A review of the historical background of the Genocide, its features, the political debate which followed and why it is still a diplomatic 'hot potato' 100 years after the event.

1. The Armenian
Genocide
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2. The Armenian
Genocide
Background
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3. Armenia
 The Armenians have lived in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
for more than 3,000 years. It was an independent entity for a
few years and later controlled by various empires.
 Armenians were the first to adopt Christianity as their
religion.
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5. Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
 Armenia was a part of the Ottoman Empire. As
Christians they were tolerated (Dh’ima), but were not
equal to Muslims.
 In 1867, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, attempted to stop the
many revolutions within his empire. As part of his
efforts he encouraged Muslims to settle in Armenian
lands.
 This caused wide spread conflict and in 1894, Hamid
falsely charged the Armenians for rebelling. Muslims,
backed by the Ottoman Empire, were allowed to
attack the Armenians. Over the course of the next 2
years, 200,000 Armenians died from attack and/or
starvation.
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6. Turkification
 In 1908, a group of young nationalistic intellectuals, The Young
Turks, overthrew the sultan.
 The new leadership sought to make the Ottoman Empire
exclusively Turkish and Islamic.
 In 1910, the Armenians were labeled enemies of Turkey.
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7. The Genocide Begins
 In 1914, Turkey entered WWI. A military offensive
against Russia ended in disaster and Turkey accused the
Armenians of aiding Russia.
 In 1915, Allied powers protest to Ottomans about fate of
Christian minorities in Turkey, fueling accusations
against an Armenian ‘fifth column’.
 On April 24, Turkish authorities arrested and executed
250 Armenian leaders in Constantinople (‘Red Sunday’).
 This date would be later noted as the beginning of the
Armenian genocide.
Enver Bay
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8. Deportation
 In June 1915, the Armenian population was deported to
the desserts of Syria and Iraq. Prior to deportation, all
able-bodied males were shot.
 25% of those that left Turkey would eventually arrive in
Syria and Iraq. The majority of people were either
murdered or died of thirst and starvation along the way.
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10. The Genocide Ends
 In 1919, the Young Turks were put on trial for war crimes and were
found guilty of war crimes against the Armenian people.
 In 1923, war hero Mustafa Kemal Ataturk came to power, formed
the National Republic of Turkey, and released all prisoners found
guilty of war crimes (including the Young Turks).
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11.  An estimated 1.5 million Armenians dead.
 The Armenian diaspora was created
11 M –
3 in Armenia, 2.5 M in Russia, 0.5M in USA, AUS – 15-50 K
 The Genocide story becomes an integral element of
Armenian national identity – victimhood, martyrdom,
‘peaceful revenge’ (resurrection despite the tragedy
and trauma).
The Genocide Ends
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12. The Armenian
Genocide
Stages of Genocide – An Armenian point of view
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13. The Armenian
Genocide
Turkish Denial and counter claims, Recognition
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15. The Istanbul trials
 As early as 1915, UK, France and Russia announced their intention to
prosecute the Turks for “crimes against humanity and civilization” in
the “massacre” of the Armenians.
 1919-20 – Martial trails under the Istanbul (Ottoman) government.
Young Turk leaders fled to Germany, records destroyed.
 Yet, there was plenty of evidence, testimonies were heard. A few
perpetrators of the massacre was executed.
 1921 – Talaat Pasha, one of the leaders
of the Young Turks, murdered in Berlin by
an Armenian.
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16. Istanbul trials failure
 Post WWI European powers politics, Turkey’s internal tensions
(nationalists vs. Ottoman supporters) and the war against the Greek,
led to the arrest and then release of many who were involved in the
massacre.
 The British arrested hundreds of suspects (held in Malta) and
eventually had to release them under pressure from the new
Nationalist government of Turkey.
 The legal infrastructure was in its infancy
(‘Genocide’ as a legal concept was yet to be
created).
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17. Turkey’s ‘wall of Denial’
According to Turkey, what happened was NOT Genocide, but rather:
 Relocation of a hostile population (pro Russian).
 A militarily justified deportation (Van rebellion 1915)
 It was a time of war – Kurds for example also attacked the Armenians;
2.5 million Muslims died in WWI.
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18. Why Denial ?
 Questions modern Turkey’s nation
building narrative (‘phoenix from the
ashes’) - presents Turkish identity as
tainted with the bloody past of the
Ottomans.
 Sheds a negative light on Turkey’s past
and present policies of intolerance
towards minorities.
 Turks view being accused of Genocide as an ongoing historical
arrogance of the West towards the ‘Barbarian Ottomans’
(Orientalism).
 Reject being compared to Nazi Germany.
 The events as part of the painful process of the Empire’s collapse,
national humiliation.
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19. Turkish Denial in practice
 Denial ingrained in state school curriculums.
 Citizens and public figures suggesting acceptance of the Armenian
version of history have been prosecuted; were subjected to threats
and harassments.
 Government funded historians work to support the official Turkish
version.
 Foreign policy also aimed at stopping countries from recognising the
Armenian Genocide.
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20. The Armenian
Genocide
Transnational Justice
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21. Armenian Commemoration
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22. Coming to terms with the past
 Reciprocal historical understanding – to address competing notions
of victimization, mutual real or imagined fear, and a memory of
catastrophe.
 Mutual acknowledgement – communicating the groups in order to
change political attitudes, develop trust and encourage interaction.
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23. Seeds of reconciliation
 Oral traditions preserve the original story – memories passed to next
generations.
 Turkish government endorses a ‘looking into the future’ view and is
involved in joint projects with Armenia to find paths for cooperation,
including about ‘what happened’.
 Progressive sectors within Turkish civil society are critical of state
policies (managed to influence the curriculum) and are engaged with
Armenians in an open discussion about the subject.
 2008 – First commemoration of the Genocide in Turkey
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24. Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation
Commission (TARC) – 2001-4
 Members were civil society representatives who come together to
explore cooperative activities between Turks and Armenians.
 February 2002 - an independent legal opinion commissioned by
the International Center for Transitional Justice, at the request of
TARC, concluded that the Ottoman massacre of Armenians:
"include[d] all of the elements of the crime of genocide as
defined in the [Genocide] Convention, and legal scholars as well
as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would be
justified in continuing to so describe them"
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25. The Armenian Genocide
International recognition
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26. Recognition - General
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 27 countries –
 Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Canada, Austria, Argentina,
Belgium, Brazil, Sweden …
 Many regional and local parliaments / congresses
 US (44 States), UK (Welsh, Scotland, Northern Ireland), Spain, Italy…
 The EU
 The Vatican

