July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Pence right about political grandstanding (10/12/07)
Editorial
Mike Pence has this one right.
It is indeed possible for the three following things to be simultaneously true:
•The Armenian genocide is a historical fact.
•Denial of genocide is both intellectually dishonest and morally dangerous.
•It would be unwise and counterproductive to press this issue publicly on the international stage at a time when U.S. troops in Iraq rely upon the goodwill, friendship, cooperation, and assistance of the Turkish government and the Turkish people.
In making that third point this week, Rep. Pence acknowledged both of the first two, essentially arguing that the situation on the ground for American troops should be the primary concern at the moment.
Most Americans - unless they are of Armenian descent or have an interest in the history of the region - are unaware of the events that occurred amid the fog of World War I in eastern Turkey.
Most have never heard of Enver Pasha, perhaps the most cold-blooded of the Young Turks who ruled the country with a triumvirate dictatorship in 1915. Setting out to fulfill his dream of an Islamic caliphate stretching from Istanbul to India, he engaged in a foolhardy and disastrous military campaign against the Russians in the Caucasus. Turkey was allied with Germany in World War I against Britain, France, Russia, and - later - the U.S.
When Enver's campaign in the east was defeated, he launched a brutal round of retribution against Armenians in Turkey.
Ostensibly, this was because Armenians in the Caucasus had taken up arms on behalf of the Russians, their fellow Christians.
But anti-Armenian sentiment in Turkey had a long, long history.
In the end, through a variety of actions, something like 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives.
Some historians believe it set the stage for Hitler's holocaust a couple of decades later, and because of that many believe it's important to keep the history of the Armenian holocaust alive.
As Pence acknowledged, both those things are true: The genocide happened, and it shouldn't be forgotten.
But having said that, it doesn't necessarily mean that the U.S. House of Representatives should - at this militarily sensitive juncture - start passing resolutions condemning the actions of the Turkish government 90 years ago.
Doing so at this point comes across as pointless grandstanding.
Rep. Pence got this one right. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
It is indeed possible for the three following things to be simultaneously true:
•The Armenian genocide is a historical fact.
•Denial of genocide is both intellectually dishonest and morally dangerous.
•It would be unwise and counterproductive to press this issue publicly on the international stage at a time when U.S. troops in Iraq rely upon the goodwill, friendship, cooperation, and assistance of the Turkish government and the Turkish people.
In making that third point this week, Rep. Pence acknowledged both of the first two, essentially arguing that the situation on the ground for American troops should be the primary concern at the moment.
Most Americans - unless they are of Armenian descent or have an interest in the history of the region - are unaware of the events that occurred amid the fog of World War I in eastern Turkey.
Most have never heard of Enver Pasha, perhaps the most cold-blooded of the Young Turks who ruled the country with a triumvirate dictatorship in 1915. Setting out to fulfill his dream of an Islamic caliphate stretching from Istanbul to India, he engaged in a foolhardy and disastrous military campaign against the Russians in the Caucasus. Turkey was allied with Germany in World War I against Britain, France, Russia, and - later - the U.S.
When Enver's campaign in the east was defeated, he launched a brutal round of retribution against Armenians in Turkey.
Ostensibly, this was because Armenians in the Caucasus had taken up arms on behalf of the Russians, their fellow Christians.
But anti-Armenian sentiment in Turkey had a long, long history.
In the end, through a variety of actions, something like 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives.
Some historians believe it set the stage for Hitler's holocaust a couple of decades later, and because of that many believe it's important to keep the history of the Armenian holocaust alive.
As Pence acknowledged, both those things are true: The genocide happened, and it shouldn't be forgotten.
But having said that, it doesn't necessarily mean that the U.S. House of Representatives should - at this militarily sensitive juncture - start passing resolutions condemning the actions of the Turkish government 90 years ago.
Doing so at this point comes across as pointless grandstanding.
Rep. Pence got this one right. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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