
    I immediately sent an e-mail to the administrator of Politifact.com, alerting him that Pres. Obama’s pledge on the Armenian Genocide was missing from the website. Staff writer Angie Holan quickly responded, acknowledging that this particular promise was not in their database. She thanked me for bringing this matter to her attention and promised to add it to the website as soon as possible. To expedite matters, I provided to Ms. Holan the text of various statements made by Senator Obama on the Armenian Genocide during his presidential campaign.
    A few days later, I received an e-mail from Ms. Holan, informing me that Pres. Obama’s promise on the Armenian Genocide was added to the Politifact.com website, under the following link: .
    By clicking on the above link, one can find Pres. Obama’s promise number 511 on the Armenian Genocide which the website describes as follows:
    “Barack Obama Campaign Promise No. 511:
    Recognize the Armenian genocide “‘Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term ‘genocide’ to describe Turkey’s slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915.=80¦As President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.’
    Source:
    “Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations” We add promise on the Armenian genocide
    Updated: Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan
    When we started looking for President Obama’s campaign promises, we knew we might not find all of them, and we hoped our readers would alert us to promises we had missed. Today we are adding our first promise based on reader feedback: Obama’s pledge to recognize the Armenian genocide. The issue has been a hot-button issue on the world stage because the government of Turkey has objected to the use of the term ‘genocide’ as inaccurate and inflammatory.
    A 2007 resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives said the Armenian genocide was carried out by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, and resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million. The resolution failed in the face of Bush administration concerns that it would alienate Turkey, which borders Iraq. So we add this promise to our database as promise No. 511 .
    Sources:
    Los Angeles Times: House delays Armenian genocide vote, Oct. 26, 2007;
    House Resolution on the Armenian genocide, 2007;
    BBC News: Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute, July 10, 2008.”
    This website is yet another reminder to Pres. Obama and his White House aides that the President has a promise to keep on the Armenian Genocide and that both the media and the public will judge his credibility by his actions rather than words.

  • The Honorable Barack H. Obama President of the United States

    The Honorable Barack H. Obama President of the United States

    From: Pulat Tacar
    Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 10:26 AM
    To: [email protected]

    Subject: Bir Amerikalinin Obama’ya mektubu…


    Dear Friends,

    The following letter (in English and Turkish) has been written
    to Mr. Obama, by an American, about the facts of Turkey..

    This letter is, in my opinion, the most realistic assessment about
    Turkish affairs, written by a westerner, so far I have ever read…

    Hope this letter reaches Mr. Obama and he finds time to read it.

    It seems, to understand Turkish affairs, one should live in Turkey
    for sometimes, let’s say some nine years!!!…

    Best regards,
    *****

    Cem Ryan, Ph.D. Istanbul, Turkey

    [email protected]


    20 January 2009

    The Honorable Barack H. Obama  President of the United States
    The White House  1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW  Washington, DC 20500  USA

    Dear Mr. President:

    I write this letter to you, Mr. President, with my highest and warmest regards, best wishes, and my hope for a better, more just world. I have fond memories of this particular day, 20 January, your day of inauguration as president. Forty-eight years ago—six months before you were born—I, along with my fellow West Point cadets, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to salute the newly sworn president, John F. Kennedy. Next to graduating from West Point, it was the highlight of my life. January 20, 1961—it had snowed heavily the night before and the day dawned windy with arctic temperatures. It was perfect, a memory crystal buried deep. How young we were, so enthusiastic about confronting a dangerous world with our young president. But while euphoria is grand, it is also dangerous, Mr. President. It didn’t take long for reality to take hold. And so time goes. I have now lived in Istanbul, Turkey for nine years. Over these years a “reality” has set in regarding our beloved country, America. And so I write to you today, Mr. President, to warn you about conditions in Turkey. “The world,” wrote Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, “is an arena of trials.” And the Bush policy of making Turkey a “moderate Islamic republic” has been, and continues to be, an arena of disasters. Mr. President, time is of the essence to correct this. And you need to know more about Turkey to do so.

