CLINTON CALLS GENOCIDE RECOGNITION A ‘DANGEROUS DOOR’
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
asbarez
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Clinton at the 2010 QDDR town hall
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday said the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by the US “opens a door that is a very dangerous
one to go through.” This is the same Hillary Clinton who, four years
ago, pledged that she would recognize the Genocide as President of
the United States.
Responding to a question from a participant of a Town Hall Meeting
on Thursday, who asked why the US does not recognize the Genocide,
Clinton characterized the Armenian Genocide as an historical issue
and not a political one.
“I think it’s fair to say that this has always been viewed, and I think
properly so, as a matter of historical debate and conclusions rather
than political. And I think that is the right posture for the United
States Government to be in, because whatever the terrible event might
be or the high emotions that it represents, to try to use government
power to resolve historical issues, I think, opens a door that is a
very dangerous one to go through. So the issue is a very emotional
one; I recognize that and I have great sympathy for those who are
just so incredibly passionate about it,” Clinton told the audience.
“But I think the free market of ideas, the academic community, the
open architecture of communication that is even greater now than it
was in the past, are the proper fora for this kind of engagement,
and that’s where I hope it is worked out. And eventually, people will
have their own conclusions, which needs to be respected, but we need
to encourage anyone on any side of any contentious historical debate
to get out into the marketplace of ideas. Muster your evidence, put
forth your arguments, and be willing to engage, and that’s what I
think should happen on that too,” added Clinton who received a round
of applause from the audience.
She also took time to respond to a question from the same person on
Monday’s passage of the French Senate resolution criminalizing the
denial of the Armenian Genocide.
“…One of our great strengths is we do not criminalize speech. People
can say nearly anything they choose, and they do, in our country. And
so other countries, including close friends and allies like France,
have different standards, different histories, but we are, I hope,
never going to go down that path to criminalize speech,” explained
the Secretary of State, who seems to have forgotten that there are
succinct laws against hate speech in the US, under which people can
be prosecuted.
Clinton’s letter in 2008 (click to enlarge)
Exactly four years ago this week, then Sen. Clinton had this to say:
“I believe the horrible events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire
against Armenians constitute a clear case of genocide. I have twice
written to President Bush calling on him to refer to the Armenian
Genocide in his annual commemorative statement and, as President,
I will recognize the Armenian Genocide. Our common morality and our
nation’s credibility as a voice for human rights challenge us to
ensure that the Armenian Genocide be recognized and remembered by
the Congress and the President of the United States.”
This is, by far, one of the more patronizing statements coming
out of the Secretary of State, and the Obama Administration. Her
statement today calls into question whether the US has ceased to be
“a voice for human rights” or has the definition of that principle
changed since Barack Obama took office three years ago. Or, how did
the Armenian Genocide, about which she wrote to President Bush become
“a dangerous door” in a matter of four years?
Her statements indicate that the US government is beholden to a foreign
government-Turkey-in its policy making and is really not an advocate
for human rights worldwide but a willing participant in a systematic
and calculated campaign of lies that continues to stain Turkey as a
citizen of the civilized world.
“The Obama-Biden Administration – with Secretary Clinton’s latest
remarks – continues to dig itself deeper and deeper into a hole
of complicity in Turkey’s genocide denial,” said Aram Hamparian,
Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America.
“It’s a sad spectacle to see Secretary Clinton hiding behind cynical
appeals to scholars – the overwhelming majority of whom have already
spoken forcefully against Turkey’s denials of the Armenian Genocide
– to divert attention from either President Obama’s, Vice President
Biden’s or her own personal promises to properly recognize this crime
and, more broadly, to divert attention from America’s failure to meet
her moral obligation to stand up against a foreign government’s veto
of our defense of human rights,” continued Hamparian.
“The Secretary’s unfounded and offensive references to ‘historical
debate’ in regards to the Armenian Genocide only embolden the Turkish
Government – which, just today, again took steps toward deporting
Armenians,” concluded Hamparian.
The Obama Administration’s latest ploy to massage this ridiculous
message is laughable at best and devoid of any credibility. Its defense
of Turkish interests at any cost, goes counter to the international
community’s conventional wisdom and makes US policymakers seem backward
in their approach to human rights issues.
This latest statement by Clinton should not elicit anger, but rather
it should further call into question this administration’s ability
to effectively lead.
From: A. Papazian