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Turkish Coalition of America
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Issues & Information

List of Articles on the Turkish-Armenian Question

  • Religious Ceremony Held at Historical Armenian Church in Turkey
  • Armenian President's Belligerent Remarks Draw Turkey’s Ire
  • Correcting the Record on H.Res. 252 (Armenian Resolution)
  • TCA Response to President Obama's Statement
  • Why Congress Should Not Legislate History
  • Armenians in Ottoman Bureaucracy
  • TCA Responds to President Obama's Statement
  • Tarihsel Gerçekler ve Uluslararası Hukuk Işığında Ermeni Soykırımı İddiası
  • Amb. Elekdağ Calls Upon President Obama to Respect Law on Genocide
  • TCA Letter to President Obama on Greek National Independence Day
  • Legislating History
  • President Obama's Statement
  • 154 Retired Turkish Ambassadors Write to Speaker Pelosi
  • Turkish American Community Letter to President Obama
  • Will Untapped Ottoman Archives Reshape the Armenian Debate?
  • Rep. Frank Pallone and the "Armenian Genocide Resolution"
  • Professor questions ethnic conflict
  • Money spent by the Armenian Lobby in America (USA/ Armenia)
  • Buying Policies
  • The freedom of historical debate is under attack by the memory police
  • Book review: The Armenian Genocide: Cultural and Ethical Legacies
  • U.S. H.RES. 106: Factual and Legal Deficiencies
  • A Scrutiny of Akcam's Version of History and the Armenian Genocide
  • Turkish Armenian Relations
  • Russian Document refutes Armenian "genocide" claims Provides evidence of mass killings by Armenians
  • Swedish Parliament Rejects Armenian Genocide Legislation
  • Turkey offers Armenian Diaspora $20 million to open its Archives
  • Armenia is a troubled nation
  • Armenian Terrorism: History as Poison and Antidote
  • Reader comment on: "Lévy To Speak On Islamism, Genocide"
  • The History Lesson
  • Westerners on the Armenian Strategy and Rebellion
  • Report of Captian Niles and Mr. Arthur E. Sutherland Jr.
  • ADL and the Turks
  • No Armenian Genocide
  • Bernard Lewis Distinguishes Armenian Case from Holocaust
  • Anatolia 1915:Turks Died, Too
  • Review: The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide
  • Remembering Orhan Gunduz: A Victim of Armenian Terrorism
  • Turkey and Armenia: What Jews should do
  • ADL should not redefine genocide
  • Turkey's new envoy says genocide bill impedes reconciliation
  • Turkey's War on the Truth
  • Partisan Politics and Democrats' Turkey Problem
  • Why We Are Losing Turkey
  • Genocide claims against Turkey frivolous
  • Congress and Armenia
  • Armenian genocide measure is misguided
  • Armenian debacle
  • The Armenian Revolt: 1894-1920: Documentary by Marty Callaghan
  • History Speaks: The moral case against the Armenian Genocide Resolution
  • Judgment Time: Should America recognize an Armenian Genocide?
  • Armenian Story has Another Side
  • U.S. can calm a ruffled Turkey
  • Pointless Moral Exhibitionism on Turkey
  • Stirring up the past, jeopardizing the future
  • Armenia Crime Amnesia?
  • Secretary of State Pelosi
  • Turkey in the crosshairs
  • Tawdry Genocide Tale
  • This wasn't Genocide
  • Letter to Abraham H. Foxman, ADL of B'Nai B'Rith
  • Why America Should Build Bridges to Turkey
  • Statement by Professor Norman Stone
  • Re: Truth and Consequences: Armenians, Turks and Jews
  • Let's Unearth the Truth About what happened in 1915 together
  • Turkish ambassador: "Give all sides a hearing"
  • Judgment Time:Should America recognize an Armenian Genocide?
  • Norman Stone: 'There is No Armenian Genocide'
  • New Scholarship Disputes Armenian "Genocide" Narrative
  • Religious Ceremony Held at Historical Armenian Church in Turkey

