The Karabakh Conflict is a quintessential example of the paradoxical repercussions that can blur the lines between military triumph and humiliating downfall. This article explores the question of how the thrill of military victory morphs into a profound sense of defeat.
read moreTriumph in Defeat: Inaugurating a New Era for Azerbaijan and Armenia
Miatsum and the Bewildering Russian Role in Karabakh
The Karabakh conflict in the North Caucasus has emerged as the second-most-significant conflict involving Russia. Historically, the region of Karabakh has been populated by Armenians, while the surrounding areas have been inhabited by Azerbaijani Turks.
read moreA Bad Day In The Bundestag
Not recognizing the Armenian genocide is a triumph for common sense
There are still a few responsible adults around who haven't surrendered to the self-righteous kitsch of national victimization.
Postmodernism suffered a devastating blow this week. It turns out that this magic wand – with which, it was thought, historical narratives could be created at the customer’s order – is not living up to the high expectations people have of in it. In other words, there’s a limit to how far nations can go in demanding that the world recognize them as victims of a holocaust, along the lines of the Jewish Shoah, without it being clear beyond any doubt that a holocaust of that kind actually occurred and in the same format.
read moreThe fallacies of the Armenian nationalist narrative
Perincek vs Switzerland
Armenian Issue As Reflected In Russian Archival Records
The Lemkin Hole In The Swiss Case
Abraham Foxman’s good name
Remembering Kemal Arikan (1927-1982)
Orientalism: 'Terrible Turk' becomes a 'genocidal Turk'
In the light of these broader questions, this article seeks to unpack the symbiotic relationship between past Orientalist discourses of the early 20th century and their contemporary (re)construction through the concept of genocide in the events of 1915. What is the connection between the events of 1915, the use of the term genocide, and Orientalism? How do genocide scholars use images of the "terrible Turk," backward Islam and the despotic Ottoman state to build a new, genocidal image of Turks?
read moreMajor International Court Finds the Ottoman Armenian Controversy Not Settle
TCA Responds to President Obama’s Armenian Remembrance Day Statement
Religious Ceremony Held at Historical Armenian Church in Turkey
Armenian President's Belligerent Remarks Draw Turkey’s Ire
Correcting the Record on H.Res. 252 (Armenian Resolution)
TCA Response to President Obama's Statement
Why Congress Should Not Legislate History
On March 4, 2010 the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved by a 23-22 vote a controversial resolution (H. Res. 252) declaring that it “finds the . . . Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire... read more
Armenians in Ottoman Bureaucracy
TCA Responds to President Obama's Statement
Tarihsel Gerçekler ve Uluslararası Hukuk Işığında Ermeni Soykırımı
Bugüne kadar soykırım iddiası, uluslararası alanda Ermenistan’a ilaveten birçok devlet tarafından Türkiye üzerinde baskı kurmak, Türk dış politikasını yönlendirmek ve ödünler elde etmek amacıyla kullanılmıştır. Bu alanda Ermenistan tarafından Türkiye aleyhinde sürdürülen yoğun kampanya ülkemiz açısından ağır bir imaj sorunu yarattığı gibi dış politikamızın ana eksenlerine de ipotek koymaktadır. read more
Amb. Elekdağ Calls Upon President Obama to Respect Law on Genocide
TCA Letter to President Obama on Greek National Independence Day
Legislating History
Recently various Parliaments throughout the world have gotten into the business of legislating history!! As Tip O’Neill has succinctly put it, “All politics is local.” However, currently the US Congress is under pressure to consider a resolution about the events of 1915. read more
President Obama's Statement
154 Retired Turkish Ambassadors Write to Speaker Pelosi
Once again, extremist factions within the American-Armenian communities have launched their yearly campaigns asking the US Congress to adopt a resolution recognizing their claims of "Armenian Genocide". read more
Turkish American Community Letter to President Obama
Will Untapped Ottoman Archives Reshape the Armenian Debate?