    Accordingly, I have enclosed two books: one a biography, Ataturk, by Andrew Mango, the other, a copy of The Great Speech by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (Nutuk in Turkish). The latter epic work flowed from the pen of Ataturk, a 36-hour speech delivered over six days in October 1927. Therein, he recounts the Turkish War of Independence and the founding of the Turkish Republic. It is an astounding document.

    “I have tried to show, in these accounts, how a great people, whose national course was considered as finished, reconquered its independence; how it created a national and modern state founded on the latest results of science. The result we have today is the fruit of teachings which arose from centuries of suffering,and the price of streams of blood which have drenched every foot of the ground of our beloved homeland. This holy treasure I lay in the hands of the youth of Turkey. Turkish youth! Your primary duty is ever to preserve and defend the national independence of the Turkish Republic. “(Ataturk, The Great Speech, 715)

    By reading this book, Mr. President, you will immediately understand the enormous genius of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. You will see how the forces of religious fundamentalism didn’t magically vanish after Ataturk ended the sultanate and abolished the caliphate. Instead, they continued to subvert his revolutionary reforms from the very beginning. This is the nature of religious fundamentalism here in Turkey. It never stops. It is vital that you understand this, Mr. President. Turkey has always been a target for these dark-minded forces. And now these ignorant minds run the country. Reading the words of Mustafa Kemal will also help you marshal your own significant resources and talents, for you seem to be blessed with a capacious mind much like Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s. Decisive, informed leadership is needed today by the president of the United States. These were defining characteristics of Ataturk, along with his great personal integrity. May you learn well from him, Mr. President, a man who fought a war against religious terrorists for his entire life.

    Now the democratic, secular, social state of the Republic of Turkey, governed under the rule of law, is under siege, both from without and within. I know this, Mr. President, I live here, and what I know is not sanitized by political niceties and outright propaganda. The undoing of this nation, created in Ataturk’s mind as a young army officer, has been long underway. But now the day is here. The black-minded ignorance of religious fundamentalism becomes more apparent every minute. Alcohol bans, women shoved under politically symbolic headscarves at the behest of duplicitous politicians, a compliant, subverted media. Here, so-called “liberals” work in compliance with outside forces (your CIA, for example, Mr. President). And the corruption of the religious ruling party is stunning and stinks to the high heavens from theft, rampant bribery, and election fraud. Currently, a scam called Ergenekon purges the left-wing opposition rivals (all adherents of the enlightened principles of Ataturk). To further contaminate his work, a smattering of outright criminals is added to the list of detainees. All this and more has brought democratic Turkey near its knees. And Mustafa Kemal Ataturk never knelt for anyone, ever. As a child he even refused to play leapfrog.

    European Union members, who never read him, wonder why so much fuss is made about Ataturk. Of similar traitorous stripe as the “entente liberals” of Ataturk’s day who conspired with the British occupiers for a mandate over Turkey, today’s “liberal” Turks (libos) fall over themselves subverting secular Turkey and the principles of Ataturk, in the name of democracy. The ruling party works its religious agenda demeaning the integrity of women at every turn, debasing the liberation of women by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. And the United States of America, our country Mr. President, directly aids and abets these subversive forces. This is shameful.

    Mr. President, most Americans remain ignorant about Turkey and, amazingly, even more so about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Without knowing this man one knows nothing about this country. The enclosed books are my attempt to prevent you learning about Turkey solely by reading sterile briefing books, self-serving CIA studies, State Department policy papers, memoranda from your national security advisors, and, most particularly, reports from the western press. Most of the Turkish press, and, in particular, the current Turkish government are similarly ever-willing purveyors of self-interested propaganda. Beware, Mr. President, for you will receive regurgitations of superficial, stale, and even incorrect information, like the Bushian nonsense that Turkey is a “moderate Islamic nation.” Via the headscarf issue—the “ocular proof” of piety for western consumption—this ill-conceived initiative, without any Koranic justification, has created a gigantic, violent, societal schism in Turkey. Mr. President, is America a moderate Christian nation? I mean, should Americans wear visible crucifixes? Please reconsider this nonsensical policy, Mr. President. (Again, read The Great Speech to see how religious subversions beset Ataturk at every turn.)