    Religious Ceremony Held at Historical Armenian Church in Turkey
    A religious ceremony was held on September 11 at the historical Armenian Church of Akdamar in Van, Turkey. This is the second religious ceremony to be held at the church since its restoration by the Ministry of Culture of Turkey in 2007. The ceremony, led by Archbishop Aram Atesyan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, was attended by approximately 3,000 people. read more

    Armenian President's Belligerent Remarks Draw Turkey’s Ire

    Controversial remarks by Armenian President Serz Sarksyan raised doubts as to Armenia's commitment to the process of normalization between the two countries and sparked criticism from Turkey. President Sarksyan's controversial remarks were made during the 5th Pan-Armenian Olympiad in response to a question whether "Western Armenia" - a belligerent term used by Armenians for the eastern region of Turkey - would ever be united with the rest of Armenia. read more

    Correcting the Record on H.Res. 252 (Armenian Resolution)

    FACT: The resolution presents a one-sided selection of the U.S. record. The complete U.S. record on events in eastern Anatolia during the closing years of the Ottoman Empire contains reports depicting a tragedy, but offers no proof of genocide. The U.S. record also includes reports of respected envoys, who documented the Armenian Revolt and questioned accounts of massacres. H.Res.252 willfully omits this record. read more

    TCA Response to President Obama's Statement

    TCA Response to President Obama's Statement
    April 24, 2011, Washington, DC - In response to the President's annual statement on Armenian Remembrance Day, G. Lincoln McCurdy, President of the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), issued the following remarks: read more

    Why Congress Should Not Legislate History

    Michael M. Gunter, April 8, 2011
    On March 4, 2010 the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved by a 23-22 vote a controversial resolution (H. Res. 252) declaring that it “finds the . . . Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire... read more

    Armenians in Ottoman Bureaucracy

    Armenians held key positions in Ottoman bureaucracy. Particularly in the 19th century, twenty-nine Armenians were granted the highest military-governmental rank of Pasha, general.. There were twenty-two Armenian ministers in Ottoman Administration, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Treasury, Trade and Post, with other Armenians holding high positions at the departments in charge of agriculture, economic development, and the census. read more

    TCA Responds to President Obama's Statement

    President Barack Obama issued a presidential statement on April 24, marking "Armenian Remembrance Day." Turkish Americans share the grief of Armenian Americans who lost their family members during those dreadful events nearly a century ago. read more

    Tarihsel Gerçekler ve Uluslararası Hukuk Işığında Ermeni Soykırımı

    Amb. Şükrü Elekdağ, April 19, 2010 (in Turkish)
    Bugüne kadar soykırım iddiası, uluslararası alanda Ermenistan’a ilaveten birçok devlet tarafından Türkiye üzerinde baskı kurmak, Türk dış politikasını yönlendirmek ve ödünler elde etmek amacıyla kullanılmıştır. Bu alanda Ermenistan tarafından Türkiye aleyhinde sürdürülen yoğun kampanya ülkemiz açısından ağır bir imaj sorunu yarattığı gibi dış politikamızın ana eksenlerine de ipotek koymaktadır. read more

    Amb. Elekdağ Calls Upon President Obama to Respect Law on Genocide

    April 24, 2010, The following letter was sent to President Barack Obama by Ambassador (ret.) Şükrü Elekdağ, former Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Member the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey, Peoples Republican Party, Deputy from Istanbul on April 16, 2010. read more

    TCA Letter to President Obama on Greek National Independence Day

    On March 9, 2010, you hosted Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios of America to celebrate Greek Independence Day. While March 25, 1821 represents the launch of the Greek independence movement, it also marks the beginning of a horrible period for the Ottoman Muslims; in the Balkans alone 1,750,000 Ottoman... read more

    Legislating History

    Yilmaz Arguden, October 24, 2006
    Recently various Parliaments throughout the world have gotten into the business of legislating history!! As Tip O’Neill has succinctly put it, “All politics is local.” However, currently the US Congress is under pressure to consider a resolution about the events of 1915. read more

    President Obama's Statement

    April 24, 2009, Washington, DC - President Obama in his statement on the occasion of the Armenian Remembrance Day refrained from the use of the term “genocide” to describe the tragic events that occurred nearly a century ago in the Ottoman Empire and lent his strong support to dialogue between Turks and Armenians, as well as normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia. read more

