Harman flip-flops on Armenian genocide resolution
In the long, unhappy life of the congressional resolution to officially recognize and commemorate the Armenian genocide, there have been many moments (from the Armenian point of view, which I broadly share) of parliamentary treachery -- then-House speaker Dennis Hastert withdrawing the resolution at the last minute in 2000, both presidents George Bush vowing as candidates to officially recognize the genocide then dropping the pledge once in the White House, and so on.
Now we can add to that list ... hawkish South Bay Democrat Jane Harman! Even though Harman is one the bill's 226 co-sponsors, she nonetheless wrote a letter to House Foreign Relations Committee Chair Tom Lantos Wednesday urging him to withdraw it from consideration, and announcing that she will oppose the very resolution she affixed her name to. Excerpt:
My father was a refugee to the United States from Nazi Germany. I understand the consquences of ethnic and racial persecution, and am comitted to fighting and condemning acts of genocide wherever they occur. That is why I agreed to cosponsor H. Res. 106. I am convinced that a terrible crime was committed against the Armenian people. That crime should be recognized and condemned.
However, following a visit to Turkey earlier this year that included meetings with Prime Minister Erdogan, the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch and colleagues of murdered journalist Hrant Dink, I have great concern that this is the wrong time for the Congress to consider this measure.
Due to my security focus in the House, I have made 18 trips to the Middle East region over the past 14 years and am persuaded that Turkey plays a critically important role in moderating extremist forces there. Given the nature of the threat, I believe it is imperative to nurture that role -- however valid from the historical perspective, we should avoid taking steps that would embarrass or isolate the Turkish leadership.
In other words, the Turks are wrong, but they're just too important to piss off. Jane'll fight tomorrow's genocide, but would rather not talk about yesterday's. Still, the Foreign Affairs Committee has scheduled a vote for next Wednesday, and Democrats are predicting the bill will pass the House.
I wrote about the bizarre politics of saying "genocide" back in April.
Well done Jane Harman for refusing to be manipulated by the armenian diaspora. It would be nice to see the diaspora put some energy into helping the people in Armenia instead. The armenian lobby in France & the US are no better (and no different) than the nationalist lobby in Turkey who deny any Ottoman involvement in the tragedy of 1915, they are both tarred with the same brush of enmity. Hopefully we will leave history to the historians and allow freedom of speech on this issue here in the US unlike France and Turkey.
Posted by: paul friedman | October 08, 2007 at 02:44 AM
Why should Turkey be afraid of the resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide? Turkey should be afraid because their entire nation, their so-called democracy, is built like a house of cards on a three-legged square table. One former leg, the Ottoman Empire, is gone. The remaining three legs are 1) The mighty Turkish military 2) The extreme nationalism protected by article 301 of the Turkish penal code, and 3) The denial of the Armenian Genocide. That is why their diplomats are working overtime trying to outrun the Truth. That is why they are now overtly threatening the world's superpower. And they are afraid. They should be.
Posted by: Artin | October 07, 2007 at 08:28 PM
Let's cut down the silly rhetoric. Nobody has been able to show how it is the job of Parliaments to pass "resolutions" concerning history. I fully support academic debate, but a bunch of politicians in Capitol Hill spinning things for their own interests - that's lame.
I would have expected Armenians to get angry at this - a retired high ranking Armenian official had said that France was using the pains of the Armenian people to its own political advantage (keeping Turkey out of the EU) and was not helping the situation of Armenia today when they tried to pass a similar resolution in France last year.
Non-Armenian Americans should honestly ask whose interests all the Armenian-Americans have at heart: their own monetary ones or the over-all interests of the American nation, and see that all those Armenian lobby groups are selfish groups who don't give a damn about the US:
The United States already has a horrible image all across Europe and the Middle East and the rest of the world, and American politicians stepping in so self-righteously to get involved about events that happened a century ago will have devastating consequences about the US' image and reputation, as well as its national interests - it is no time for congressmen/women to go on a self-righteousness stampede throughout a region with which US already has extreme tensions.
These Armenian-American groups apparently don't care about the US and the national interests of the American nation, for they are only concerned about the "reparations" they would like to bilk out of Turkey some day. It's disgusting..
Posted by: Baris Tarim | October 07, 2007 at 07:13 PM
Turk 29, Have you been in Armenia and what maps do you talk about? As before, when Armenians publish maps showing their traditional homeland and old kingdoms, Turks go mad that someone points that before 13Th (before Turkes arrived) century there were others living there.
Second, do not threaten us for US-Turkish relations going sour by pointing to every failed France-Turkey business deal. The fact is that after recognition in 2001 France's trade with Turkey has gone up 135%.
Lastly, Mr Barry, What Turkish logistics support are you talking about?
We know that in Iraq war Turkey refused US use of Turkish bases and opening of a second front. While US had to rely on hostile Arab support, our "Great ally, Turkey" refused any, except lip servise, which has cost us American lives.
Posted by: Jacob | October 07, 2007 at 07:10 PM
Was a bill like this passed for the American Indians? As I recall from my history books, the US government had something to do with their demise.
