TURKEY IS ANGRY: THE ECONOMIST

news.am
March 12 2010
Armenia

"Not for the first time, Armenians sense a moment of vindication in
their struggle for the acknowledgment of the tragedy that befell
their forebears during the First World War. Turkey is angry. And
America’s administration is straining to limit the damage," The
Economist weekly reports.

"The latest Turkish-American rift over the Armenian question-after a
congressional committee voted on March 4th to recognize the killings
of 1915 as genocide-looks wider than some previous ones. It coincides
with a general scratchiness between America and its ally. Turkey is
reluctant to slap sanctions on Iran. Anti-Americanism is running
high among Turks. Some suspect that Barack Obama retains his view
(expressed as a senator in 2008) that "the Armenian genocide is not
an allegation, but rather a widely documented fact," the source reads.

"Still, the chances are that after a deep sulk, Turkey will send its
ambassador back to Washington, and the administration will persuade
legislators to avoid a vote in the full House, for fear of wrecking
an important relationship-and worsening the fading prospects for
reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. A tired diplomatic ritual
will play out once again," the weekly says.

"Can any actor in this sorry drama do anything to improve the script?

One day a Turkish leader will be statesman enough to see that national
dignity is better served by acknowledging the sins committed on
Anatolian soil than by suppressing debate and punishing truth-tellers.

Such a leader could decouple relations with Armenia from Ottoman
history. In any case, their argument today is more about the aftermath
of the war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s than over 1915," the
source emphasizes.

"If Turkey were a totalitarian state, there would be no case for
Armenian self-restraint. But precisely because Turkey is an (albeit
imperfect) democracy, the emphasis should be on giving Turks the best
possible chance to face up to their own past. Instead of telling Turks
what to think, Armenians should urge the authorities to promote inquiry
within Turkey, starting with an end to measures such as article 301,"
(a controversial article of the Turkish Panel Code making it illegal
to insult Turkey-NEWS.am’s note), the weekly concludes.