    154 Retired Turkish Ambassadors Write to Speaker Pelosi

    March 31, 2009
    Once again, extremist factions within the American-Armenian communities have launched their yearly campaigns asking the US Congress to adopt a resolution recognizing their claims of "Armenian Genocide". read more

    Turkish American Community Letter to President Obama

    As presidents of Turkish American community organizations nationwide, we congratulate you on assuming the Presidency of the United States of America. We wish you success in confronting the many daunting challenges facing our nation and the world today. read more

    Will Untapped Ottoman Archives Reshape the Armenian Debate?

    Yucel Guclu, Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2009
    The debate over what happened to Armenians in World War I-era Ottoman Anatolia continues to polarize historians and politicians. Armenian historians argue that Ottoman forces killed more than one million Armenians in a deliberate act of genocide. Other historians—most famously Bernard Lewis and Guenter Lewy—acknowledge that hundreds of thousands of Armenians died but question whether this was a deliberate act of genocide or rather an outgrowth of fighting and famine. read more

    Rep. Frank Pallone and the "Armenian Genocide Resolution"

    Lincoln McCurdy, president of TCA, New Jersey Star Ledger, March 2, 2009
    Recently, a letter seeking cosponsors for a renewed drive to secure the adoption of an "Armenian Genocide Resolution" was circulated on Capitol Hill. The lead authors of the proposed legislation included four members of congress from districts with sizable Armenian constituents. They included Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ). read more

    Professor questions ethnic conflict

    Matthew Rist, The GW Hatchet, February 26, 2009
    Turkkaya Ataov, a professor at Ankara University in Turkey who is internationally recognized for his vehement denials that the 1915 massacre of Armenians was a genocide, presented a lecture entitled, "How to Come to Terms with One's Past: Searching the Truth Behind Armenian Claims on Genocide." read more

    Money spent by the Armenian Lobby in America (USA/ Armenia)

    Senol Kantarci, ERAREN, 2001
    While the Americans were waging their war of independence in 1780, figs from Izmir and other Anatolian produce were advertised in American papers. The first American ship touching waters was named Grand Turk, and set to sail off Salem port in 1782. This ship carried produce to the New England harbors in the 1790’s. American trade ships visited Istanbul in 1786, Izmir in 1797, and Iskenderiye (Alexandria) in 1800. First trade agreement between America and Turkey was signed on May 7, 1830 (most favored nation status). read more

    Buying Policies

    Michael van der Galien, PoliGazette, August 5, 2008
    One of the main things Americans frequently complain about is the influence of special interest groups over politicians and, thus, over how the United States is ran. Too many laws, these Americans say, are designed not with the best interest of the American people in mind, but with the interest of said groups in mind. This is, Americans rightfully complain, now how the US government was meant to function. read more

    The freedom of historical debate is under attack by the memory police

    Stanford J. Shaw
    As the Allied armies occupied Turkey starting in late November 1918, Turks reacted largely with silent acquiescence. They were willing to accept that since the war had left their country devastated and most of its people starving, the victorious Powers of Europe occupied their country in order to help them rebuild it in the lands of the Ottoman Empire that remained with large Turkish majorities, in accordance with Point Twelve of Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points declared earlier the same year. As was the case in western Anatolia, however, where Allied intentions to deprive the Turks of their homeland combined with Greek atrocities against the settled population drove the Turks to support a Turkish national resistance, so also those in Cilicia were soon driven to resist violently against the abuses and atrocities which the French occupation troops inflicted on them during the two years that followed. read more

    Book review: The Armenian Genocide: Cultural and Ethical Legacies

    Guenter Lewy, Slavic Review, 2008
    Readers familiar with Russioan and Turkish history will experience the same sense of unreality in reading Hovannisian's insistence that the Armenian disaster in 1915 was entirely unprovoked and the result of a xenophbic nationalistic mindset and a total war ethic on the part of the Young Turk regime. read more

