Editorial: The Turkish Counteroffensive
By Weekly Staff // Posted on January 7, 2012 in Opinion // 146 Comments // 
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The battle lines are drawn. The next three years leading up to the 100thanniversary of the Armenian Genocide will witness a continued, steady, but firm advance of truth and justice in academic, legal, and political arenas on both sides of the Atlantic. The “Return of Churches” resolution in Congress; the lawsuits in the U.S. and Europe demanding the return of church properties stolen from the Armenians during and after the genocide; the bill criminalizing genocide denial in France; and the discussions in the Israeli Knesset—all within the last weeks of 2011—are a harbinger of things to come.
The more significant threat to the tidal wave of truth and justice is the Turkish government’s policy to undermine Armenian efforts by not mere denial and disengagement, but rather direct engagement with Armenia and the diaspora.
These successes of varying degree and significance were registered due to the unrelenting efforts of Armenian communities worldwide, an increasing awareness of the genocide by the world, and favorable political winds. They were not precipitated by an absence of counter-efforts by the Turkish state, but despite them. Threats of a diplomatic and economic nature, lawsuits, and the intimidation of scholars have become hallmarks of the official Turkish response. These policies will undoubtedly continue in the next few years.
Yet the more significant threat to the tidal wave of truth and justice is the Turkish government’s policy to undermine Armenian efforts by not mere denial and disengagement, but rather direct engagement with Armenia and the diaspora. Discussions in diplomatic circles and the Turkish press have increasingly focused on the search for innovative ways to deal with the “Armenian problem.” From the Turkey-Armenia protocols to talk of “engaging the Armenia Diaspora,” efforts by the Turkish political elite are focused on swaying Armenians and world public opinion towards a “middle ground.”
The ideas floating around in Turkey include granting descendants of genocide survivors Turkish citizenship, commemorating the “joint suffering” of Armenians and Turks during World War I, and normalizing relations with Armenia. Strikingly, even these meager steps—which fail to address the core issues of truth and justice—are being raised in the Turkish media as a means to impede Armenian efforts, and not as a genuine effort to provide a remedy for the crime of genocide.
On the other hand, there is a very small, yet vocal group of Turkish citizens (Turks, Kurds, Armenians, and others) who continue to adamantly criticize the country’s public discourse on the Armenian genocide.
As the pressure continues to mount on the Turkish state in the lead up to the 100thanniversary of the genocide in 2015, we must reemphasize our parameters for engagement: truth and justice. The rest is window-dressing.
To those who have kept saying Turkey is falling apart blah, blah (e.g, Avery, Gayane) while I kept saying Turkey is ascendent, here is an invitation to quit wishful-thinking and read a New York Times article on the reality:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-empires-strike-back.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
And please don’t accuse THE leading newspaper in the US and even the world of being bought by Turks and Azeris.
Kerim Bey.. here is a reality check.. ANY NEWSPAPER in US can be bought if it has the highest bidder or money giver.. are you that ignorant or blinded by your manipulative government…
and i still believe Turkey will come down to her knees sooner or later…
Hey Kerim Bey.. here is one sentence out of the whole “Turkish” leaned article that tells you the whole truth…
“And if Turkey plays its cards right, it could match France’s influence or even become the dominant power in the region”.
Turkey has not played her cards so far and she will never play her cards right… on top of all that .. Turkey WILL NEVER become the dominant power in the region if Erdogan and Davotoglu throw a tantrum everytime a country utters Genocide, or murder innocent people in daylight like Hrant Dink, or imprison journalists and free thinkers of justice like many Kurdish intellectuals.. you are in your messed up dream Kerim.. WAKE UP.. your country will never be civilized to join the democratic and powerful countries…
Not any time soon and if it goes the way it does, never…
AzeriTurk Turk-oglu Kerim-bey:
glad you recognize my and Gayane’s contributions to bringing to light the decrepit state of falling apart Turkey blah, blah, blah.
I will not accuse a (not THE) leading newspaper in the US of being bought by Turks or Azeris.
However, observe please:
{Soner Cagaptay Director, Turkish Research Program}.
That is the author of the article. Check this out: {A historian by training, Dr. Cagaptay wrote his doctoral dissertation at Yale University (2003) on Turkish nationalism. }
What does “Turkish nationalism” mean to you, Kerim-bey ? Does it mean unbiased ? or Pro-Turkish perhaps ?
