From today's NYTimes on the recent tension between Israel and Turkey, its closest Muslim ally.
"Jewish groups [in the U.S.] have helped Turkey block a resolution that condemns the genocide of a more than a million Ottoman Empire Armenians from being discussed in Congress.
Abraham H. Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that Mr. Erdogan’s criticism was “like a shock to the system,” but added that the league had not changed its opposition to the genocide bill in Congress. “It’s not a question of punishment,” he said. “There’s too much at stake in the relationship.”
So right-wing members of an ethnic group that suffered genocide support genocide-deniers in the name of political expediency. Nice.
Where in the World is MadamaB?
14 years ago
5 comments:
You see this tension played out in social situations in L.A., where members of both groups simultaneously wield significant power and vie for the coveted title of Victim. It's a weird, weird dynamic.
It's incredibly sad. Nationalism trumps humanity every time.
Germany is a pretty close ally of the USA too. I wonder what the ADL would say if the German government started denying the holocaust and referring to it as self-defense from Jewish aggression in their school curriculum. Would their stance be that Germany as a friend is more valuable than their grandparents' blood?
That said, I'm a second generation Armenian-American, but I'm more 'American' than 'Armenian', and more 'Libertarian' than 'Liberal', so my personal stance is that government has no business weighing-in on history, be it Jewish or Armenian. Congress should be passing laws, not debating historical events in foreign countries.
Mangeek
I have to say I agree with you. But when it comes to a debate between human rights and national interests, guess which side generally loses?
I also agree that governments passing resolutions condemning a century-old genocide are sort of pointless (although my Armenian-American friends feel strongly about this, as well they should). Governments should focus on stopping future genocides from happening.
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