    “One will be able to imagine how necessary the carrying through of these measures was, in order to prove that our nation as a whole was no primitive nation, filled with superstitions and prejudices. Could a civilized nation tolerate a mass of people who let themselves be led by the nose by a herd of seyhs, Dedes,Seyyits, celebis, Babas, and Emirs, who entrusted their destiny and their lives to palm readers, magicians, dice-throwers and amulet sellers? Ought one to preserve in the Turkish State, in the Turkish Republic, elements and institutions such as those which had for centuries given the nation the appearance of being other than it really was?” (Ataturk, The Great Speech, 714)

    Mr. President, even worse than misinformation, you will be regaled with assertions and protestations that the current religious-rooted government is representative and similar to the majority of Turkish people. Mr. President, it is extremely dangerous for you, and for the United States, to be deceived in this manner. Indeed this must sound strange to you, Mr. President, but it is true. There is a great muffling happening in Turkey today. So I caution you, to become truly aware of the situation in Turkey, you must first meet Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in depth. You must come to enlightenment about Turkey on your own recognizance, Mr. President, and not rely on the misinformed, the flatterers, and the deceivers, of whom there are legion.

    While you may think you are different, Mr. President, be forewarned that, despite your access to the bright minds of the CIA, the State Department, and your White House staff, you will not get a true idea of the essence of Turkey, the nation. You may learn about this Turkish government, but that’s not learning about the Turkish nation. And you will certainly not learn anything from members of the present Turkish government about the nation’s soul.
    The essence of the modern Turkish soul reposes in the materials I have sent, in a word, Ataturk. His accomplishments—military, political, social, educational, creative—represent a quest for justice for the collective life of his people, and in no small regard, for the world. “Peace at home, peace in the world,” he famously said. He possessed, as I suspect you do as well, Mr. President, what Reinhold Niebuhr called the “sublime madness in the soul,” saved from excessiveness by unusually astute powers of reason. So armed, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk battled against the powers of darkness and spiritual corruption in high places. So armed, he rescued his people from the debris of the Ottoman Empire. Today, his thoughts and deeds define the existential principles of the Turkish nation. But, Mr. President, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is now under attack from outside Turkey and within.

    Nevertheless, his principles still inspire tens of millions of proudly secular Turks who long for the truly democratic nation he established. Believe me Mr. President, the “secular elite” described by the disgracefully biased and ill-informed writings of Sabrina Tavernise of The New York Times as “an immensely powerful coterie of generals and judges” is nonsense. Millions of us—yes, Mr. President, I too am a citizen of Turkey—took to the streets in the spring of 2007 against the policies of the U.S.-backed Erdogan government. And matters have become even more dire since. Mr. President, perhaps you don’t know what’s going on with this government.

    In the name of democracy, the ruling party, the AKP (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, Justice and Development Party) has made a shambles of Turkey’s founding principles. In the name of democracy there is vast bribing of the AKP electorate, predominantly poor and uneducated, with coal and appliances. Higher court deliberations on suits against the ruling party are regularly attacked by the ruling party, particularly by the prime minister, and literal targets (complete with crosshairs) are made of individual judges in the religious press.
    In the name of democracy and social justice and legal egalitarianism, an enormous purge of hundreds of alleged opponents of the ruling party is taking place in a “fishing expedition” called Ergenekon. A literal witch hunt, so-called suspect members of a military-coup conspiracy ring are held without benefit of writs of habeas corpus; they have been held in jail—some for over 18 months—without being charged and later prejudicially tried in jail. Writers, journalists, university presidents, labor union leaders, lawyers, retired army officers, leftists all, are caught up in this disgrace of a dragnet. (As mentioned earlier, some ordinary criminals are mixed in for pollution purposes.) Mr. President, I write to you on their behalf, the educated, western-thinking intelligentia, now imprisoned in a Turkish gulag called Silivri, the largest prison in Turkey, and in Europe. And that’s where they are tried! In the prison! So you, Mr. President, as an attorney, undoubtedly instantly understand the extremely prejudicial nature of this trumped-up case.