The debate over what happened to Armenians in World War I-era Ottoman Anatolia continues to polarize historians and politicians. Armenian historians argue that Ottoman forces killed more than one million Armenians in a deliberate act of genocide. Other historians—most famously Bernard Lewis and Guenter Lewy—acknowledge that hundreds of thousands of Armenians died but question whether this was a deliberate act of genocide or rather an outgrowth of fighting and famine. read more
Rep. Frank Pallone and the "Armenian Genocide Resolution"
Recently, a letter seeking cosponsors for a renewed drive to secure the adoption of an "Armenian Genocide Resolution" was circulated on Capitol Hill. The lead authors of the proposed legislation included four members of congress from districts with sizable Armenian constituents. They included Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ). read more
Professor questions ethnic conflict
Turkkaya Ataov, a professor at Ankara University in Turkey who is internationally recognized for his vehement denials that the 1915 massacre of Armenians was a genocide, presented a lecture entitled, "How to Come to Terms with One's Past: Searching the Truth Behind Armenian Claims on Genocide." read more
Money spent by the Armenian Lobby in America (USA/ Armenia)
While the Americans were waging their war of independence in 1780, figs from Izmir and other Anatolian produce were advertised in American papers. The first American ship touching waters was named Grand Turk, and set to sail off Salem port in 1782. This ship carried produce to the New England harbors in the 1790’s. American trade ships visited Istanbul in 1786, Izmir in 1797, and Iskenderiye (Alexandria) in 1800. First trade agreement between America and Turkey was signed on May 7, 1830 (most favored nation status). read more
Buying Policies
One of the main things Americans frequently complain about is the influence of special interest groups over politicians and, thus, over how the United States is ran. Too many laws, these Americans say, are designed not with the best interest of the American people in mind, but with the interest of said groups in mind. This is, Americans rightfully complain, now how the US government was meant to function. read more
The freedom of historical debate is under attack by the memory police
As the Allied armies occupied Turkey starting in late November 1918, Turks reacted largely with silent acquiescence. They were willing to accept that since the war had left their country devastated and most of its people starving, the victorious Powers of Europe occupied their country in order to help them rebuild it in the lands of the Ottoman Empire that remained with large Turkish majorities, in accordance with Point Twelve of Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points declared earlier the same year. As was the case in western Anatolia, however, where Allied intentions to deprive the Turks of their homeland combined with Greek atrocities against the settled population drove the Turks to support a Turkish national resistance, so also those in Cilicia were soon driven to resist violently against the abuses and atrocities which the French occupation troops inflicted on them during the two years that followed. read more
Book review: The Armenian Genocide: Cultural and Ethical Legacies
Readers familiar with Russioan and Turkish history will experience the same sense of unreality in reading Hovannisian's insistence that the Armenian disaster in 1915 was entirely unprovoked and the result of a xenophbic nationalistic mindset and a total war ethic on the part of the Young Turk regime. read more
U.S. H.RES. 106: Factual and Legal Deficiencies
The Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, TUSIAD, wishes to initiate a new platform for discussing the fate of the Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The controversy over this issue and the overly politicized nature of the debate poison Turkey’s relations with its closest allies and broaden the appeal of anti-Western sentiments among the Turkish public. read more
A Scrutiny of Akcam's Version of History and the Armenian Genocide
In discussing the massacres of the 1890s, the author does not mention the provocations carried out by the Armenian revolutionary groups that were also an important factor in bringing about Muslim attacks on the Armenians. In the second chapter the author quotes a single instance of this kind for a different occasion (p. 63). His argument, however, is not a synthesis of the evidence presented. Instead of discussing how such incidents shaped the course of events, the author prefers to limit himself to pointing out how the Turkish historiography makes use of them. read more
Turkish Armenian Relations
The 1915 relocation was undoubtedly a great tragedy for Ottoman Armenians. But this tragedy was mutual. I hope that two Eastern nations, who slaughtered each other as a result of British imperialism and German militarism, will take a page from history and will not sacrifice themselves once more in the 21st century for the neo-imperialists’ interests in the Caucasus. read more
Russian Document refutes Armenian "genocide" claims Provides eviden
Swedish Parliament Rejects Armenian Genocide Legislation
Turkey offers Armenian Diaspora $20 million to open its Archives
Armenia is a troubled nation
Despite years of generous American financial assistance, Armenia’s economy remains in a shambles. Corruption is endemic — the public believes that most wealth created in recent years has only benefited the oligarchs — unemployment is high, and the prices of basic necessities continue to rise. It is no wonder that the country’s population keeps declining — the most recent Central Intelligence Agency estimate was just under three million, a 15% drop since 1994. read more