    U.S. H.RES. 106: Factual and Legal Deficiencies

    David Saltzman, TUSIAD Publication, April 2008
    The Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, TUSIAD, wishes to initiate a new platform for discussing the fate of the Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The controversy over this issue and the overly politicized nature of the debate poison Turkey’s relations with its closest allies and broaden the appeal of anti-Western sentiments among the Turkish public. read more

    A Scrutiny of Akcam's Version of History and the Armenian Genocide

    Erman Sahin, Muslim Minority Affairs, August 1, 2008
    In discussing the massacres of the 1890s, the author does not mention the provocations carried out by the Armenian revolutionary groups that were also an important factor in bringing about Muslim attacks on the Armenians. In the second chapter the author quotes a single instance of this kind for a different occasion (p. 63). His argument, however, is not a synthesis of the evidence presented. Instead of discussing how such incidents shaped the course of events, the author prefers to limit himself to pointing out how the Turkish historiography makes use of them. read more

    Turkish Armenian Relations

    Nursen Mazici, Radikal Daily, June 30, 2008
    The 1915 relocation was undoubtedly a great tragedy for Ottoman Armenians. But this tragedy was mutual. I hope that two Eastern nations, who slaughtered each other as a result of British imperialism and German militarism, will take a page from history and will not sacrifice themselves once more in the 21st century for the neo-imperialists’ interests in the Caucasus. read more

    Russian Document refutes Armenian "genocide" claims Provides eviden

    An official document in Russia’s State Military History Archives has been discovered by a researcher from Istanbul University and is reported to be a new piece of evidence on large scale atrocities committed by Armenians against Ottoman Muslims in 1915. read more

    Swedish Parliament Rejects Armenian Genocide Legislation

    The Swedish Parliament in a June 12 vote rejected legislation aimed at recognizing Armenian genocide claims. The measure was rejected by a 245 to 37 vote, with nearly 70 percent of the Parliament voting against the legislation. read more

    Turkey offers Armenian Diaspora $20 million to open its Archives

    The President of the Turkish Historical Society Professor Yusuf Halacoglu offered a $20 million grant to the classification and opening of the Armenian archives in Boston, which remain sealed to scholars. read more

    Armenia is a troubled nation

    Jason Epstein, Pajamas Media, April 24, 2008
    Despite years of generous American financial assistance, Armenia’s economy remains in a shambles. Corruption is endemic — the public believes that most wealth created in recent years has only benefited the oligarchs — unemployment is high, and the prices of basic necessities continue to rise. It is no wonder that the country’s population keeps declining — the most recent Central Intelligence Agency estimate was just under three million, a 15% drop since 1994. read more

    Armenian Terrorism: History as Poison and Antidote

    Justin McCarthy, Ankara University Press, 1984
    Historians do not usually contribute to discussions of present-day terrorism. Middle East historians have especially avoided comment on Armenian terrorism, preferring topics more remote and less likely to shoot back. However, in considering Armenian violence, history cannot be ignored, for history is both the cause of Armenian terrorism and its only cure. Armenian terrorism is rooted in a false view of history and only by correcting that view will Armenian terrorism be defeated. I therefore wish to suggest a method not usually used to combat terrorism -the study of history. read more

    Reader comment on: "Lévy To Speak On Islamism, Genocide"

    Erkin Baker, The New York Sun, March 4, 2008
    It is unfair to the memory of the six million Jews who have perished at the hands of the Germans during Worl war II to have their suffering to be compared to that of the Armenians during World war I. Of course, the Armenians did suffer. At the same time, three million Turks were killed and millions were thrown out of their homes too, many as a result of the Armenians' revolts. So have tens of millions of other ethnic and religious groups throughout history during times of war. Not all killings of civilians, along with the military, during armed conflicts, can be considered genocide. read more

    The History Lesson

    National Review Online, October 17, 2007
    Turkey is a country of the greatest strategic importance to the U.S. It is a loyal member of NATO with large and effective armed forces. It has a strong and growing economy. It is an overwhelmingly Muslim country with a democratic system of government. read more

    Westerners on the Armenian Strategy and Rebellion

    Michael van der Galiën, November 20, 2007
    If it is required to start revolution or to rise up in order to secure the intervention of Europe in this matter or to draw its attention that can be done quite easily. read more

    Report of Captian Niles and Mr. Arthur E. Sutherland Jr.