    Mass arrests typically happen immediately after the ruling party suffers a legal or corruption setback. For example, consider its trial in early 2008 where the AKP was found guilty of being the center of anti-secular activity in Turkey. A second roundup occurred as a result of a German charitable foundation called Deniz Feneri, “lighthouse” in English. Organized by Turks in both Germany and Turkey, Deniz Feneri stole 41 million euros from pious Turks in Germany and transferred 17 million of it to Turkey, some to media companies friendly to the ruling party. The AKP manager, Zahid Akman, of the Turkish government’s televison and radio system (RTuK), was identified by the court as the bagman. He remains in his position, dutifully protecting the nation’s morals by blurring televised images of smoking and the consumption of alcohol. The German prosecutor stated that links of the Deniz Feneri embezzlement were traced to the office of the prime ministery.

    The movement of Turkey toward sharia continues. Vast areas of the nation have been made alcohol-free. Swimsuit advertisements are banned in Istanbul. The Ataturk Cultural Center, located in prime space in downtown Istanbul, has been closed. No details are given regarding its status. Consequently, the Istanbul symphony, opera, and ballet, all state sponsored, have been sent packing. They are rumored to perform occasionally, somewhere. So much for cultural enlightenment. Oddly enough, Istanbul has been selected to be the European Capital of Culture in 2010; this is known as political lip service.

    Mr. President, for too long a time America has attempted to efface the Turkish soul, to reshape this country, to include it in the American hegemony. All this subversion has been to, in effect, lobotomize the Turkish brain, ridding it of the noble thoughts of Ataturk, making it a congenial dolt, bowing and scraping to America’s wishes. Internally, this has been the primary responsibility of the ruling party. And it has done its job very well, almost bringing the once proud nation of Ataturk to its knees. Once, after a waiter dropped a heavily laden tray at a state dinner, Mustafa Kemal turned to his foreign guests and said, “As you can see I have taught my people to do everything but serve.” How ironic, how angering to the followers of Ataturk is the current servile, US-installed government. Consider this, Mr. President. Banned from running from office, without any legal credentials whatsoever, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed to the White House by George W. Bush as de facto head of the Turkish government. How outrageous! No wonder Erdogan, habitually a dour, scowling man, beamed broadly whenever he visited Bush. Do not be deceived Mr. President, this government neither serves you, nor the Turkish people. In the name of so-called democracy, it serves itself. It has long been at its destructive work, this imperialism. You know this personally, Mr. President. Why your very roots—one foot in Hawaii, the other in Kenya, your days of youth in Indonesia—all these highly personal experiences have surely informed your persona. Surely they speak to you of the same issue that so afflicts Turkey. Imperialism. Internal subversion. Corruption.

    When Mustafa Kemal Ataturk rescued Turkey from the ruins of the Ottoman five hundred year reign, he established a new way for the Turkish people to live their lives. It was the way of enlightenment, the western way. I hope that you can now begin to see how the west, for its own ill-reasoned self-interest, has encouraged the sabotaging of the enlightened principles of Ataturk. Most importantly, I hope that this whets your reading appetite to learn more about this incomparable man.

    Mr. President, I am confident that you will adopt your policies, both within America, and without, in the spirit of those stirring words you wrote in Dreams from My Father about a different kind of politics:
    “That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived.”

    The majority of Turkish people want the very same thing. And if the United States can get out of their way, they can have it.

    Sincerely yours,

    James (Cem) Ryan

    Enclosures:
    Ataturk. Andrew Mango. John Murray Publishers, London, 2004.
    The Great Speech (Nutuk). Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk Research Center, Ankara, 2005.
    Posted by Cem Ryan, Ph.D. Istanbul, Turkey godotawaits@gmail.com

    for turkısh versıon please go to turkısh pages

    Türkçe www.turkishnews.com/tr/content

    0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

    James (Cem) Ryan

    [email protected]

    James (Cem)Ryan is a writer living in Istanbul, Turkey. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he holds a Ph.D. in literature. His historical novel, Natural Affinities, about New York City during World War I, was published in 2004 by (www.trafford.com/robots/03-1783.html).

    5 Articles

    Sunday, February 1, 2009
    Erdogan Does Davos
    (1 comments) By his courageous stand ErdoGan has unified a badly divided nation. We shall soon see the degree to which he is an equally passionate advocate for human rights in his own country.

