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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 73, No. 36; Sept. 8, 2007
Commentary and Analysis:
1. An Open Letter to Abraham H. Foxman, National Director, ADL
By Michael G. Mensoian
2. New Turkish President
By Garen Yeparian
3. Letter to the Editor
***
1. An Open Letter to Abraham H. Foxman, National Director, ADL
By Michael G. Mensoian
The purpose of this letter is to discuss the oft mentioned desire of the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to encourage Turkey and Armenia to begin the
process of reconciliation by confronting their shared past. I am not sure
that the ADL fully understands what prevents this meaningful sharing from
taking place.
The Armenian genocide is a historic fact that has been extensively and
impartially studied and accepted by eminent international historians and
genocide scholars. However, Turkish leaders have chosen to turn a blind eye
to this dark and sorry chapter in their modern history. Not only has the
Turkish government refused to see what happened, but they have resorted to a
continuous and well-financed campaign of denial and historic revisionism to
hide their guilt. The ADL cannot be unaware of the litany of lies and
deceptive statements that Ankara has authored these many years.
The ADL must have decided that the independent eye-witness accounts of
depravity, the photographs depicting the numerous acts of brutality and the
pages of official documents that speak to an Armenian genocide were
irrelevant when it declared that the genocide only merited its qualified
recognition. Then in the same breath, so-to-speak, the ADL hedged its
position by saying that it would not support the resolution before the
United States Congress to recognize the Armenian genocide. How can the ADL
recognize the Armenian genocide-albeit partially-and then simultaneously go
on record that it does not want Congress to recognize the Armenian genocide?
Isn’t that counterproductive?
The position crafted by the ADL is nothing less than a tacit acceptance of
the egregious lies and deceptive statements that serve as the basis for
Turkey’s policy of denial and historic revisionism. This position by the ADL
only encourages Turkish intransigence. I cannot allow myself to believe that
this is the intent or purpose of the ADL.
I have served as co-chair and participant in Holocaust Observances in the
City of Newton, Mass., while a commissioner on the Newton Human Rights
Commission. I hold dear a letter from Lenny Zakim, then-New England director
of the ADL, thanking me for my efforts. His death was a severe loss to the
entire community. I mention this because I have always respected the mission
of the ADL. Unfortunately, the series of recent episodes by the ADL has been
regrettable.
Armenians have never had any fear of confronting their shared past with the
Turkish people. On the contrary, it has been the fear of the Turkish
government, for obvious reasons, to confront its shared past with the
Armenian people that prevents rapprochement. On this most significant of
issues-recognition of the Armenian genocide-the ADL has failed. This was the
opportunity for the ADL to forcefully and forthrightly speak out against
genocide, holocaust and ethnic cleansing as political solutions.
Unfortunately, the ADL for whatever reasons preferred not to seize the
moment. The vacillation and equivocation amply demonstrated by the current
leadership during these past several weeks has not enhanced the credibility
of the ADL.
Sincerely,
Michael G. Mensoian
—————————————– ———
2. New Turkish President
By Garen Yeparian
I guess the hurly-burly’s done and the battle lost and won, but who noticed?
What came in roaring like it might shake Asia Minor to its political core
actually transpired with little more than a whimper. Maybe this is why the
L.A. Times mislabled its "World in Brief" coverage of Abdullah Gul’s
election as Turkey’s president under the header "Afghanistan."
Well, I guess the burly could be applicable, since that’s how Gul’s physique
has been described. He may yet need it despite getting in with 339 votes out
of 550. The secularists and military, with their pre- and post-election
warnings, have made clear they’ll be watching him like hawks, or perhaps in
this case more like vultures or hyenas. But all the fears of intervention by
Turkey’s military, their ominous pronouncements and the hundreds of
thousands of secularist protesters amounted to naught.
Gul’s former party, the AKP (officially, as president, he no longer belongs
to it) has progressed. It has been performing well on the economic and
international front. It is well organized and sees to people’s needs. It has
not become tainted by scandal as most of Turkey’s other political sectors
are. So, it gets the votes. It calls early parliamentary elections as a
result of the earlier, unsuccessful effort to elect Gul president, and by
all accounts, emerges even stronger. The pashas (as the military is often
referred to) must be fuming, their medals about to melt.
Was this much ado about nothing? All that ink and all those pixels were
expended on news and commentary leading up to the election, and then barely
any reporting of the result. After all, the Turkish presidency, unlike the
American and French ones, is largely ceremonial and impotent. And, Gul was
kissing up to the pashas as soon as he had a chance. Only time will tell.
This may be another indication, like the nano-opening regarding the Armenian
genocide, that Turkey really is changing. However, in his memoirs, Roupen
Der Minasian tells of Armenian villagers, when referring to Turks and Kurds,
saying "sokheen caghtsruh chga"-"there’s no such thing as a sweet onion."
>From an Armenian point of view, more interesting than who Gul will appoint
as judges and what laws he might not veto (this is the bogeyman lofted by
the secularists- that the AKP will now enact an Islamist legislative
agenda), is what he might do regarding the genocide. As I recall, Prime
Minister Erdogan, the real power in the AKP, made supportive noises
regarding holding the genocide conference in Turkish-renamed Constantinople
two years ago. I can’t help but wonder if the office of the presidency might
not be used to floating trial balloons of "solutions," be they sneaky or
sincere, to Turkey’s genocide "problem." Maybe he’ll be used for some quiet
diplomacy. Certainly, we can’t expect anything new from him regarding
relations with Armenia or the diaspora, nor the (ill) treatment of Armenians
and other minorities in Turkey. It’s just not part of his job description.
Perhaps more important in all this was the restoration of a Kurdish presence
in Parliament. Also interesting would be to learn how much the AKP has used
the example of religion-driven politics in the U.S. Have there been any
direct contacts? If so, that would be really worrisome.
Let’s watch this guy. Let’s watch Turkey. And let’s do it more intently and
thoroughly than we ever have, and particularly more than the last two
decades during which our focus has shifted a bit too much to the needs of
Eastern Armenia. It’s long past time to restore a balanced approach to our
efforts regarding our homeland-all of it.
————————————–
3. Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I applaud your well-written and fair coverage of the ADL’s missteps in last
week’s paper. I was disheartened and embarrassed by the mistakes made by
Abraham Foxman, whom I’ve held in high regard. But I am also pleased that as
an organization that is based in principle, steps have been taken to rectify
his error in judgment. Hopefully upon further reflection and understanding,
congressional Resolution H.R./S.R.106, which officially recognizes the
Armenian genocide, will be supported by the ADL based purely on facts and
principle.
My wish is that like Germany, Turkey will make amends and admit to its past.
Jeff Jacoby wrote a good piece recently in the Aug. 22 issue of the Boston
Globe. Charles Jacobs of the David Project did likewise.
If you haven’t yet, both pieces are available to read on the David Project
website at
As a Jew, I’ve always felt a personal kinship with the Armenian community
not only because of our common history as victims of state-sponsored
genocide but also because of the many loving, intelligent and gifted
individuals I’ve met. Last summer, I was quite surprised and disappointed in
the unbalanced coverage that was reported in the Armenian Weekly regarding
the war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. The facts of the war as
reported seemed quite distorted and biased. My wish is that the silver
lining in this discussion forms a closer bond and deeper understanding
between our communities.
Alan Alpert
Brighton, Mass.