    Justin McCarthy, 1990
    The following is a copy of the Niles and Sutherland Report as it appears in the draft copy in the United States National Archives. Beign a draft, it contains infelicities of language, mistakes in paragraph numbering, confusing nomenclature, etc. read more

    ADL and the Turks

    Joel J. Sprayregen Chicago, The Jerusalem Report, November 26, 2007
    Under a longstanding relationship, Jewish organizations have lobbied against legislation undermining U.S.-Turkish relations (ADL Spars with Armenians, Oct. 29). This strengthened U.S.-Turkish strategic ties and Israel's ties with its sole regional ally. It also furthered the well-being of Turkey's 20,000 Jews - living amidst 70 million Muslims - who are protected by their government but menaced by extremists. read more

    No Armenian Genocide

    Bernard Lewis, National Press Club, August 2007 read more

    Bernard Lewis Distinguishes Armenian Case from Holocaust

    Bernard Lewis, C-SPAN2, April 14, 2002
    The British press reported in 1997 that your views on the killing of one million Armenians by the Turks in 1915 did not amount to genocide and in this report in the Independent of London, says that a French court fined you one frank in damages after you said there was no genocide. This obviously triggered a debate in Israel where this quoted article (Moderator cuts in and asks him to ask his question as their running out of time). My question is, sir, have your views changed on this whether the killing of one million Armenians amounts to genocide and your views on this judgment? read more

    Anatolia 1915:Turks Died, Too

    Justin McCarthy, The Boston Globe, April 25, 1998
    During World War 1, Anatolia, the Asiatic section of modern Turkey, was the scene of horrible acts of inhumanity between Armenians and Turks. For many decades, the history of the conflict between the Turks and the Armenians has primarily been written from the viewpoint of the Armenians. It is a viewpoint that emphasizes the deaths of Armenians but completely ignores the deaths of Turks. read more

    Review: The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genoci

    The following are excerpts from a review essay by Masaki Kakiszaki, University of Utah, on a newly released book by Guenter Lewy, titled “The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide” University of Florida Press, 2005. The full review is published in Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, Spring 2007. read more

    Remembering Orhan Gunduz: A Victim of Armenian Terrorism

    On May 4, 1982 a gunman assassinated Turkish Honorary Consul General Orhan Gunduz in Boston, while he was waiting in his automobile in rush-hour traffic. An Armenian terrorist organization, Justice Commandos against Armenian Genocide (JCAG) claimed responsibility. read more

    Turkey and Armenia: What Jews should do

    All nations have sacred memories and traditions surrounding their creation and their sacrifices. These are national legends that take on mythic proportions about the nations' founding fathers and the circumstances of the nations' formation. Sometimes, and often after difficult introspection, citizens recognize that their histories and heroes are not all black-and-white, and that a true national narrative involves a rich palette of greys as well. But that realization requires a national maturation, one that also demands the cognitive involvement of all parties to the narrative. read more

    ADL should not redefine genocide

    The police and civilian mob came for them in the night, forcing them at gunpoint into the streets, stripping them of their property on the spot before shipping them to internment camps for expulsion. The lucky ones were put in boxcars, but most had to trudge on foot for hundreds of miles under the watchful eyes of sadistic guards that tormented their every step. read more

    Turkey's new envoy says genocide bill impedes reconciliation

    Bridget Johnson, LA Daily News, October 11, 2007
    U.S. lawmakers should not fixate on the Armenian Genocide bill, which is an insult to many Turks and a roadblock to reconciliation between Turkey and the Armenian community, the new Turkish consul general in Los Angeles said. read more

    Turkey's War on the Truth

    Richard Cohen, Washington Post, October 16, 2007
    It goes without saying that the House resolution condemning Turkey for the "genocide" of Armenians from 1915 to 1923 will serve no earthly purpose and that it will, to say the least, complicate if not severely strain U.S.-Turkey relations. It goes without saying, also, that the Turks are extremely sensitive on the topic and, since they are helpful in the war in Iraq and are a friend to Israel, that their feelings ought to be taken into account. All of this is true, but I would feel a lot better about condemning this resolution if the argument wasn't so much about how we need Turkey and not at all about the truthfulness of the matter. read more

