Daily Californian, CA
April 19 2005
United States of Hypocrisy
The United States Cannot Defend the Liberty of Some While Ignoring
Others’ Tragedies
By ARIN KHODAVERDIAN
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
April 24 marks the 90th commemoration date of the Armenian Genocide.
>>From 1915 to 1924, a systematic killing of Armenians took place
in the Ottoman Empire. This planned killing fits the description
of genocide in that an ethnic cleansing was executed upon a single
group of people, making it the first genocide of the 20th century.
During these nine years, up to 1.5 million Armenians lay dead or
were relocated at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The New York Times
reported these deaths in the United States, but no action was taken by
the U.S. government, similar to the present-day situation in Darfur
and the events of Rwanda, made widely known by Terry George’s recent
movie Hotel Rwanda.
Documentation details instances in which mothers’ wombs were slashed
open for gambling purposes, skulls were lined up on sticks and Ottoman
Turks posed in a celebratory fashion with the dead bodies of their
once- neighbors.
In spite of this documented depravity, the Turkish government refuses
to acknowledge and accept blame for the horrendous acts it carried
out in the past. Although this is an understandable stance for the
Turkish government to take considering their present-day crimes against
journalists and minority citizens, the contradictory position of the
U.S. government is one that needs enlightenment.
The United States (and U.S. politicians most concerned with national
matters) has acted in opposition to recognition in order to preserve
its ally in the Middle East and ensure its access to NATO military
bases. Instead, they have only cited that there were unfortunate
consequences in this “relocation,” but nothing worthy of the title
of genocide. In fact, the United States has extended a slap to the
faces of Armenian citizens worldwide in its quest for world dominance
… I mean, liberation.
Four years ago, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) needed the votes
of Armenian-Americans to secure his position as House Speaker in a
tight Congressional race.
To fulfill this goal, he traveled to Glendale, California-the
Mecca of Armenians outside of Armenia-and promised to bring the
then-pending Armenian Genocide Resolution to a floor vote before the
2000 presidential elections. Months later, just minutes before the
resolution was scheduled for a vote by the full House, Hastert pulled
the resolution from the floor, blocking its passage.
Then, when the House adopted an amendment that prohibited Turkey from
using U.S. foreign aid to lobby against legislation recognizing the
Armenian Genocide, Hastert released a joint statement with Majority
Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) citing
the fact that the U.S.’s “relationship with Turkey is too important
to us to allow it to be in any way damaged by a poorly crafted and
ultimately meaningless amendment.” Recognizing and commemorating the
deaths of 1.5 million people-meaningless.
The U.S. government has long been one to stand in opposition of
crimes against humanity; however, as their actions in regards to the
Armenian Genocide prove, this opposition falls short when it may have
a detrimental effect on national interests. The U.S. government has
turned a blind eye to the events of the past in order to preserve its
militaristic collaborations of the present. This is simply unacceptable
for a nation that is going to war on the grounds of freeing a nation
from a tyrannical government.
Should the United States truly hold the desire to free the world
of oppressive governments, it should not “pick and choose” to go to
war with nations comparably equipped with histories of human rights
violations. It should instead recognize the atrocious events of the
past while refusing to integrate with the tyrannical and ignorant
governments of the present. To do business with certain cruel regimes
because it is beneficial, while invading other comparably cruel,
yet unbeneficial regimes seems uncharacteristic of the ideals the
United States was founded upon.
Because the federal government is so myopic in its interests,
Armenians and sympathizers alike have been forced to seek recognition
elsewhere. In addition to the countless number of nations that have
officially recognized the genocide, Armenians have won victories in
several states, including California in 1997. They also continue to
further their cause every year on the city level, as a purely symbolic
gesture. Berkeley city Councilman Kriss Worthington, who is also
Chair of the Berkeley Commission on Peace and Justice, works to pass
the Armenian Genocide Resolution each year officially marking April
24th in the City of Berkeley “Armenian Genocide Commemoration Date.”
The United States must recognize the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians
in order to fully advance in its quest to rid the world of hate and
to spread democracy throughout the world. To allow the U.S. government
to ignore the events of 1915, while allowing them to hold the title of
“liberators,” would be unjust.
To commemorate this vicious event in history, the UC Berkeley Armenian
Student Association is preparing an event entitled “United Hands
Across Cal,” or UHAC. On April 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Upper
Sproul, students from all backgrounds hold hands across the school,
symbolizing a united effort to bring attention to all injustices of
the world. It is expected that this event will not only publicize
the many injustices that interest UC Berkeley students, but will make
all students take a unified step in the direction of egalitarianism.