ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: HARMFUL IMPLICATIONS OF SYMBOLIC RESOLUTION
BYU Newsnet, UT
Oct 15 2007
President George W. Bush may not be the most refined diplomat the
United States has ever had in the oval office, but he knows when a
merely symbolic resolution has deep and damaging implications with
a key ally in an already struggling war effort.
Unfortunately the House Foreign Affairs Committee failed to listen
to the White House and the Turkish government, who warned of severe
consequences should the committee pass the resolution labeling the
nearly century old killings of Armenians as genocide.
The resolution sought to show the world that the U.S. was sensitive
to the killings that took place at the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Ironically, its passage is likely to incite more violence. "There
will be backlash," the Turkish ambassador said. "No government can
be indifferent to [this type of resolution]."
The Turkish government had been deciding if it should attack
northern Iraq to wipe out guerilla bases used by a Turkish-Kurd
separatist movement. The one thing preventing the military invasion
was the fear of the damage it would mean to U.S. relations. After
the resolution, Turkish anger is trumping the country’s desire to
preserve U.S. relations.
And Turkey isn’t just talking. As of Friday, U.S. officials spotted
60,000 Turkish troops along the Iraqi border. The troops are awaiting
its parliament to authorize a government request to invade Kurdish
Iraq. The parliament is expected to debate and vote on the request
early this week. If the body authorizes the request, the invasion
would destabilize one of the few areas that has remained relatively
peaceful throughout the conflict.
The potential invasion isn’t the only result of the resolution’s
passage. Turkey has served as a key U.S. ally during the War on Terror
by supplying critical supply routes to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Closing off these routes would threaten U.S. soldiers and greatly
handicap the U.S. campaign in Iraq.
Trying to salvage U.S.-Turkey relations, Bush sent two high-ranking
officials for diplomatic talks with Turkish leaders. The diplomats
expressed their regret about the resolution and promised to do all
that they could to keep the bill from being passed on the House
floor. However, at a time when the Turkish government has recalled
its ambassador to Washington, it is unclear whether Turkey wants to
talk. When France voted to make denying the Armenian genocide a crime,
the Turks immediately severed all military loyalties.
With all the implications of passing the resolution, it is hard to
understand why the House committee even considered it. Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi said the resolution needed to pass now "because
many of the survivors are very old," and the U.S. needed to condemn
the genocide while they were still alive.
There is no question whether the mass killing of Armenians was
genocide. It was a horrible thing that should be condemned. Ninety
years later, however, it is an issue better left to historians than
politicians. The resolution was completely non-binding and does little
good but to vindicate Armenians and place us on the right side of a
historical event. Is this really worth risking destabilizing Kurdish
Iraq and cutting off the region’s supply routes?
The costs of passing this resolution far outweigh its benefits. The
rest of the House of Representatives need to realize the international
consequences of this resolution before it is brought to the
floor. While the measure may only be symbolic and non-binding, its
implications are anything but that.
This editorial represents the opinion of The Daily Universe editorial
board. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of BYU,
its administration or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.