If you still don’t get it: the article in a US newspaper was written by a wishful-thinking Turk-American, who is a Turk Nationalist, imagining something about Turkey and France that is as realistic as FM Davutoglu’s “No Problems” policy.
OK now that we have dispensed with your alleged THE, allow me to present for the viewing audience just one example in the series of “falling apart Turkey blah, blah, blah”.
Read this paragraph carefully Kerim-bey:
{paint a grim picture of the situation for children in Turkey living beneath the breadline. One in every four children in Turkey lives in poverty and despite the fact that Turkey has the 16th largest economy in the world, the country ranks bottom amongst the 34 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).}
Did you catch the one that says “one in every four children in Turkey lives in poverty”
Did you catch the one that says “the country ranks bottom…..” as in BOTTOM. As in ROCK BOTTOM.
The excerpts are from an article in a leading Turkish newspaper TodaysZaman. Date January 15, 2012. Look it up. (it was written by a Turk)
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-268594-biting-back-against-child–poverty-begins-in-school-cafeterias.html
Over to you, Kerim-bey,.
What say you now about “falling apart Turkey blah, blah, blah”.?
Make sure you come back now and say hello to me and Gayne, you hear ? (just practicing my Southern).
Avery jan ..superb job…
Case closed..
Next…..
I was browsing for something on Amazon when I came across this title. Do the people working on reparations issues know about this research? I hope that the Editors at Armenian Weekly will pass this on
http://www.amazon.com/Confiscation-Destruction-Seizure-Armenian-Property/dp/1441135782/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1326745793&sr=8-20
Confiscation and Destruction: The Young Turk Seizure of Armenian Property
Jerry, I sincerely hope you do get the money you want from the Turks. Why do I hope so? Because I am intellectually curious to see what the world would turn into if the descendant of all the atrocities from 100s of years ago cannot get over the past and SUCCESSFULLY go after modern countries? What an interesting mess the world would be? Tibetians suing China. Azeri’s suing Iran, Russia, etc. Indian Americans suing Washington. Indians in India going after the English? No? Why? What makes your tragedy of 100 years ago any more special than others?
Kerim,
In the past, I have brought a similar point in the past regarding bringing the Armenian genocide to court under the UN convention, even though the AG predates the signing of the convention. Major powers have their own dirty and bloody histories.
But what you’re pointing out is not a lack of moral justification for reparations but the realpolitik where major powers could intervene to stop a precedent from being set. A precedent which in turn could bite them.
“What makes your tragedy of 100 years ago any more special than others?”
I don’t like playing such games but there is one aspect that that is specially ugly. Turkey attempted to deliberately bury, hide and erase 1915, as well as Armenian history itself. They used every influence they had to get their allies to hush up and forget, and also suppressed it domestically. And this was done before WWII.
Recently, there was a lawsuit where a Native American group sued the US government and won. I believe they were suing for money owed from use of natural resources on their land. Unfortunately, I can’t remember much about it. This was within the past year or two and the US government fought against it in the courts.
Sylvia,
You have at least one Arab relative , dont you?
Sylvia must be hailing from Beirut or Aleppo. I heard most Armenian diasporans in that area of the region support that murderous thug Bashar Al-Assad. Same with Alevis (which that murderous thug Assad is an Alevi himself).
And who do YOU support, S.Y.? Al-Qaeda? Or the murderous thug Taleat? What is your problem with Alevis?
SY: Don’t know the difference between an Alawi and an Alevi do we?
Necati.. disgusting notorious denialist
you have the devil as your relative don’t you?
Avery, a lot of what you say is true. Yes, Turkey is not a perfect country and it has a lot of problems. But … you would have failed a reading comrehension test in which my post was the test paragraph and the following was the question:
“What is the meaniing of the original paragaraph?”
A) Turkey is a perfect country
B) Turkey’s economy has no problems.
C) Turkey is ascendant economically and politically
D) Turkey has no racism problems
E) Turks are better than Armenians.
Answer: (C).
Well if it is true Kerim Bey, then i would suggest you keep yourself within brackets of what you know for sure and not gloat on something you know deep down is not true..
The end..
