and history is perilous. David Rieff, the author of “In Praise of Forgetting”, argues that the commemoration of past wrongs can become a moral cudgel, cynically weaponised over and over again for political ends. That is certainly how Turkey’s government sees it when foreigners refer to the deaths of over a million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman forces in 1915 as genocide. On October 29th America’s House of Representatives voted to do just that.
Starting in the early 2000s, a series of seminars in America and Europe brought together diaspora Armenians and Turkish Armenian intellectuals. The former tended to focus entirely on the past and on the genocide. The latter preferred to discuss the present, and the challenges facing Turkey and its minorities.
Remembrance may be fraught with risks; but the dangers of forgetting are higher. Taner Akcam, a Turkish historian, once wrote that the genocide has become his country’s “collective secret”. Schoolbooks in Turkey continue to teach that the death marches were a necessary and proportionate response to attacks on Turkish villages by Armenian rebels.
Turkey’s rejection of the genocide label is only part of the problem. A bigger worry is its refusal to accept any responsibility for what happened. For successive governments, condemnation of the events of 1915, whether as genocide, a war crime or ethnic cleansing, has been out of the question. The past has been sanitised. “There have been no massacres and no slaughters in our history,” Mr Erdogan said a few years ago.
The notion that the Turkish state can do no wrong has also left a mark on the present. No major Turkish news outlet can report on the dozens of civilians killed during the country’s Syrian offensive. Turks who openly oppose the invasion risk prosecution. This is largely because Mr Erdogan seeks to stifle most forms of dissent, but also because the legacy of 1915 has made some topics especially taboo. The Turkish state and army are beyond reproach; suggestions to the contrary border on treason.
By pathetic little senators like LindseyGrahamSC
Is there any historical evidence that supports so called genocide accusations? History should be written by historians not by the parliaments
Good. Also, you misspelled Dictator. ErdoganWarCriminal
Neden tarihi olaylar tarihci lere bırakılmıyor, acaba ne menfaat leri var.
Well done, House of Representatives!
It was POGROM!
How The Economist make war against Turkey ? this question is more important than you asked, I guess. You look like as a newspaper which have struggle against Turkey since start of Turkish Army attack to north Syria terrorist line, I just wanna ask, Why ? PerceptionWar
The Armenians migration it was allowed, Armenian killers killed the Turks Graves was buried in
Jackie_Lizzz Absolutely, the term 'genocide' was even invented by Raphael Lemkin to describe what happened to the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire
How genocide denial warps.
Lool you guys need to educate yourselves... Europeans are the ones doing genocides... Don't try feeling better by pointing fingers at others; instead stick the finger in your own butts
inferiority complex and slander mixed. You are uncurable
I keep telling people the British are insane when it comes to Turkiye, cannot be trusted one bit. Lousy and sinister
The history of Turkey is rited with blood no only Armenians but also Greeks from the Black Sea region, Constantinople and Litle Asia the same period with the Armenias genocide also the hunting on Kurds. The Turks are the same like then and will be forever.
Ok please let me know who call the events of 1915's as genocide... The most notorious colonial states in history; British, Americans, French...?
You are right. Biggest genocide should be counted: American Indians never mentioned in Turkish Politics, Algerians' made by France, Many Africans' made by Belgium, And so on.
This is not a stark reality but a political tool which has so far been used against Turkey by those countries who were at loggerhead with Turkey. This topic must be left to the expert historians to be at length discussed to unearth the whole truths. Turkey has always said this.
Bernard Lewis, well known histrorian, he was not a Turk and he said that deportation can not be named genocide. However globolist kapitalists are using the case for their benefit and spread misinformation.They do not bother for any nation.
Total BS!!!
Ani, Mush, Van, Erzrum, Kars, Bitlis, Adana - Are some of post genocide Western Armenian cities devoid of Armenians. Each of this cities would of now been bigger then the today's Capital of Armenia - Yerevan. Ani - City of Thousand Churches once was the most populous in the world
Two faces westerns blame other nations with genocide. Look your history, you will see hundereds type of genocide.
Is broom represents Europe or US?
'The First World War must be brought about in order to permit the Illuminati [aka The Eastern Establishment lead by The Rothschilds] to overthrow the power of the Czars in Russia and of making that country a fortress of atheistic Communism...
Not here defending Turkey , but why is Turkey being held accountable for actions committed (if proved) by the Ottoman empire ?
How The Economist make war against Turkey ? this question is more important than you asked, I guess. You look like as a newspaper which have struggle against Turkey since start of Turkish Army attack to north Syria terrorist line, I just wanna ask, Why ?
Such typical fake news. Judging without hearing the story from the other end is what you do the best against leaders/countries who doesn't have mutual interests with you. Isn't it?
Still counting the dead corpse daily there fellows.