    Partisan Politics and Democrats' Turkey Problem

    Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call, October 22, 2007
    If there is anything that points out the difference between most Republicans and most Democrats, it is Congress’ effort to pass a resolution that labels Turkey’s slaughter of Armenians almost a century ago as “genocide.” The White House has opposed the action, which has been pushed by House Democrats. While some Republicans have been supporting the measure (and supported previous attempts to please Armenian-Americans by embarrassing Turkey), the current resolution is primarily a Democratic initiative on Capitol Hill. read more

    Why We Are Losing Turkey

    Tony Blankley Real Clear Politics, October 24, 2007
    With the steady decline of our selected ally Gen. Pervez Musharraf's ability to govern Pakistan and the growing alienation of the Turkish people and government from their longtime ally the United States, it is fair to say that from the Bosporus to the Himalayas, American interests continue to decline, while American policy drifts. It is ironic, if not mordant, to observe that in that zone, our policy in Iraq stands out as holding more promise for success than most of the other policies we are attempting. This week, let me consider why we are losing Turkey. read more

    Genocide claims against Turkey frivolous

    Thomas Goltz Missoulian News Online, October 12, 2007
    For as long as I have been academically associated with Turkey, the Middle East and the post-Soviet Caucasus, Diaspora Armenians in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and now even Montana, have made an annual attempt to convince Congress to pass resolutions condemning Turkey for having effected a “genocide” against their forefathers in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, while Turkish groups have, less effectively, railed against such condemnation of their ancestors. read more

    Congress and Armenia

    Tayyip Erdogan, PM of Turkey, The Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2007
    Efforts to rewrite the history of the events of 1915 through legislative fiat and vilify Turks are not new to the U.S. Congress. But past attempts were always contained through support in Congress and from successive presidential administrations. This time, it seems that the House of Representatives may be forced to take sides and pass unilateral judgment on a historic controversy that is as contentious as it is complex. read more

    Armenian genocide measure is misguided

    Bruce Fein, San Francisco Chronicle, October 21, 2007
    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believed that the Armenian genocide resolution (HR106) that passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 10 would be a slam dunk for her national stature and leadership. Instead, it exposed the speaker as not well-informed and a champion of parochial interests. read more

    Armenian debacle

    Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times, October 16, 2007
    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she believes that "the biggest ethical challenge facing our country is the war in Iraq." Therefore, she must believe that passing a resolution declaring the mass killings of Armenians at the end of World War I a genocide will restore America's moral authority. Rep. Tom Lantos, California Democrat, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "I feel that I have a tremendous opportunity as a survivor of the Holocaust to bring a moral dimension to our foreign policy." The resolution passed last week by a 27"21 vote. read more

    The Armenian Revolt: 1894-1920: Documentary by Marty Callaghan

    The Armenian Revolt: 1894-1920: Documentary by Marty Callaghan
    In the late 19th century, Armenian nationalists began to revolt against the Ottoman Empire , spurred by Western political ideals and the desire for their own homeland. When World War 1 broke out, Russian troops invaded eastern Turkey and many Armenians joined their ranks. By 1915, the struggle between Christian Armenians and Muslims turned into a tragic bloodbath. Over the next five years, more than two million Armenians and Muslims - Turkish, Kurdish, and Azeri - died from disease, starvation, exposure and outright massacre. This one-hour program examines the details of this horrible struggle, explains its causes, and reveals the key role played by Western powers in the conflict. / This DVD can be ordered from TCA for $12 plus shipping and handling. read more

    History Speaks: The moral case against the Armenian Genocide Resolution

    Barbara Lerner, National Review Online, October 18, 2007
    Prudential arguments against the Armenian genocide resolution pending in Congress are gaining traction; odds for passage in November that looked overwhelming last month look more like a toss-up today. But in the court of public opinion, genocide proponents are still winning. Most Europeans and transcultural multinationals have already proclaimed it an indisputable historical fact that the Armenian tragedy in Turkey in World War I was a genocide, perpetrated by the Turks — a deliberate government attempt to wipe out all Armenians — and growing numbers of Americans think we have a moral duty to join them. The problem, in this arena, is that prudential arguments have nothing like the emotional power and widespread popular appeal of the moral case for condemning the Turks. read more

    Judgment Time: Should America recognize an Armenian Genocide?