    Sunday, January 25, 2009
    Letter to President Obama: Turkey in an Arena of Trials
    I have now lived in Istanbul, Turkey for nine years. Over these years a “reality” has set in regarding our beloved country, America. I write to you today, Mr. President, to warn you about conditions in Turkey. “The world,” wrote Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, “is an arena of trials.” And the Bush policy of making Turkey a “moderate Islamic republic” has been an arena of disasters. Mr. President.

    Monday, January 12, 2009
    THE ISRAELI-AMERICAN KILLING MACHINE
    (3 comments) The tentacles of God’s bloody instruction have been embraced as a political policy by the ancient Israelites, the papacy in Rome, the new world colonizing countries, the early government of the United States, and the current governments of the United States and its favorite strategic partner-in-crime, Israel. It reaches back four thousand years. It has been a disgraceful, bloor-ridden legacy.

    Wednesday, December 24, 2008
    Forget Armenia, Turks Should Condemn American Indian Genocide
    (2 comments) It is high time that Turkey takes the offensive on the matter of genocide. In this day of widespread destruction, it is high time to remind America, Americans, and their government, that they are up to their ancestral elbows in the blood of the American Indians. The Turkish government must condemn the American Indian Genocide, or itself be condemned.

    Sunday, April 13, 2008
    Turkey!s “Undemocratic” Constitution
    The furor regarding the case accepted by Turkey’s highest court that could result in the banishment of the AKP ruling party makes me laugh out loud. Never forget that in the name of democracy, the institution that brought the Bush regime to power was none other than the Supreme Court of the United States. A judicial coup? Don’t make me laugh harder. No one said a word about that.

  • A TANER AKÇAM STORY

    A TANER AKÇAM STORY

    A TANER AKÇAM STORY: Turkish Scholar Exposes Ankara’s Vain Attempt to Split Armenia from Diaspora

     

    By Harut Sassounian
    Publisher, The California Courier
    Senior Contributor, USA Armenian Life Magazine

    In their persistent efforts to distort the facts of the Armenian Genocide, Turkish denialists resort to all sorts of tricks. Their latest scheme is trying to drive a wedge between Armenia and the Diaspora by claiming that authorities in Yerevan are all too willing to forget about the Genocide and reconcile with Turks, were it not for the “sinister influence” of Diaspora Armenians who constantly undermine all attempts at reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey.
    Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, during a press conference in Ankara last week, claimed that “the Armenian Diaspora is plotting. We can see very clearly and sharply that their efforts are aimed at utilizing [the Armenian Genocide issue]. This is so obvious. But I also see that the current administration in Armenia doesn’t take part in this.”
    Significantly, it was Turkish scholar Taner Akcam who exposed the false arguments of all those who share Prime Minister Erdogan’s false notion that Armenia and the Diaspora are split on the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In a recent issue of the Turkish newspaper Taraf, Prof. Akcam wrote a lengthy analysis of Turkish misperceptions and misrepresentations on this issue. He argued against the view that “good neighbor” Armenia and the “bad” Diaspora have opposing views on the Armenian Genocide. Prof. Akcam correctly stated that Armenians everywhere agree that what occurred in 1915 was genocide and feel that it needs to be acknowledged by Turkey. He noted, however, that there are differences among Armenians (regardless of where they live) about the consequences of such an acknowledgement.
    Prof. Akcam dismissed the Turkish claim that “the Armenian state has not been very insistent on the subject of ‘recognition of the Genocide.’” Most Turkish analysts wrongly allege, according to Akcam, that Armenia is a very “good” neighbor to Turkey and that it reflects its “goodness” by “refraining from use of the word ‘Genocide’ and by not demanding ‘recognition’” during the course of Pres. Gul’s visit to Armenia last September. Turkish analysts further claim that “the Armenian state is seriously in the grip of and under the influence of the ‘bad’ diaspora.” They conclude that “in order to relieve Turkish-Armenian tension, ‘our good neighbor Armenia’ must be saved from the ‘bad’ diaspora.” 

