Saturday marks the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Reportedly, President Joe Biden will recognize the genocide as such.
It would be a long-overdue action.
The massacre of an estimated 1.5 million ethnic Armenians by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923 has been recognized by both houses of Congress and 30 countries as a genocide. Armenians were forced into death marches, and many others were simply shot. During his campaign, Biden pledged "to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and will make universal human rights a top priority for my administration."
Concerns that this American recognition would alienate Turkey, the modern successor state to the Ottoman Empire, which to this day has rejected the genocide label, are misguided. Recognizing history isn't an act of aggression, it's a witnessing of facts. Moreover, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey is an authoritarian state that persecutes Kurds in Turkey and Syria, in addition to committing other human rights violations. This includes Turkey's inauspicious position as a world leader in jailing journalists.
Turkey also sympathizes with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and a regime that calls for the elimination of the Jewish state of Israel. In addition, Turkey also supports the Hamas terrorist group. Erdogan met last year with two leaders from the U.S.-designated terrorist group, which calls for Israel’s destruction.
Were Biden to go ahead with the recognition, it could prompt other countries to follow suit. This would exemplify that other countries follow the United States when it leads on the world stage. But more than that, the recognition would prove America's commitment to justice is uncoupled from the short-term interest in keeping difficult partners happy.
One of the biggest lessons of the Holocaust is "never forget." Well, we should never forget that what the Armenians suffered more than 100 years ago wasn't simply terrible. It was a genocide.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.