    Barbara Lerner, National Review Online, September 7, 2007
    Calls for America to recognize the Armenian tragedy of 1915 as genocide, and to condemn the Turks for it, grow louder, more insistent, and more varied by the week. The Armenian lobby, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), and a handful of other longtime congressional supporters are no longer the only people calling for this recognition. They are joined not just by the usual old secular human-rights crusaders of the Left like Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk, but also by new voices from the Right - including some I respect. Should we do it? Is it really beyond dispute that the Ottoman Turks were guilty of genocide in World War I? read more

    Armenian Story has Another Side

    Norman Stone,Chicago Tribune, October 16, 2007
    All the world knows what the end of an empire looks like: hundreds of thousands of people fleeing down dusty paths, taking what was left of their possessions; crammed refugee trains puffing their way across arid plains; and many, many people dying. For the Ottoman Empire that process began in the Balkans, the Crimea and the Caucasus as Russia and her satellites expanded. Seven million people -- we would now call them Turks -- had to settle in Anatolia, the territory of modern Turkey. read more

    U.S. can calm a ruffled Turkey

    The Christian Monitor, October 17, 2007
    Two hot-button issues have set off Turkish ire and severely strained US ties: Turkey's history with war and increased dangers to its present-day security. In both cases, it's tempting to fault Ankara's overreaction. But US lawmakers and the White House should first examine their own actions. read more

    Pointless Moral Exhibitionism on Turkey

    Rich Lowry,The National Review, October 16, 2007
    The Ottoman Empire died an ignominious death 85 years ago in the aftermath of World War I. Democrats are nonetheless intent on rebuking it for the mass killing of Armenians during World War I that many scholars and a proposed House resolution call “genocide.” read more

    Stirring up the past, jeopardizing the future

    Bronwen Maddox, The Time Magazine, October 17, 2007
    The most extraordinary spectacle of the past week has been the apparent desire of the US Congress to pronounce as genocide the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Turks, even though there is nothing more provocative to Turkey, and no worse time at which to do it. read more

    Armenia Crime Amnesia?

    Bruce Fein, The Washington Times, Oct 16, 2007
    Armenian crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Ottoman Turkish and Kurdish populations of eastern and southern Anatolia during World War I and its aftermath have been forgotten amidst congressional preoccupation with placating the vocal and richly financed Armenian lobby. read more

    Secretary of State Pelosi

    The Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2007
    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, famous for donning a head scarf earlier this year to commune for peace with the Syrians, has now concluded that this is the perfect moment to pass a Congressional resolution condemning Turkey for the Armenian genocide of 1915. Problem is, Turkey in 2007 has it within its power to damage the growing success of the U.S. effort in Iraq. We would like to assume this is not Speaker Pelosi's goal. read more

    Turkey in the crosshairs

    The Washington Times, October 15, 2007
    A combination of events - including a dramatic upsurge in violence from Kurdish terrorists based in northern Iraq and a House resolution condemning Turkey for the mass killings of Armenians more than 80 years ago - have created an explosive, dangerous situation on the Turkish-Iraq border that could endanger the resupply of U.S. forces in Iraq. read more

    Tawdry Genocide Tale

    Bruce Fein, Washington Times, September 2, 2007
    Bruce Fein - On Tuesday, Aug. 21, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Abraham H. Foxman, somersaulted from a longstanding ADL policy. The ADL had declined to characterize as genocide the killings of Armenians during World War I by Ottoman Muslims. In Mr. Foxman's change of position hangs a tawdry tale of intellectual dishonor. read more