    According to Prof. Akcam, Turkish analysts falsely claim that “the biggest reason why Armenia has fallen under the influence of the ‘bad’ diaspora” is “poorly conceived Turkish policies. As a result, in order to save Armenia from the diaspora, Turkey must relinquish its bad policies and foster ‘good’ relations with Armenia. Consequently, Armenia will be able to distance itself from the bad policies of the diaspora, policies like ‘insisting on recognition of genocide.’”

    Prof. Akcam categorically refuted those allegations by stating that “when it comes to acknowledging the genocide, Armenia and the diaspora are on the same page. It is improper to draw a distinction between the sides on an axis of ‘those who insist on recognition and those who do not.’ It needs to be emphasized right here, right now, that Armenians everywhere agree that what occurred in 1915 was genocide and they feel that it needs to be acknowledged by Turkey.”
    Prof. Akcam then acknowledged that there may be legitimate differences among Armenians, regardless of whether they live in Armenia or the Diaspora, on such complex subjects as “what does it mean to recognize the genocide?” and “on the issue of addressing an historical injustice, what steps Turkey might take that will be considered sufficient?”
    Prof. Akcam then wondered which option Turkey should pursue — the Japanese or German model — in confronting its history? The Japanese model, he explained, would entail a “half-hearted expression” of apology. The German model, on the other hand, constitutes “acceptance of all consequences that arise from that acknowledgement, including providing reparations if necessary, would be required. To follow in Germany’s footsteps, Turkey would have to identify the events of 1915 as genocide and make serious effort to compensate all who were injured by those events both emotionally and materially.” He thus raised the serious issue of bringing “restorative justice” to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
    It is high time that Turkish denialists face squarely the brutal history of their nation and focus their attention on making amends to heal the wounds of the past rather than seeking to blame the descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, be they in Armenia or the Diaspora!
  • Jews and Armenian stand on alleged Genocide

    Jews and Armenian stand on alleged Genocide

    after Davos Turkey Appears to lost its longt standing ally , the Jewish-American lobby

    Watertown TAB & Press on ADL’s Armenian Genocide Denial

    USA Armenian Life Magazine   ..Friday,  January 30, 2009.

    Letters
    Armenian Americans must wake up and fight
    I’m upset to read that the American Jewish Committee has, like the national ADL, been trying to prevent recognition of the Armenian genocide (“Denial of the Armenian Genocide does more harm than synagogue vandals,” December 26).

    We read that Barry Jacobs of the AJC says his group will “champion to the best of our ability Turkish interests in the U.S. Congress.”  So the AJC is not just a Jewish lobby group but a Turkish one too?  Have AJC’s leaders told its members about its new client?

    The AJC and ADL insist that we all remember the Holocaust.  Fine. More than 63 years after the Holocaust reparations are being paid, and these groups are still demanding that Congress pass various kinds of Holocaust legislation.  Fine.

    But then the AJC and ADL turn around and lobby against the recognition of another people’s genocide?  This is hypocrisy of the worst kind and morally unacceptable.

    However, Armenian Americans are partly responsible. The Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Assembly of America, and other organizations should be taking the battle against the ADL and  No Place for Hate nationwide.  They have let everyone down.  What happened in Massachusetts – a dozen cities and the MMA stopped their No Place for Hate programs – should be happening in other states.  Armenian Americans need to wake up and fight.

    Lily Ordoubeigian
    Concord Road
    ***
    ADL should not get involved in Armenian matters
    Larry Epstein in his letter of Jan. 16 [Watertown Tab] asks Mr. Boyajian to “direct his wrath, instead at the professional historians who disagree with him.”
    Mr. Boyajian is able, I am sure, to speak for himself, but permit me to explain the difficulty that Mr. Boyajian will have with Mr. Epstein’s suggestion.
    The professional historians agree with Mr. Boyajian. The professional historians who are associated with the International Association of Genocide Scholars agree with Mr. Boyajian. The professional historians associated with the International Commission for Transitional Justice agree with Mr. Boyajian. The 152 professional historians who placed an ad in the Washington Post calling on Turkey to accept the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide agree with Mr. Boyajian. The 56 professional Israeli and Jewish historians who issued a statement in 2001 calling on Turkey to accept the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide agree with Mr. Boyajian.