Armenian Terrorism: History as Poison and Antidote
Historians do not usually contribute to discussions of present-day terrorism. Middle East historians have especially avoided comment on Armenian terrorism, preferring topics more remote and less likely to shoot back. However, in considering Armenian violence, history cannot be ignored, for history is both the cause of Armenian terrorism and its only cure. Armenian terrorism is rooted in a false view of history and only by correcting that view will Armenian terrorism be defeated. I therefore wish to suggest a method not usually used to combat terrorism -the study of history. read more
Reader comment on: "Lévy To Speak On Islamism, Genocide"
It is unfair to the memory of the six million Jews who have perished at the hands of the Germans during Worl war II to have their suffering to be compared to that of the Armenians during World war I. Of course, the Armenians did suffer. At the same time, three million Turks were killed and millions were thrown out of their homes too, many as a result of the Armenians' revolts. So have tens of millions of other ethnic and religious groups throughout history during times of war. Not all killings of civilians, along with the military, during armed conflicts, can be considered genocide. read more
The History Lesson
Turkey is a country of the greatest strategic importance to the U.S. It is a loyal member of NATO with large and effective armed forces. It has a strong and growing economy. It is an overwhelmingly Muslim country with a democratic system of government. read more
Westerners on the Armenian Strategy and Rebellion
If it is required to start revolution or to rise up in order to secure the intervention of Europe in this matter or to draw its attention that can be done quite easily. read more
Report of Captian Niles and Mr. Arthur E. Sutherland Jr.
The following is a copy of the Niles and Sutherland Report as it appears in the draft copy in the United States National Archives. Beign a draft, it contains infelicities of language, mistakes in paragraph numbering, confusing nomenclature, etc. read more
ADL and the Turks
Under a longstanding relationship, Jewish organizations have lobbied against legislation undermining U.S.-Turkish relations (ADL Spars with Armenians, Oct. 29). This strengthened U.S.-Turkish strategic ties and Israel's ties with its sole regional ally. It also furthered the well-being of Turkey's 20,000 Jews - living amidst 70 million Muslims - who are protected by their government but menaced by extremists. read more
No Armenian Genocide
Bernard Lewis Distinguishes Armenian Case from Holocaust
The British press reported in 1997 that your views on the killing of one million Armenians by the Turks in 1915 did not amount to genocide and in this report in the Independent of London, says that a French court fined you one frank in damages after you said there was no genocide. This obviously triggered a debate in Israel where this quoted article (Moderator cuts in and asks him to ask his question as their running out of time). My question is, sir, have your views changed on this whether the killing of one million Armenians amounts to genocide and your views on this judgment? read more
Anatolia 1915:Turks Died, Too
During World War 1, Anatolia, the Asiatic section of modern Turkey, was the scene of horrible acts of inhumanity between Armenians and Turks. For many decades, the history of the conflict between the Turks and the Armenians has primarily been written from the viewpoint of the Armenians. It is a viewpoint that emphasizes the deaths of Armenians but completely ignores the deaths of Turks. read more
Review: The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genoci
Remembering Orhan Gunduz: A Victim of Armenian Terrorism
Turkey and Armenia: What Jews should do
ADL should not redefine genocide
Turkey's new envoy says genocide bill impedes reconciliation
U.S. lawmakers should not fixate on the Armenian Genocide bill, which is an insult to many Turks and a roadblock to reconciliation between Turkey and the Armenian community, the new Turkish consul general in Los Angeles said. read more
Turkey's War on the Truth
It goes without saying that the House resolution condemning Turkey for the "genocide" of Armenians from 1915 to 1923 will serve no earthly purpose and that it will, to say the least, complicate if not severely strain U.S.-Turkey relations. It goes without saying, also, that the Turks are extremely sensitive on the topic and, since they are helpful in the war in Iraq and are a friend to Israel, that their feelings ought to be taken into account. All of this is true, but I would feel a lot better about condemning this resolution if the argument wasn't so much about how we need Turkey and not at all about the truthfulness of the matter. read more
Partisan Politics and Democrats' Turkey Problem
If there is anything that points out the difference between most Republicans and most Democrats, it is Congress’ effort to pass a resolution that labels Turkey’s slaughter of Armenians almost a century ago as “genocide.” The White House has opposed the action, which has been pushed by House Democrats. While some Republicans have been supporting the measure (and supported previous attempts to please Armenian-Americans by embarrassing Turkey), the current resolution is primarily a Democratic initiative on Capitol Hill. read more
Why We Are Losing Turkey