27. Recognition - Australia
 Historically – Australian forces in WWI witnessed the tragedy, heard
evidence first hand from survivors and participated in the aid efforts
after the events.
 NSW and SA recognize the Genocide.
Yet, Turkey is:
 A strategic alley in the Middle East
 Trade (1.3B, 500M imports from Australia)
 The Turkish position: recognizing the Genocide would undermine the
special historical ANZAC-Turkey relationship.
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Partial

28. Recognition - Australia
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Partial

29. Recognition - Australia
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Canberra’s policy
 Julie Bishop, FM, 2014:
‘The Australian Government
acknowledges the devastating
effects which the tragic events
at the end of the Ottoman
Empire have had on later
generations and on their
identity, heritage and culture.
We do not, however, recognise
these events as ‘genocide’ […
Australia’s approach is] not to
become involved in this
sensitive debate’

30. Recognition - USA
 1951 – US acknowledges the Armenian Genocide in a document it
submitted to the International Court of Justice
 Ronald Regan, 1981:
‘Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the
Cambodians which followed it -- and like too many other such
persecutions of too many other peoples -- the lessons of the Holocaust
must never be forgotten’
 Armenian minority in the US – 2nd largest in the world (800k-1.5M)
 44 US states recognize the Genocide.
 Recognition was discussed in congress and senate, committees and
representatives calling for Obama to recognize the Genocide (Adam
Schiff, D-Burbank)
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Partial

31. Recognition - USA
 NATO –
 Turkey is a major NATO alley
 The only Muslim country in it
 US bases in Turkey (Incirlik and Izmir)
 Considerable direct influence on the Middle East, Central Asia and Iran.
 Turkey invests a lot of money and efforts on lobbying in Washington,
also aided by Israel.
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Why avoid recognition ?

32. Recognition - USA
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US Policy

33. Recognition - USA
 Obama, January 2008:
‘My firmly held conviction (is) that the Armenian Genocide is not an
allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely
documents fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
evidence. The facts are undeniable’.
Yet, President Obama:
 Refuses to use the term ‘genocide’
 Blocked several initiatives in the congress to do so.
 Instead, delicately engages with Turkey and Armenia about the
Genocide.
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US Policy

34. Recognition – Germany/Israel
A special moral obligation to recognize the Armenian Genocide:
 The similarity to the Holocaust (ethnic persecution)
 The question of the legitimacy of Genocide Denial
 Minorities:
 Armenians in Israel – Very small minority (7K), yet with direct
descendants of the Genocide (Jerusalem)
 Turks in Germany – the largest ethnic minority
3 million people with at least one parent from Turkey.
More than 1.5 million Turkish citizens in Germany, 22.1% of
Germany's foreign population.
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Partial

35. Recognition – Germany
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Full

36. Recognition - Israel
 The Jewish self expectation to exhibit higher moral standards
(“A light on all nations”)
 Yet, recognizing the Armenian Genocide contradicts the
perception of the Holocaust as a unique idiosyncratic event
in history, which is also one of the major justifications for the
creation of the state of Israel as the Jewish homeland.
Historically (pre State)
 Herzl
 The Yishuv
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Partial

37. Recognition - Israel
 Recognized by bodies (JA) and NGOs, but not by the government.
Shimon Peres (Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2001) in the Turkish Media:
‘The Armenians experienced a tragedy, but not a genocide’
The rational - the delicate relations with Turkey (and Azerbaijan)
 Turkey – a strategic alley in the Middle East (non-Arab)
 Benefits – Trade, tourism, arms sales, intelligence cooperation.
Benjamin Netanyahu, 1989:
‘Some things are beyond politics, and some things are beyond
diplomacy. Holocausts of nations are a clear case of such a
category’
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Partial

38. The Armenian
Genocide
Legacies
‘Who, after all, speaks
today of the annihilation
of the Armenians?’ –
Adolf Hitler, 1939
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39. Legacies
 The Armenian Genocide, despite taking place 100 years
ago, is a hotly-contested geopolitical issue today, causing
severe tension in international relations.
 Transitional justice is still along way before being achieved.
 Represents a combination of ethnic cleansing and
prolonged, coordinated massacres, resulting in its
designation as ‘genocide’.
 Clear example of how modern, liberally-inspired
constitutional nation-building can soon spiral into genocide
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