Log In | Register
April is the cruelest month for the people of Armenia, who every year at this season have to suffer a continuing tragedy and a humiliation. The tragedy is that of commemorating the huge number of their ancestors who were exterminated by the Ottoman Muslim caliphate in a campaign of state-planned mass murder that began in April 1915. The humiliation is of hearing, year after year, that the Turkish authorities simply deny that these appalling events ever occurred or that the killings constituted "genocide."
Shut Up About Armenians or We'll Hurt Them Again (Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's latest sinister threat.)
Seeded on Tue Apr 6, 2010 2:34 PM EDT
Article Source: Slate- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (4)
The outburst strengthens the already strong case for considering Erdogan to be somewhat personally unhinged. In Davos in January 2009, he stormed out of a panel discussion with the head of the Arab League and with Israeli President Shimon Peres, having gone purple and grabbed the arm of the moderator who tried to calm him. On that occasion, he yelled that Israelis in Gaza knew too well "how to kill"—which might be true but which seems to betray at best an envy on his part. Turkish nationalists have also told me that he was out of control because he disliked the fact that the moderator—David Ignatius of the Washington Post—is himself of Armenian descent. A short while later, at a NATO summit in Turkey, Erdogan went into another tantrum at the idea that former Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark would be chosen as the next head of the alliance. In this case, it was cartoons published on Danish soil that frayed Erdogan's evidently fragile composure.
- 8 votes
#1 - Tue Apr 6, 2010 2:54 PM EDTShut Up About Armenians or We'll Hurt Them Again
Sounds like real threat and very much possible reality for Armenians in Turkey.
- 6 votes
#2 - Tue Apr 6, 2010 3:04 PM EDTI recommend a great book on the Armenian Genocide called The Burning Tigris by Peter Balakian. Most of his sources are the diaries, letters and photographs of British, American and German citizens who documented the genocide. Some of the evidence was smuggled out of Turkey at the time of the genocide because the TURKISH government was aware of what was going on and gave the orders to do it. They did not want the world to know in 1915.
The current Turkish government claims to be secular and democratic. I do not understand why they will not admit this occurred and blame it on the those in charge at the time. Germany has owned up to the Holocaust and the USA has owned up to the excesses of slavery and its attempts to wipe out Native Americans. TURKEY needs to admit this, apologize for it and move on. It is lying to its own citizens and that needs to stop too. Is Turkey any better than the USA and Germany because they refuse to admit they slaughtered innocents?
Obama copped out when Congress attempted to force Turkey's hand on this issue? HE has no backbone.
- 8 votes
#3 - Tue Apr 6, 2010 3:24 PM EDTIf democratic assemblies dare to mention the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in the 20th century, I will personally complete that cleansing in the 21st!
This dude talks tough . So far it is just talk . I'm thinking he hasn't the
cajones to take action . He's really clever about finding fault with his
own military as the recent arrests have shown . Is that because they
would said they would not back up his talk ?
- 5 votes
#4 - Wed Apr 7, 2010 9:35 PM EDTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
