Pelosi, Turkey, and Genocide on hold
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to have stepped off a cliff with her timing for a House vote on a resolution declaring the World War I era killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks an act of genocide. There is no doubt any act of genocide should be recognized and condemmed. However, the timing of her actions can only be explained by the congressional leaderships transparent attempts to embarrass the Bush Administration at any cost.
The Speaker took time earlier this year to visit Syria for discussions with President Assad who has allowed unfettered access for foreign insurgents into Iraq who are killing American soldiers. His government is also believed to be responsible for a series of assassinations of anti-Syrian leaders Lebanon, the latest being a member of parliament Antoine Ghanem last September 17th. In 2006, Human Rights Watch estimated 17,000 Syrians were missing resulting from emergency laws allowing the Prime Minister to restrict the freedom of individuals. Her only admonition for Assad’s regeme was not doing more to close Syria’s borders to the insurgents.
With ongoing genocide in Dufar, U.N. workers abusing women in Africa, human rights abuses in China, abuse of women under shiria law in Iran and throughout much of the Muslim world, she has chosen to champion a cause pertaining to atrocities that occurred nearly a century ago where the perpetrators have all passed away, and under a regime that existed before the current secular Republic of Turkey.
A key NATO ally since 1952, Turkey allows indispensable use of it’s airspace to the U.S. military. More than half of the supplies destined for our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq pass through Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base. It remained an important strategic partner throughout the Cold War era. Pelosi paid scant attention to the importance of good relations with Turkey before vowing to bring a resolution of condemnation to a vote on the House floor. Republican and Democratic supporters alike have thought better of the action and abandoned it persuading Pelosi to put the effort on hold for the time being.
Turkish officials acknowledge the killing of Armenians but strongly object to the designation of genocide. The timultuous period in Turkish history witnessed the decay of the more than 600 year old Ottoman Empire in the decades leading up to WWI, which it entered through the Ottoman-German Alliance in 1914, and the occupation of Istanbul by the allies in the years that followed. Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk a nationalist group independent of the Turkish government would repel the occupation by Greek and Allied forces and eventually establish a internationally recognized secular Republic of Turkey in 1923.
Often obnoxious but more often right, Ann Coulter writes in her book Treason, “Liberals demand that the nation treat enemies like friends and friends like enemies.” She continues, “…Democratic senators, congressman and ex-presidents are always popping up in countries hostile to the United States… hobnobbing with foreign despots who hate America.” The actions of House Speaker Pelosi since taking office in January of this year provides another case in point. [ro_16]