Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania)
April 25, 2009 Saturday
SOONER EDITION
ON ARMENIA, OBAMA SEEKS THE RIGHT WORD
Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama yesterday broke a campaign pledge
but mollified Turkey by formally remembering the mass killings of
Armenians without using the diplomatically loaded term "genocide."
In a much-anticipated White House statement, Mr. Obama took note of
the "great atrocities" that occurred in the Ottoman Empire from April
24, 1915, until 1923. While saying 1.5 million Armenians were
"massacred or marched to their death," the president said the most
important thing now was to look ahead.
"I strongly support efforts by the Turkish and Armenian people to work
through this painful history in a way that is honest, open and
constructive," Mr. Obama declared. The president also twice used the
Armenian phrase "meds yeghern," which often is translated as "great
calamity."
The most important part of his statement, though, was the word that
was missing. Armenian-American activists and their political allies
denounced the 389-word statement as a sellout because it didn’t
characterize the events as genocide.
"I am outraged," said Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif., a co-sponsor
of a congressional Armenian-genocide resolution. "The president chose,
for political reasons, to abandon his commitment to the Armenian
people."
Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America,
charged that Mr. Obama’s "failure … diminishes U.S. credibility with
regard to genocide prevention," while Armenian National Committee of
America Chairman Ken Hachikian voiced "sharp disappointment" with the
president’s "retreat."
Mr. Obama’s carefully calibrated statement was consistent with the
traditional advice of Pentagon and State Department professionals, who
warn against alienating Turkey. It reversed the promise he made while
seeking Armenian-American votes, however. "As president, I will
recognize the Armenian genocide," Mr. Obama said on his campaign Web
site.
Samantha Power, an Obama adviser and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author,
accentuated the point with a widely viewed YouTube campaign video
addressed to Armenian-Americans. Now a member of the National Security
Council, Ms. Power said then that Mr. Obama would "call a spade a
spade and speak truth" about the historic events.
Once in the White House, however, Mr. Obama became subject to the
broader diplomatic and military considerations that have prompted
presidents before him to retreat from similar promises. Turkey is a
crucial U.S. ally within NATO — bordering Iraq and Iran — and
Turkish officials say the 1915-1923 wartime events remain subject to
interpretation.
In a two-day visit to Turkey earlier this month, Mr. Obama stressed
the important ties between the United States and the strategically
located nation of 78 million people. Turkish officials have warned
consistently that the United States could lose commercial
opportunities and military advantages, which include the use of
Turkey’s busy Incirlik Air Base, if an insulting genocide
commemoration were issued.
"President Obama has sent a clear message to America and the world
that his administration will not sacrifice long-term strategic allies
for short-term political gains," said Lincoln McCurdy, president of
the Turkish Coalition of America.
The Turkish and Armenian governments, with Switzerland as a neutral
mediator, are working to normalize their long-strained
relations. Diplomats have warned against any incendiary U.S. statement
that might interfere with these talks, described in a recent joint
Turkish-Armenian statement as reaching "tangible progress and mutual
understanding."
"I suspect they think they’re making real progress on their dialogue,
and they want to see it completed," said Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., a
genocide resolution supporter who serves on the House Foreign Affairs
Committee.
Former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush broke similar
pledges. Former President Bill Clinton, too, leaned on congressional
leaders not to pass genocide commemoration measures.