Armenian genocide is an international lie
Pppp
Evident of politic affair! Not real!
No such genocide! Don't mislead people!
Turkey, China and Russia. Three amigos of genocide.
You can not decide what happened in the past with politics. Turkey offered to open their archives and to let historians work on it. You couldn’t clear us off from this lands in ww so you trying another way.
Les Turcs de véritables sauvages, après le massacre des Armeniens, voilà venu le tour des Kurdes?!
Zionist propaganda. People awake to your disinformation for your interests. Not long time ago you did the same trick with Sultan AbdulHamid in 1908. Will not happen again. People awake
Ask the Armenians, or the Greeks or the Kurds
Precisely
See: Rape of Nanking
How about you to think that your ancestors committed a genocide on many Africans, Muslims and etc. Look once at the mirror and see how you are guilty!
This is not just biased journalism, it's outright misinformation Records clearly show there is nothing that can be even remotely described as genocide. Turkey invites Armenians to investigate these with full access to their records. They don't want to. Why do you think that is?
What about Palestinians genocide by Israël?
Colombia
So when will average white amrican accept Indian genocide or Black massacres
This is the truth, Zio-British propaganda machine Economist...
The things that the ottoman empire did , can not concern turkish republic; as what roman empire did, nothing with italiens.. Are nt you enough to understand this ?
The truth will come out when opening of the archives, you are not ashamed to use a political instrument on an issue that historians will discuss! hypocritical colonial, liar, dishonest press. Everyone will one day understand the English wick and spit in your face.
Dirty Economist is again distorting...
Turkey is less dirty than the Others.
The u.s. may realize one day that genocide is not the only stain on its history. So are the 4 centuries of denial that have followed. NativeAmerica (18 mil) Vietnam (5.1mil), Hiroshima/Nagasaki (220K), Korea (2mil), Iraq (4.6mil), Phillipines (1.4mil)
There’s also mass arrests following the coup attempt... and the Kurds now.... and their relationship with the IRGC.... and others. So let’s go with definitely not the only stain. But what is more important than history is what they are doing right now.
Armenian Christians were termed as Kaf.irs and they were mass.acred by Turkey
You should focus on real genocides that have been conducted by the Westerners, especially Britain, France, Germany, The US and finally Israel etc... Turkey is relax, and have tons of documents that contradict what you say(lie!) , what do you have as documents? None!
With love from Turkey🇹🇷
Strange that Turkey persists in defending ottoman policy. Russians feel no need to defend the mistakes of the Tsars
I could never understand why Turkey could not just attribute the Armenian genocide to the corrupt Ottoman Empire and move on. They can point to Attaturk's reforms and a vibrant democracy.
The Economist will never realise historical truths. FakeMagazine
is that right !People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Where is war criminal TonyBlair who is responsible for genocide of one million Iraqis, he diverted US war against terror. His crimes against humanity uncompoundable.
oh, right, and you write this from the cafeteria of the museum dedicated to tell the horrors of British colonialism?
Turkey can't may realise one day the genocide if that genocide never happened
Says the British propaganda instrument...
All Europe country fought us! We just saved our life! Armenians fought us! They killed Ottaman people!
AWGoraya editor is ridiculous again! don't make false propaganda! don't violate ethical principles!
Keep dreaming it the only thing we accept is that there was not any genocide USA is doing these threats every Turkey is doing something they don’t like.
Paradoxically they are among our allies in the Middle East, as well as Saudi Arabia, and Israel. These countries have terrible track records for human rights. Saudi Arabia is self explanatory, but Israel has been at war with Palestinians for over 50 years now, deny their rights.
It behaves similarly to Japan...
Genocide denial my arse❗️ Leave it to the historians. Armenian archives which were not available contrary to the Turkish and Russian archives. Sell your made-up product elsewhere...
Right!! Some of us Americans are sick of cowtowing to religitard Muslims. I'd pull all relations and interaction with the entire middle east and any Muslim majority country if I could...
yo JURABA que esa foto era de america latina enterrando los mas de 300mil muertos violentos por armas de fuego en Venezuela es una decada, ni Vietnam! todo tiene su precio.
Ulen şerefsizler İsrail'in yaptığı amerikanın yaptığı fransızın Cezayir'de Libya da yaptığını ingilizlerin yaptığını rusların yaptığını görmeyin bizim olmayan soykırımı ağzınıza dolayın yazıklar olsun yalancı sizlere
politic
What genocide? It's just a political game exploiting the agonies of the 1st WW. Do you know how many Turks were massacred during the period 1910-22 ?
Have you ever wondered if there is a genocide against Armenians. And why Armenians doesn't aggree to open and discuss archieves?
It's about time.
Politic not realist👍
What about impending genocide? Tune in to India tomorrow folks!
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