Gayane
Kerim,
“Jerry, I sincerely hope you do get the money you want from the Turks. Why do I hope so? Because I am intellectually curious to see what the world would turn into if the descendant of all the atrocities from 100s of years ago cannot get over the past and SUCCESSFULLY go after modern countries? What an interesting mess the world would be? Tibetians suing China. Azeri’s suing Iran, Russia, etc. Indian Americans suing Washington. Indians in India going after the English? No? Why? What makes your tragedy of 100 years ago any more special than others?”
The world did not become ” an interesting mess” after Jews got compensation from Germans for subjecting them to genocide, did it?
In the meanwhile, as a nation, just pretend it is OK to live in the houses that your ancestors got through murder or use the revenuers from the lands that belonged to Armenians. After all, that is all that so many of you are good about.
I can very well question your point (C) & of course the devil is in the details:
-Official unemployment 11,5%.
-Unofficial unemployment 30%.
-Official inflation 12%.
-Unofficial inflation 20-25%.
-Current account deficit is 10% of its GDP which is financed by central bank reserves sales.
-A property market bubble which in the West under similar circumstances burst the bubble.
I can go on & on.Read this article from the FT of August the 3rd:Turkey: trade figures mask deeper problems.
http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2012/08/03/turkey-trade-figures-mask-deeper-problems/#axzz22fGKqyBy
more than one true… C,D,E
Gayane,
Unless Necati, who is in his dream world to become an Altai warrior, kerim Agha is going to graduate from his first year of university. At least he knows multiple questions in today’s educational system!!
Kerim Agha forgot to add most important question, I don’t believe he will get high grade mark from his professor, unless his university located in Turkey, and protected by penal code 301!!
(f) Turkey will reject the truth of Armenian Genocide at any cost!!
Shat lav asetsir Grish jan… hamamit em qo het…:)
As an armenian of the fourth generation, i don’t understand why are you talking about the century ? does it means that after 2015, everything will be over, it means that we have lost ?
I disagree this fact, and as an armenian of France, the struggle is just beginning, the century mustn’t stop us…. we still have lots of goals and we are going to achieve it. I don’t even know how many years we need ! it is just the beginning dear brothers and sisters….
Turkey is trying to change its tactics, after protocols, it wants to attacks directly the diaspora, but more than a diaspora, we are citizen of different countries, we are french, canadians, americans, english, spanish.
In my country, i just feel better because i know that no one will be permit to insult my familly, my grandparents, and of course me !
Together we will win, 97 years, is just a number…. everything is just beginning
AMEN TO THAT KARINE JAN.. AMEN TO THAT..
Well said Karine:
2015 is just a number. Round numbers, such as 100 years and such, have significance for humans. But like you said, it is just a number. 2015 will come an go. We continue: until Ararat returns to her people. .
2015 is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli. You can be sure it will be remembered and celebrated by Turks and others properly. Grandpa fought there while his own hometown in the East was being raveged by Armenian insurgents. Yes, there will be some remembering.
Oh,same old Turkish denial tactics.In another argument,this man’s grandparents were from the Greek islands & suddenly now they are from the Armenian highlands.Changes color according to the subject as long as it is anti Armenian.
Your ancestors’ hometown is about 3,000 kilometers East of the Armenian Highlands.
Go look up what your FM Davutoglu said when he was visiting Uygurs of China in 2010.
‘Insurgents’ ?
The original insurgents were your Seljuk Turk ancestors who invaded the homeland of my ancestors. It is no insurgency to fight invaders of one’ own homeland. It is one’s sacred and honorable duty.
There were no Turkic tribes in Asia Minor prior to about 1000 A.D.
None.
Armenians did not travel 3,000 kilometers to Central and East Asia and invade the original homeland of Turkic tribes.
Murat has been and wil always be one of denialists from the peanut gallery that includes Kerim, Robert the Turks, Necati, etc… so anything he comes up at the spur of a moment is what he will blurt it out.. we are all used to his nonsense…
It is absolutely hillarious how these people who have no shred of intelligence in their brains come here and pretend they understand history… it is absolutely embarassing for them and they don’t even realize it…
Avery I will have to disagree with your definition of “insurgency”. What the Seljuks did was an invasion with imperial ambitions. An insurgency is a home-grown phenomenon and not something that comes in from the outside.
uummm, yeah: I am sure I wouldn’t know what an ‘insurgent’ is.