With the steady decline of our selected ally Gen. Pervez Musharraf's ability to govern Pakistan and the growing alienation of the Turkish people and government from their longtime ally the United States, it is fair to say that from the Bosporus to the Himalayas, American interests continue to decline, while American policy drifts. It is ironic, if not mordant, to observe that in that zone, our policy in Iraq stands out as holding more promise for success than most of the other policies we are attempting. This week, let me consider why we are losing Turkey. read more
Genocide claims against Turkey frivolous
For as long as I have been academically associated with Turkey, the Middle East and the post-Soviet Caucasus, Diaspora Armenians in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and now even Montana, have made an annual attempt to convince Congress to pass resolutions condemning Turkey for having effected a “genocide” against their forefathers in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, while Turkish groups have, less effectively, railed against such condemnation of their ancestors. read more
Congress and Armenia
Efforts to rewrite the history of the events of 1915 through legislative fiat and vilify Turks are not new to the U.S. Congress. But past attempts were always contained through support in Congress and from successive presidential administrations. This time, it seems that the House of Representatives may be forced to take sides and pass unilateral judgment on a historic controversy that is as contentious as it is complex. read more
Armenian genocide measure is misguided
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believed that the Armenian genocide resolution (HR106) that passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 10 would be a slam dunk for her national stature and leadership. Instead, it exposed the speaker as not well-informed and a champion of parochial interests. read more
Armenian debacle
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she believes that "the biggest ethical challenge facing our country is the war in Iraq." Therefore, she must believe that passing a resolution declaring the mass killings of Armenians at the end of World War I a genocide will restore America's moral authority. Rep. Tom Lantos, California Democrat, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "I feel that I have a tremendous opportunity as a survivor of the Holocaust to bring a moral dimension to our foreign policy." The resolution passed last week by a 27"21 vote. read more
The Armenian Revolt: 1894-1920: Documentary by Marty Callaghan
History Speaks: The moral case against the Armenian Genocide Resolution
Prudential arguments against the Armenian genocide resolution pending in Congress are gaining traction; odds for passage in November that looked overwhelming last month look more like a toss-up today. But in the court of public opinion, genocide proponents are still winning. Most Europeans and transcultural multinationals have already proclaimed it an indisputable historical fact that the Armenian tragedy in Turkey in World War I was a genocide, perpetrated by the Turks — a deliberate government attempt to wipe out all Armenians — and growing numbers of Americans think we have a moral duty to join them. The problem, in this arena, is that prudential arguments have nothing like the emotional power and widespread popular appeal of the moral case for condemning the Turks. read more
Judgment Time: Should America recognize an Armenian Genocide?
Calls for America to recognize the Armenian tragedy of 1915 as genocide, and to condemn the Turks for it, grow louder, more insistent, and more varied by the week. The Armenian lobby, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), and a handful of other longtime congressional supporters are no longer the only people calling for this recognition. They are joined not just by the usual old secular human-rights crusaders of the Left like Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk, but also by new voices from the Right - including some I respect. Should we do it? Is it really beyond dispute that the Ottoman Turks were guilty of genocide in World War I? read more
Armenian Story has Another Side
All the world knows what the end of an empire looks like: hundreds of thousands of people fleeing down dusty paths, taking what was left of their possessions; crammed refugee trains puffing their way across arid plains; and many, many people dying. For the Ottoman Empire that process began in the Balkans, the Crimea and the Caucasus as Russia and her satellites expanded. Seven million people -- we would now call them Turks -- had to settle in Anatolia, the territory of modern Turkey. read more
U.S. can calm a ruffled Turkey
Two hot-button issues have set off Turkish ire and severely strained US ties: Turkey's history with war and increased dangers to its present-day security. In both cases, it's tempting to fault Ankara's overreaction. But US lawmakers and the White House should first examine their own actions. read more
Pointless Moral Exhibitionism on Turkey
The Ottoman Empire died an ignominious death 85 years ago in the aftermath of World War I. Democrats are nonetheless intent on rebuking it for the mass killing of Armenians during World War I that many scholars and a proposed House resolution call “genocide.” read more
Stirring up the past, jeopardizing the future
The most extraordinary spectacle of the past week has been the apparent desire of the US Congress to pronounce as genocide the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Turks, even though there is nothing more provocative to Turkey, and no worse time at which to do it. read more
Armenia Crime Amnesia?
