Log In | Register
4 Comments
Printadvertisement
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama was unequivocal during the campaign: As president, he would recognize the nearly century-old massacre of Armenians in Turkey as genocide.
In breaking that promise Friday, the president did the same diplomatic tiptoeing he criticized the Bush administration for doing.
Like George W. Bush before him, Obama did not want to alienate vital ally Turkey by declaring the slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians to be genocide — especially with Turkey and Armenia now exploring reconciliation.
Instead, he said he had not changed his view from the campaign, even as he declined to state it, and added: "My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts."
In a statement on the anniversary of the start of the killings in 1915 — a day when U.S. presidents typically honor the Armenian victims — Obama said: "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 statement was less than the full and frank acknowledgment he promised Jan. 19, 2008, when he vowed that as president, "I will recognize the Armenian Genocide," and repeatedly used the word.
An excerpt from that 2008 campaign statement, one of several he released on the subject:
"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 acknowledgment 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 (Condoleezza) 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."
Scholars widely consider the events of 1915 to be the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey contends the death toll was inflated and resulted from civil war and unrest, not genocide.
Ken Hachikian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, said Obama's statement Friday "represents a retreat from his pledge and a setback to the vital change he promised to bring about in how America confronts the crime of genocide."
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
5 Votes- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
Published to:
- Calvin Woodward 's Column, All of Newsvine
- Groups: none
- Regions: United States , Turkey , Armenia , Washington DC
 | US & Zionist Armenian Genocide Denial & Obama backflip | Gideon Polya | Fri Apr 24 | 60 |
 | Obama brands Armenian killings `great atrocities' | Associated Press | Fri Apr 24 | 0 |
| Thousands of Armenians mourn WWI mass killings | Associated Press | Thu Apr 23 | 1 |
- Public Discussion (4)
What's this?
Who's leading the conversation?
This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user
has on the current conversation.
The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd
row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera).
Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group
is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the
left, in their corresponding group.
Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the
number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative
one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their
relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.
6.1
{"commentId":6695610,"authorDomain":"krishna109"}
What the Turks did to the Armenians was barbaric.
{"commentId":6695610,"threadId":"562678","contentId":"2729328","authorDomain":"krishna109"}
- 3 votes
#1 - Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:09 PM EDT{"commentId":6696286,"authorDomain":"rootboyslim"}
Obama lies again.
{"commentId":6696286,"threadId":"562678","contentId":"2729328","authorDomain":"rootboyslim"}
- 3 votes
#2 - Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:58 PM EDT{"commentId":6709369,"authorDomain":"krishna109"}
Obama lies again.
Its not a lie. Its a "change".
He changed his position.
He promised "change' during the campaign-- he's good for his word! (Unless, of course, that changes... :-)
{"commentId":6709369,"threadId":"562678","contentId":"2729328","authorDomain":"krishna109"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":6696554,"authorDomain":"Roybean"}
He promised, but that ran up against "I'm going to make the world love America again."
That meant embracing the approach of "the president the world hated," and the approach of every previous president who avoided upsetting Turkey.
In other words, he was briefed, and grew up a little bit more.
On the other hand, even if it is depressing that killing a million Christians cannot be mentioned lest it upsets the perpetrators, he is unwavering in proclaiming that it is indisputably evil to mistreat a Muslim terrorist. Obama knows evil when he sees it. And when to not see it. It depends on the size and power and usefullness of the group being offended.
Why does Turkey not acknowledge it, and claim that it was pre-Attaturk, he who set the Turkish nation on the right course?
Because the Turkish Identity is what it means..."what is a Turk?" That wasn't created by Attaturk, it was reinforced by Attaturk. Controlled, kept, Muslim, language, history...identity.
NOT Christian, Jew, or any non-Turkish linguistic groups. It is not good to insult the heritage of perfection.
{"commentId":6696554,"threadId":"562678","contentId":"2729328","authorDomain":"Roybean"}
- 2 votes
#3 - Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:20 PM EDT{"canLink":false,"threadId":"562678","isPrivate":false}
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
Start Tracking
Stop TrackingCOMPANY STUFF:
LEGAL STUFF:
- © 2005-2009 Newsvine, Inc. |
- Newsvine® is a registered trademark of Newsvine, Inc. |
- Newsvine is a property of