    This wasn't Genocide

    Shlomo Bar-Meir, Jerusalem Post, September 2, 2007
    Sir, - While the Armenian deaths in WWI were a great tragedy, they were not genocide. The Armenian population was in almost total revolt against the Ottoman Turks. Armenian soldiers deserted the Turkish army in droves and went over to the Russian invaders. There are over 50 documented cases of Armenian massacres of Turkish populations while the Turkish army was retreating from the Russian invasion. read more

    Letter to Abraham H. Foxman, ADL of B'Nai B'Rith

    Jak Kamhi, August 22, 2007
    I write to you concerning the "ADL Statement on the Armenian Genocide" dated 21st August 2007, in which you add the prestige of the ADL to those who, for all sorts of reasons, have long lobbied for acceptance of the much-disputed claim that the historical events in question constituted a "genocide". read more

    Why America Should Build Bridges to Turkey

    Liz Peek, July 3, 2007
    The Turks are getting cranky, and who can blame them? Since recovering from a fiscal crisis in 2001, the country has racked up one of the best growth rates in the world, and today it is the 17th largest economy. Last year the budget deficit fell to less than 1% of Gross Domestic Product, while inflation has been in single-digit territory for the past three years. read more

    Statement by Professor Norman Stone

    Norman Stone, August 23, 2007
    I am writing to you about the resolution, recently-published, of the ADL, concerning the Armenian events of 1915 in Turkey. My qualifications for doing so are I think such that any historian of the period would vouch for me: I taught at Cambridge and Oxford for thirty years before taking early retirement from the Chair of Modern History, and going to Turkey. read more

    Re: Truth and Consequences: Armenians, Turks and Jews

    Denis Ojalvo, August 22, 2007
    The strategy of the Armenian side, from its very inception has been to implicate the Republic of Turkey in the events which preceded its foundation, by extending the period of the alleged genocide from 1915 to 1923, instead of 1918. Moreover, they do not hesitate to forge documents and photos for sustaining that argument. The venue of such a recent attempt of forgery was UCLA “ University of California Los Angeles, (April 14, 2005 UCLA talk entitled "The Face of Denial Does Not Lie,") where a photo of Ataturk' with a dog at his feet was manipulated and the dog substituted with a corpse of a civil war victim. read more

    Let's Unearth the Truth About what happened in 1915 together

    The New York Times, April 23, 2007
    We look to a future of freedom, peace, and prosperity in Armenia and Turkey and hope that Prime Minister Erdogan’s recent proposal for a joint Turkish-Armenian commission can help advance these processes. read more

    Turkish ambassador: "Give all sides a hearing"

    In response to an inquiry by the Advocate, the Turkish ambassador to the U.S. issued the following statement: It was surprising and disappointing when, on August 21, ADL abruptly changed its longtime position regarding the historical interpretation of the events of 1915... read more

    Judgment Time:Should America recognize an Armenian Genocide?

    Barbara Lerner, National Review Online, September 07, 2007
    The Armenian lobby, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), and a handful of other longtime congressional supporters are no longer the only people calling for this recognition. They are joined not just by the usual old secular human-rights crusaders of the Left like Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk, but also by new voices from the Right — including some I respect. Should we do it? Is it really beyond dispute that the Ottoman Turks were guilty of genocide in World War I? read more

    Norman Stone: 'There is No Armenian Genocide'

    Norman Stone, JTW News, 21 October 2006
    “The Armenian ‘genocide’ is an imperialist plot.” So said Dogu Perincek, in Marxist mode, and he chose to say it in Switzerland. Switzerland passed a law threatening prison for anyone ‘denying’ that there had been a genocide of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915, and Mr. Perincek was interrogated by the police. read more

    New Scholarship Disputes Armenian "Genocide" Narrative

    The following recent scholarship published on Armenian-Ottoman history demonstrate the inappropriateness of legislating history, as some members of Congress frequently intend to do. This history has neither been fully researched, nor authoritatively written. Congressional resolutions do injustice to the diversity of scholarship on this issue in favor of endorsing a defect and biased narrative. TCA renews its support for the establishment of an independent historical commission to examine this painful chapter in Turkish-Armenian history and invites all interested parties and particularly the United States Congress and Administration to fully support the formation of this commission. read more
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