Posted by: xira | October 07, 2007 at 05:27 PM
george, you asked:
"Why do the Turkish commenter's think the motivation behind this resolution is some sort of scheme to get their land or money"
The answer is in the maps published in Armenia.
Posted by: Turk 29 | October 07, 2007 at 02:13 PM
Is discussing the historical events responsibility of parliaments? No. Their job is about FUTURE. The proposed resolution is not about history. It is a tool to affect the future.
France's goal was to stop / slow down the accesion of Turkey to EU. Besides normalization of the relationship of Turkey and Armenia was not a good thing for France. France capitalized on Armenians' tragedy.
However, the US interests are different than those of France. Damaging the relationships between Turkey, US and Armenia would not help US as it did France. Maybe some US politicians want to use others' tragedies for their own interests, however, this is not the best option since it will hurt the US interests.
Posted by: new york istanbul | October 07, 2007 at 02:06 PM
Armenian Genocide is one of the biggest west lies.It's easy to blame Turkey or Turkish peoples here.It's easy to say Turkish people killed 1.5MM Armenians in 1915.Here is some info. who speak about 1915 events without any informations.There was a war between Rusian and Ottoman Empire.Armenians who lives in Ottoman empire borders attack to Ottoman army.They attacked Turkish village.They killed innocent thousands people.Then Ottoman goverment decide to move these Armenians to the peacefull part of Empire.There were some painfull events these movement.
But nobody say it was a genocide.Because Nobody touch Armenian people who lives in Istanbul,Izmir or other cities except Russian borders eastern cities.Alot of Armenian people die this period but a lot of Turkish people killed by Armenians same time.
please don't accuse any nation with limited information.
Posted by: Alpay Kocmar | October 07, 2007 at 01:47 PM
What Harman was simply trying to point out is that US national security interests are at stake. If you don't believe her, ask the Pentagon how much our soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan rely on Turkish logistical support. Will everyone who supports the resolution take a deep breath and think of the consequences? And before you think the Turks are just bluffing and won't close down Incerlik, would you like to accept responsibility in case you are WRONG?!?
Posted by: J. Barry | October 07, 2007 at 12:40 PM
As Taner Akcam points out in "A Shameful Act : The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility" the Genocide of 1915 was the culmination of a long history of Turkish abuse.
There are many Turkish arguments denying the Genocide but my favorite is the one that goes like this: the Armenians were disloyal and deserved what they got and if they diaspora does not shut up about the genocide which never happened we will finish the job.
Well EU please let them in. I'd love to see their allies and assistants in the Genocide, Germany, overrun with Turks.
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Posted by: gabriel christou | October 07, 2007 at 04:24 AM
Why do the Turkish commenter's think the motivation behind this resolution is some sort of scheme to get their land or money. Turkeys own scholars admit that a genocide took place. Doesn't it make the Turkish people a little curious that it is a crime to speak of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey??? Why doesn't this nation recognize it will never go forward (i.e joining the EU) unless it admits to it's own historical acts. It's analogous to the U.S. having a state sponsored denial of the history of slavery in the South. It's ludicrous. Some of the grandparents of people living in Turkey today were responsible for the carrying out of these heinous acts, and therefore it makes these people extremely uncomfortable to think their own grandparents could have committed such despicable crimes against humanity. To these people I say that by denying that their forefathers murdered millions of Armenian's you are only making the burden on yourselves even heavier. You cannot stick you'r collective heads in the sand and hope these Armenian's will go away. They will not go away. They will only get stronger, because history and justice are on their side.
Posted by: george | October 07, 2007 at 02:27 AM
Follow the logic if you can: Genocide was not committed: Armenians betrayed the Ottoman Empire: Armenians deserved what they got. This is the argument put forth by the Turkish Government and its apologists everywhere. Armenians were betrayed by the Ottoman Empire long before they started their rebellion. The massacres of Adana in 1895, for example, preceded the Genocide by 20 years, and resulted in 30,000+ Armenian deaths. With their relentless oppression of their Armenian subjects during their reign, the Ottomans had forfeited the Armenians' loyalty by the time their empire collapsed.
Posted by: Artin | October 07, 2007 at 02:19 AM
The French parliament passed a likely resolution last year, and now all the liberal french newspapers are reporting about the damage that the french economy has to suffer because of the ties with turkey: turks stopped buying the french TGV but bought spanish highspeed trains, they stopped buying airbus but looked for bombardier and boing planes, they banned the french investors out of the nabucco pipeline-project and other projects worth billions in their country, stopped buying french militaria but looked for italien ones etc. France is the only economy in Europe which is not growing, unlike the flourishing economies of germany or italy.
germany and italy may also recognize the massacres as genocide, but turkey did not warn them before they passed a resolution, so they were not harmed by turkey.
here you can read a german article (by AFP) about how the french foreign minister trys to "normalise" the relations between the 2 countries.:
http://www.tah.de/afp/story.html?xF=afp//deutsch/journal/pol/071005100434.7ba0n1ae.xml
of course the united states would not suffer economically by a protest of the turkish state. but when turkey sees that the US dont ally with them anymore, they will work more together with middle eastern states, for example iran, ergo the iran economy will grow faster as they will be able to work together with europe through turkey, they will be more accepted in europe. in advantege of all anti-americans around the globe, from venezuela to north corea. if iran gains too much power, the influence of america will decrease.
the same things counts for the former soviet states. states like turkmenistan, azerbycan, kazakhstan, usbekistan (which are all full of oil or gas) have much influence on russia, and all the people there are from turkic origin, they even speak the same language as the turks in turkey. russia may also gain power when turkey decides to create stronger connections to his relatives in northwest-asia.
