ARMENIANS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT TO COUNTER TURKISH PRESSURES ON OBAMA
By Harut Sassounian

Noyan Tapan

Nov 12, 2008

Now that Sen. Barack Obama has been elected President,
Armenian-Americans need to remain vigilant in order to counter Turkish
pressures on the President-elect and his inner circle.

Already, the Turkish government has embarked on a full-scale campaign
to influence the next administration on a variety of critical issues
for Turkey, such as the Armenian Genocide, Cyprus, the Iraq War,
and the Kurds.

Only a few days before the presidential election, Turkey’s Prime
Minister Recep Erdogan sent two top officials to Washington to meet
with close aides of Senators Obama and McCain to make sure that
whoever is elected President would not make decisions against Turkish
interests. Several American lobbying firms hired by Ankara are also
hard at work to convince the President-elect and his advisors to
support Turkey on a variety of issues.

Clearly, the Turkish government is alarmed by Sen. Obama’s repeated
promises to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Prime Minister Erdogan,
in his letter of congratulation, went as far as expressing the hope
that Obama as President would not carry out the promises he made as
a candidate to the Armenian-American community.

Moreover, Erdogan requested a meeting with Sen. Obama, presumably to
dissuade him from acknowledging the Armenian Geno cide. The Turkish
Prime Minister is one of the leaders of 20 countries who are invited
by Pres. George Bush to the White House Economic Summit later this
week. The President-elect’s aides should reject Erdogan’s request for
a meeting, reminding him that last January he insulted Sen. Obama by
calling him ®an amateur in politics¯, just because the presidential
candidate had issued a statement on the Armenian Genocide. As I had
written in a column at that time, ®Erdogan’s insulting words about
Obama may haunt him after the election¯.

Despite the Turkish government’s intense lobbying efforts, it may be
easier for Armenian-Americans to push their agenda forward during the
Obama Presidency. Armenians have several significant advantages with
the incoming administration over the outgoing one:

1) Both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have been staunch
supporters of Armenian issues;

2) The new Congress is more likely to pass legislation favorable
to Armenians, since there will be a sizeable Democratic majority in
both the House and Senate, joined by a large number of pro-Armenian
Republicans in both Houses;

3) The Departments of State and Defense would be less likely to
oppose a congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide, given the
likelihood that the White House would either support the measure or
at least not oppose it;

4) Although it appears some high-ranking pro-Turkish offici als will be
serving in the Obama administration, they are likely to be outnumbered
by those who are either sympathetic or impartial on Armenian issues.

Despite such a favorable balance of forces, the final outcome of any
pro-Armenian legislation in Congress still hinges on two important
prerequisites:

1) The Armenian-American community’s vigilance and implementation
of a full-scale grassroots and media campaign to counter all Turkish
threats against the U.S.;

2) The Armenian government’s postponement or preferably cancellation
of a planned joint Armenian-Turkish historical commission that would
have been exploited by the Turkish government to undermine efforts
to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide in the U.S. and other countries.

Those in the Armenian community who remain skeptical about the
next U.S. President keeping his campaign promise on the Armenian
Genocide and/or support a Congressional resolution on this issue,
should know that, no matter how justified their skepticism, they
should not create the false and harmful impression that it is
impossible for a U.S. President to acknowledge the Genocide. After
all, a very prominent former President – Ronald Reagan – did issue a
Presidential Proclamation back in 1981, which mentioned the Armenian
Genocide. Pres. Obama would be simply repeating what was already
stated 27 years ago by Pres. Reagan!

Similarly, those who say that the House of Representatives would never
pass a resolution on the Armenian Genocide, should be reminded that
the full House did pass such a resolution twice, once in 1975 and
a second time in 1984. Thus, House Speaker Pelosi would be simply
reaffirming what was already adopted by the House twice before!

To be sure, Turkey’s denialist leaders can be expected to issue empty
threats against the U.S. and repeat last year’s charade by recalling
their Ambassador from Washington for a brief period. They would then
send their envoy back to Washington after realizing that Turkey needs
the United States more than America needs Turkey!

If Armenian-Americans want the Obama administration to support their
cause, they should more energetically support their political friends
and counter their foes. The incoming administration, on the other
hand, should show moral courage in the face of bullying tactics by
Turkey, a third world country that should not be allowed to muzzle
the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States.

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