After 95 years of the Armenian genocide the American president Barack Obama has described the 1915 episode as an atrocity. He is now the 15th president who has consciously ignored the first massacre of the 20th century by denying it its rightful definition, genocide. It is shameful that on January, 30, 2008 he stated publicly “Genocide did take place against the Armenian people”. It is not surprising that after taking his post as president he fails to give proper acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide given that Turkey has a strong political and economic weight in American politics, and sadly its conscience. Turkey is the strongest U.S. ally in its war against terror, a member of NATO, and a significant economic partner.
Turkey has consistently denied ownership of taking the lives of over 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. Nevertheless, there is overwhelming evidence of this atrocity. One of the most controversial of these is the written accounts of U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during WWI, Henry Morguenthau. In a discussion that he had with Turkish head of state Taalat Pasha on 1917, Morguenthau states he approached Mr Taalat and recounts he said to him: “Suppose a few Armenians did betray you, is that reason for destroying a whole race? Is that an excuse for making innocent women and children suffer? Mr. Taalat to this replied: “Those things are inevitable, it is no use for you to argue, we already disposed of three fourths of all Armenians…the hatred between the Turks and the Armenians is now so intense that we have got to finish with them. If we don’t they will plan their revenge. No Armenian can be our friend after what we have done to them”.
It is widely recognized by the International Community that dealing with the past is key for the long term psychological rehabilitation of a victim group as well as the perpetrators, hence contributing for the long term goal of reconciliation. The International Court of Justice(ICJ) along with the international community have failed to deal with this atrocious chapter of our history. The 1968 Convention of No-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity holds that the passage of time cannot bar prosecutions for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The question is then only obvious, What are we waiting for?
Massive deportations, killings, rape and torture were suffered by more than 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during WWI, in the fog of war. To this date historians and scholars alike recall Hitler’s famous quote “Who today, after all, speaks of the annihilation of the Armenians?”
The answer to this should be what President Clinton said and declared, (yes, maybe a bit too late) “Never Again”. Never again we will forget…? Is the world still a sad bystander for such barbarities? History and sadly Saturday’s, April 24, 2010, conscious omittance of the word genocide for the Armenian case from our latest president only give us grim hopes for the answer to this question and the pledge….Never Again…
No comments:
Post a Comment