Posted by: LazioRoma | October 07, 2007 at 12:25 AM
As long as Armenian refuse to know it run all of Glendale, who want old eurpoe? My brother run verizon shop, my sister do luggage botique in Galleria, my papa own next-biggest taxi cab in 134-pacific.
All turkish hope to end local business, hopes of people, family relateions. Turkish killed all armenain like George W. Bush killed all iraqi to help rotten Kurd kill off Armenian and Turnk.
Posted by: Paulos | October 06, 2007 at 11:25 PM
can somebody remind me the result of the english courts held just after WW1 related to the genocide claims? I'm sure they had access to the whole ottoman arsiv, they tried to blow one last punch to the ottoman empire, an enemy. They arrest all the possible criminal oficers. Ohh, I remeber now, they could not make a case about the event just happened 1-5 years before. now 90 years later, we are discussing politics, not history...
Posted by: u c coskun | October 06, 2007 at 10:30 PM
Jane Harman...
How could you dishonor your word and all the victims of holocaust by blocking the recognition of another genocide? How could you sell your soul?
Did you know that Turkish govenment brought back the remains of Talaat pasha and gave a state funeral as a hero? That is equal to (as if) German government bringing back the remains of Dr. Mengela and giving a hero's funeral.
You encourage United States bowing it's head to a perpetrator of one of the worst crimes against humanity. What a shame...
Posted by: Jacob | October 06, 2007 at 10:19 PM
No wonder this Bill comes out from California, it looks like some one is getting paid by the California Armenian's Community. How can you say a genocide exists after 90 years have passed by. What was stopping the world from calling it a genocide then when the Ottoman's had no power, no money, and was cornered and circled by enemies. I laugh at this claim and wonder how much you each want to get paid off of this. Or is this a plan to take land from Turkey. By the way I think there is a possible genocide going on right now commited by Armenians in Azerbaijan.
Posted by: Ayhan | October 06, 2007 at 09:56 PM
so i guess we should not be too concerned about the president of iran's view of the holocuast... what a howardly position she is taking... Turkey is not going to do anything, this is the perfect opportunity to pay them back for turning their backs on us during the iraq invasion ...poetic justice!
Posted by: john walker | October 06, 2007 at 09:28 PM
Please look at the names of people who wrote comments!They are all Armenians...No wonder articles are so biased. If you all belive it is true, why don't ask Armenia to cooperate so that historains from both sides can look at it rather than using it as a political instrument? You don't have to answer...You want money and land from Turkey...You can only see that in your dream...That will NEVER happen. What about the crimes that your ancestors committed during the same period????Your ancestors stabbed Ottoman Empire to which they were citizens of, sided with Russia with the hope of getting a piece of land and butchered people who are not Armenian.Who is going to pay the penalty for it? I guess it is you, since you are blaming TURKEY for a war that happened during Ottoman Empire where lots of people died from both sides. I guess you are trying to put a new definition to "genocide"- genocide is when you don't do anything but somebody comes and kills you in groups. Are you claiming Armenians at that time did nothing? If so then you don't even know your history. Rtaher than trying to poison other people's minds you should go and spend some time reading your own history. I pity you for your existence seems to flourish hatred, rather than understanding , humanity...What a waste of human life....
Posted by: Hanriette Sahin | October 06, 2007 at 09:05 PM
Money, money, money, $$$$$ it can buy anyone
Posted by: mike levy | October 06, 2007 at 06:08 PM
Thomas Jefferson once said,
"For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead"
Way to go "Honorable" Congresswoman Jane Harman.
Posted by: Ani | October 06, 2007 at 04:51 PM
Jane, Jane, Jane.
Turkey was a terrorist state and committe Genocide.
You agree that Turkey committed Geocide.
What's wrong with you? Turkey has bases we can use?
Oil lines through their territory?
Stand up for what is right, Jane.
It's about time Turkey was held accountable for killing over
1.5 Million of my relatives.
Posted by: John Bakalian | October 06, 2007 at 04:20 PM
no ecognize the armenian genocide this mines to suport the killers of nation.
Posted by: gagik | October 06, 2007 at 02:57 PM
The Turks murder 1.5 million innocent Armenian men, women and children and have neither acknowledged it or let alone be remorseful or even offer an opology yet we here in America have to deliberatly lie and recreate history so as not to insult the perpetrators of the worse crime against humanity, genocide? The message Ms. Harman sends is that genocide is acceptable as long as there is gain. Sorry, I don't subscribe to this at all. Would she ignore the Holocaust? By not acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, you are asking for history to repeat itself.
Posted by: J. T. | October 06, 2007 at 08:12 AM