    Perhaps, Mr. Epstein has in mind the handful of so-called scholars who are now or who have been in the pay directly or indirectly of the Turkish Government who, dancing to the piper’s tune, deny the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide.

    The fact that the ADL — which has never been accused of being composed of historians — sides with Turkey and is lamentable perhaps, as I think Mr. Boyajian is suggesting, it should concern itself with the very real problem of anti-Semitism and not get involved in matters concerning the Armenians. I cannot speak for Mr. Boyajian, but I am sure that were it any ethnically related organization that steps away from concerning itself with its constituents and denies the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide, Mr. Boyajian would be just as concerned.

    Anti-Semitism, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and, perhaps, Mr. Epstein should change his eyeglasses.

    I hope Mr. Boyajian doesn’t mind my taking off my jacket and jumping into the dispute.

    Andrew Kevorkian
    Philadelphia, PA
    ***

    Boyajian is no anti-Semite

    Concerning Mr. Larry Epstein’s recent letters to both the Watertown and Newton papers, I feel he is way out of line suggesting that David Boyajian is an anti-Semite.

    Mr. Boyajian is not complaining about different views among historians regarding the question of the Armenian Genocide. His beef is with the ADL that lobbys Congress to suppress public information about this atrocity and for not labeling it for what it was — a genocide.

    How does this make Boyajian an anti-Semite, especially when there are many Jewish people and groups that agree with him?

    Or is Mr. Epstein’s real gripe the fact that a Jewish group (ADL) is being publicly spanked and when that happens it is anti-Semitic for Epstein because nothing Jewish should ever be criticized?

    Ralph Filicchia
    Bellevue Road

    **

    Note:

    Mr. Epstein’s letter:

    Mr. Boyajian’s article in the Newton Tab:

    Related material:
    www.NoPlaceForDenial.com

  • Tsunami of political misfortunes

    Tsunami of political misfortunes

    By Appo Jabarian
    Executive Publisher / Managing Editor
    USA Armenian Life Magazine
    Friday,  January 30, 2009

    At one time during the early stages of the “I Apologize” Turkish campaign in Dec. 2008, Turkey threatened to prosecute its authors and signatories. Then, in late January, it back-peddled.
    According to various news reports, Turkish “prosecutors have decided not to take action against the organizers of an online apology campaign for the World War I massacres of Armenians in Turkey, a prosecutor’s office official said Monday, suggesting an easing of attitude toward free expression,” reported the Associated Press on Jan. 26.
    Why this change of politically driven judicial policy? Is this the beginning of the end of the infamous anti-freedom of expression criminal code’s article 301? Or are the political fortunes of Turkey fast-evaporating?

    In recent years, Turkey, facing the imminent possibility of being permanently isolated, has desperately embarked on a series of high level political maneuvers in the Middle East and Caucasus in order to successfully reflect the image of a regional important state.

    Failed Attempts to Broker Peace Between Syria and Israel:
    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan initiated a shuttle diplomacy between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Soon after its launching, the Turkish shuttle lost its course and crashed somewhere between the Arabian and Negev deserts.
    Turkey’s embarrassing failure to broker a peace deal between Syria and Israel caused loss of Turkish prestige in the Middle East and Europe.
    Stability and Cooperation Platform on Caucasus: A Bridge to Nowhere:
    Having lost face both among the Syrians and Israelis for its obvious inability to enhance the negotiations, Turkey looked elsewhere to boost its international image.
    In the aftermath of the 2008 South Ossetia-Georgia war, Ankara initiated the Caucasian platform diplomacy adding that the Russian Federation, along with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia should be part of it. Turkey’s Pres. Abdullah Gül boasted that the idea of establishing a Caucasus Stability Forum would bring economic development and welfare to the people in the region.
    Despite the initial conference on the Stability and Cooperation Platform on Caucasus in Istanbul in late January, many political observers believe that this latest Turkish posturing aims to make all talk and no action. The future will tell how long will this Turkish platform last vis-à-vis the shifting political plates in the Black Sea region and the Caucasus.
    During Gaza War, Attempts to Gain Favor With Arabs Backfires in Israel:

