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Originally Posted by akv
How is it in US interests to officially condemn Turkish ancestors for events from 1915?
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IMO, because the U.S. has always linked its ideology to its interests, labeling the deliberate slaughter of Armenians by Turks as genocide is a correct step to take. The fact that this step might complicate our relations with Turkey today should not deter the current administration. As a candidate said he would press this issue and he should keep his word. <<
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akv
Doesn't [the president's] hypocrisy on this topic opens us up for criticism for US policies on slavery and Indian relations from our past?
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IMO, the president hypocrisy on this topic undermines his leadership on foreign policy issues but it does not open up the U.S. to the type of criticism that Turkey receives. While slavery and Native American history remain controversial topics, our government does not take a position of denial on either subject.
Quote:
Originally Posted by akv
[B]ut unless congress has suddenly turned altruistic what do they get out of this, is the Armenian Lobby that powerful. Is Armenia that important to us, maybe a pipeline or something? Why did we wait 95 years?
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I don't know if this is a sudden development on the part of Congress or the Democratic Party. In regards to the latter, President Wilson and others were at the forefront of advocating relief for Armenians.
As for the former, earlier iterations of the resolution have been bandied about congress for years. It may well be that after using the issue to flog the administration of Bush the Younger, some members of Congress may realize that backing down on the issue now may shape voter behavior during the midterm elections.