“Always look on the briiiiiiiiiiiiiiight siiiiiide of life!”

Furthermore, some arguments exist basing off the premise that Turkey is strategically and geographically essential to US foreign policy. If this is true (and well think its blown up way more than it is) then it still does not get in the way of this resolution because frankly, I resent the fact that the Turkey is holding the truth hostage. Congressman Albio Sires could not have said it better when he said, “I feel like I have a Turkish sward over my head somehow if I vote the wrong way here. And I don’t like that feeling”.
Turkish policy will reflect its own interests, not the interests of the US. For example, Turkey blocked military operations to the United States in 2003 when the military was strategizing the war in Iraq. This was 30 months after president Clinton persuaded Dennis Hastert to keep the Genocide Resolution off of the House floor. Let me remind you that Turkey did undermine our war effort even before the Genocide Resolution was even on the table and shortly after the last attempt for the resolution was shot down.. Should the US deny rights to the silenced and oppressed because we don’t want to agitate an ally? If Turkey is a true ally, then it would not hold conditions to friendship.
Finally, let me remind you that Turkey has threatened other countries the same way they are threatening the US when these other countries passed these resolutions. Economic trade between countries who have passed resolutions despite threats from Turkey have not gone down, but in fact they have gone up (after France passed a resolution, trade went up 225% and that is just one of the many examples of how Turkey is an artist at formulating these false threats it knows it cannot possible follow through with)

There is no evidence for extermination of Armenians. The reason why Armenians were resettled was because they joined their nation’s enemies during a time of war, following some forty years of seditious activity and violence.

No Armenian was expulsed from these areas, and all were free to return if they chose to. There were 644,900 left in the empire in 1921, according to the Armenian Patriarch, from an original population of 1.5 million. (Half a million had left on their own accord to other lands.) If Armenians felt they had to leave because of the terrible crimes they committed against the Muslim and Jewish populations, that was their choice.

Whereas there is no proof that the Armenians who were killed were systematically killed by the Ottoman government (killers were lawless bands and other loose cannons), it is fairly evident that the mass killings perpetrated by Armenians, while they were in control of eastern Anatolia on and off from 1915-20, with and without their Russian (and later French) allies, was systematic. We have firsthand reports from Russian and French officers testifying to the terrible crimes the Armenians perpetrated, and even a great friend of the Armenians, General Harbord, acknowledged the mass slaughter upon defenseless Ottoman villagers, including Muslims and Jews. This was the real genocide (as far as the 1948 U.N. Convention definition of genocide; there was demonstrable intent, and the victims were entirely innocent, not part of any political group, as were the Armenians who had allied themselves with the enemies of their Ottoman nation at war) of that period, but of course, it is unknown; Armenian propaganda and western prejudice is too overpowering.

As far as Vahagn’s forgiveness is concerned, do not forget that the tragic events of those years went both ways. Whereas there is no proof that the Armenians who were killed were systematically killed by the Ottoman government (killers were lawless bands and other loose cannons), it is fairly evident that the mass killings perpetrated by Armenians, while they were in control of eastern Anatolia on and off from 1915-20, with and without their Russian (and later French) allies, was systematic. We have firsthand reports from Russian and French officers testifying to the terrible crimes the Armenians perpetrated, and even a great friend of the Armenians, General Harbord, acknowledged the mass slaughter upon defenseless Ottoman villagers, including Muslims and Jews. This was the real genocide (as far as the 1948 U.N. Convention definition of genocide; there was demonstrable intent, and the victims were entirely innocent, not part of any political group, as were the Armenians who had allied themselves with the enemies of their Ottoman nation at war) of that period, but of course, it is unknown; Armenian propaganda and western prejudice is too overpowering.

Note that nobody is asking the Armenian government to confess to their crimes (today’s Dashnak government is directly related to the terrorists who were in charge back then. Vahagn is incorrect in tying in today’s Turkish government with the Ottoman government with writing “their crimes,” since the Ottoman government was overthrown and abolished by the modern Turkish government) although it certainly would be proper for Armenia and Armenians to do so. Unfortunately, these parties are too deeply immersed in the idea of victimhood, and it seems they will never confess.

So, forget the silly clash of civilizations canard — you just have to go back to inter imperialist rivalries to explain these things.