    Turkey has long been frowned upon by Arab nations for its close cooperation with Israel. Its strategic military and economic alliance with the Jewish state has caused anti-Turkish feelings and even animosity among Arabs.
    With the advent of the Israel-Gaza war, and subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza Strip ruled by Palestinians, Turkish officials saw an opportunity to viciously condemn Israel in order to gain favor with Arab states and to calm Turkish public’s fury at home.
    Harut Sassounian, the Publisher of The California Courier wrote this week: “The dispute between the two strategic allies began with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan harshly denouncing Israel’s incursion into Gaza and accusing the Jewish state of committing crimes against humanity. He suggested that Israel be barred from the United Nations as mass demonstrations were held throughout Turkey with banners that read: ‘Gaza will be a grave for Israel’ and ‘Put Israel on trial for war crimes.’ Israel’s Consul General in Istanbul, Mordehai Amihai, told Milliyet that the consulate received hundreds of anti-Semitic e-mails every day during the fighting in Gaza.”
    Sassounian continued: “Initially, Israeli officials expressed their displeasure through diplomatic channels. But as the anti-Israel rhetoric intensified, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister publicly warned Turkey that Tel Aviv might retaliate by acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Olmert invited the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic to dinner in Jerusalem after their summit meeting in nearby Egypt. Significantly, Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul, who also had attended the summit, was excluded from the dinner.”
    As Turkey’s international political misfortunes increase, Ankara needs to stop running away from its domestic duties and begin focusing:
    – On establish genuine freedom of expression by abolishing the infamous article 301;
    – On publicly supporting not only the “I Apologize” Turkish campaign, but also on coming to terms with its history by expressing readiness to make amends to the victims of the Armenian Genocide through Restorative Justice in the form of reparations, and return of Turkish-occupied Western Armenia to its rightful owners, the Armenians;
    – On making amends to the Greeks of Pontus and Smyrna; The Arabs and the nearly 16 million Alevis; The Assyrians and the nearly 25 million Kurds.
    If Turkey continues to ignore its obligations, it will continue to undergo both internal and external political pressures, which may ultimately lead to its implosion. It is not a question of “if.” It’s a question of “when!”
    Does Turkey desire to avert an uncontrolled economic and political disintegration? Ankara must realize that a fair settlement of the Armenian Genocide along with cases concerning Turkey’s other minorities will usher in a period of genuine stability and cooperation that it desperately needs and seeks.
  • BARRACK OBAMA AND ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS

    BARRACK OBAMA AND ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS

    Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations

    | January 19, 2008

    I am proud of my strong record on issues of concern to the one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage in the United States. I warmly welcome the support of this vibrant and politically active community as we change how our government works here at home, and restore American leadership abroad.

    I am a strong supporter of a U.S.-Armenian relationship that advances our common security and strengthens Armenian democracy. As President, I will maintain our assistance to Armenia, which has been a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism and extremism. I will promote Armenian security by seeking an end to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, and by working for a lasting and durable settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict that is agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding commitment to the principles of democracy and self determination. And my Administration will help foster Armenia’s growth and development through expanded trade and targeted aid, and by strengthening the commercial, political, military, developmental, and cultural relationships between the U.S. and Armenian governments.

    I also share with Armenian Americans – so many of whom are descended from genocide survivors – a principled commitment to commemorating and ending genocide. That starts with acknowledging the tragic instances of genocide in world history. As a U.S. Senator, I have stood with the Armenian American community in calling for Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term “genocide” to describe Turkey’s slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable policy. As a senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.

    Genocide, sadly, persists to this day, and threatens our common security and common humanity. Tragically, we are witnessing in Sudan many of the same brutal tactics – displacement, starvation, and mass slaughter – that were used by the Ottoman authorities against defenseless Armenians back in 1915. I have visited Darfurian refugee camps, pushed for the deployment of a robust multinational force for Darfur, and urged divestment from companies doing business in Sudan. America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that President.

    I look forward, as President, to continuing my active engagement with Armenian American leaders on the full range of issues of concern to the Armenian American community. Together, we will build, in new and exciting ways, upon the enduring ties and shared values that have bound together the American and Armenian peoples for more than a century.