Armenian crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Ottoman Turkish and Kurdish populations of eastern and southern Anatolia during World War I and its aftermath have been forgotten amidst congressional preoccupation with placating the vocal and richly financed Armenian lobby. read more
Secretary of State Pelosi
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, famous for donning a head scarf earlier this year to commune for peace with the Syrians, has now concluded that this is the perfect moment to pass a Congressional resolution condemning Turkey for the Armenian genocide of 1915. Problem is, Turkey in 2007 has it within its power to damage the growing success of the U.S. effort in Iraq. We would like to assume this is not Speaker Pelosi's goal. read more
Turkey in the crosshairs
A combination of events - including a dramatic upsurge in violence from Kurdish terrorists based in northern Iraq and a House resolution condemning Turkey for the mass killings of Armenians more than 80 years ago - have created an explosive, dangerous situation on the Turkish-Iraq border that could endanger the resupply of U.S. forces in Iraq. read more
Tawdry Genocide Tale
Bruce Fein - On Tuesday, Aug. 21, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Abraham H. Foxman, somersaulted from a longstanding ADL policy. The ADL had declined to characterize as genocide the killings of Armenians during World War I by Ottoman Muslims. In Mr. Foxman's change of position hangs a tawdry tale of intellectual dishonor. read more
This wasn't Genocide
Sir, - While the Armenian deaths in WWI were a great tragedy, they were not genocide. The Armenian population was in almost total revolt against the Ottoman Turks. Armenian soldiers deserted the Turkish army in droves and went over to the Russian invaders. There are over 50 documented cases of Armenian massacres of Turkish populations while the Turkish army was retreating from the Russian invasion. read more
Letter to Abraham H. Foxman, ADL of B'Nai B'Rith
I write to you concerning the "ADL Statement on the Armenian Genocide" dated 21st August 2007, in which you add the prestige of the ADL to those who, for all sorts of reasons, have long lobbied for acceptance of the much-disputed claim that the historical events in question constituted a "genocide". read more
Why America Should Build Bridges to Turkey
The Turks are getting cranky, and who can blame them? Since recovering from a fiscal crisis in 2001, the country has racked up one of the best growth rates in the world, and today it is the 17th largest economy. Last year the budget deficit fell to less than 1% of Gross Domestic Product, while inflation has been in single-digit territory for the past three years. read more
Statement by Professor Norman Stone
I am writing to you about the resolution, recently-published, of the ADL, concerning the Armenian events of 1915 in Turkey. My qualifications for doing so are I think such that any historian of the period would vouch for me: I taught at Cambridge and Oxford for thirty years before taking early retirement from the Chair of Modern History, and going to Turkey. read more
Re: Truth and Consequences: Armenians, Turks and Jews
The strategy of the Armenian side, from its very inception has been to implicate the Republic of Turkey in the events which preceded its foundation, by extending the period of the alleged genocide from 1915 to 1923, instead of 1918. Moreover, they do not hesitate to forge documents and photos for sustaining that argument. The venue of such a recent attempt of forgery was UCLA “ University of California Los Angeles, (April 14, 2005 UCLA talk entitled "The Face of Denial Does Not Lie,") where a photo of Ataturk' with a dog at his feet was manipulated and the dog substituted with a corpse of a civil war victim. read more
Let's Unearth the Truth About what happened in 1915 together
We look to a future of freedom, peace, and prosperity in Armenia and Turkey and hope that Prime Minister Erdogan’s recent proposal for a joint Turkish-Armenian commission can help advance these processes. read more
Turkish ambassador: "Give all sides a hearing"
Judgment Time:Should America recognize an Armenian Genocide?
The Armenian lobby, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), and a handful of other longtime congressional supporters are no longer the only people calling for this recognition. They are joined not just by the usual old secular human-rights crusaders of the Left like Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk, but also by new voices from the Right — including some I respect. Should we do it? Is it really beyond dispute that the Ottoman Turks were guilty of genocide in World War I? read more
Norman Stone: 'There is No Armenian Genocide'
“The Armenian ‘genocide’ is an imperialist plot.” So said Dogu Perincek, in Marxist mode, and he chose to say it in Switzerland. Switzerland passed a law threatening prison for anyone ‘denying’ that there had been a genocide of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915, and Mr. Perincek was interrogated by the police. read more