Have we lost the genocide war?

Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Turkish Daily News
Mehmet Ali Birand

What is striking in the article below is the Turkish approach captured in the title of the article "Have we lost the genocide war?", this is at odds with the Armenian approach which seeks recognition because it cannot bear the genocide denial by Turkey. Denial of a genocide is committing the genocide twice. It is like the Ottoman Turks who committed the genocide stretching their hands after 92 years through the republic of Turkey, to finish up their job, since the denial is the last stage of genocide (Eight Stages of Genocide). Once Turkey gets off strategizing and the mentality of winning (a remnant of the Ottoman Empire), then it will see Armenians to be more receptive to their advances. Even the proposal below "Let's get Armenia on our side:" sounds hollow and will not be receptive by Armenia because it lacks sincerity, since it is done with the purpose of winning the "genocide war" and aims at putting a wedge between Armenia and its Diaspora.

The Armenian diaspora is more encouraged each day. They gain ground in the genocide allegations. Because Turkey cannot recover, they get closer to their target.

The diaspora has three aims:

1. To make the world accept the genocide allegations as a historical fact. To engrave in people's minds that Turks have committed genocide against Armenians by converting the data in their research into books and documentaries.

2. Once it is accepted by the international public, to ensure political acceptance of genocide and to convince governments that it is a historical fact.

3. To open ways to receive indemnity and even land from Turkey once the genocide is accepted as such.

We can summarize the latest situation in this three-point struggle as follows: The diaspora has essentially established in the international public that the genocide is a historical fact. As Yasemin Çongar has stated in her marvelous analysis in Monday's Milliyet, genocide allegations have stuck to us primarily in the United States and European publics. We have lost the battle in this field. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for us to convince people otherwise, regardless of the amount of research we make, books we publish or documentaries we prepare.

Turkey has followed such a reluctant and clumsy attitude, has avoided taking the initiative, and has buried its head in the sand for so long on this issue that I cannot help but wonder sometimes “whether we also secretly believe that there is genocide and that is not why we take no action.” I cannot explain myself why we have been acting so carelessly, why we have been doing nothing.

The diaspora is now at the second level. It is struggling to have the genocide accepted politically.

Turkey is losing ground in this struggle each year, also. The parliament of yet another country gets on the genocide train. And we cannot go beyond vociferating. In any case, there is not much we can do. Will we quarrel with everyone, close our doors, and live in isolation?

Maybe the United States Congress will skip it this year and postpone voting on it until 2008. But what will this change? In the end, Washington will also get on the genocide train.

The weakest link in the Armenian diaspora's long-term struggle is receiving land and alimony from Turkey. As long as Turkey has internal stability and as long as its economy gets stronger, the plans for land and alimony will not work…

Then, will we just stand and watch all of this?

Will we not do anything?

That would be unacceptable… There is so much to do. It would only suffice to have political will and courage…

Let's get Armenia on our side:

Now the strongest advantage Turkey has in the genocide struggle is its relations with Armenia. The importance of this advantage will grow even more during the political phase of genocide allegations in other countries.

Developing economic relations with Armenia and opening borders will both increase Turkey's prominence in the region and ease some of the pressure it is under.

The talks about how to establish relations with Armenia and how mutual approaches can be reorganized will not be binding for anyone. If conditions that cannot be met arise during these talks, the simplest thing to do would be to leave the table. However, even the news that Turkey and Armenia are in meetings will have positive consequences in the international arena.

As you can see, Turkey still has many other alternatives. Suffice it that we want to take action and be courageous.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.