House Resolution 252 on the Armenian Genocide – not just another case of history repeating itself
I do not doubt the Armenian Genocide for a moment; however, as I argued a couple of years ago, both it and the Shoah are sui generis; there is nothing to be gained in giving its nomenclature an official imprimatur and much to be lost. Firstly, I think the precedent of governments sanctioning official histories is worrying; secondly, given that the US is a functioning and liberal democracy, it is unlikely to change the nature of the academic debate; thirdly, it stokes tensions between Turkey, Armenia and their diasporas, negatively affecting a strategically sensitive part of the world; fourthly, it worsens relations between Turkey and the US; fifthly, it smacks of special interest lobbying; sixthly, it achieves nothing good.
I can understand why the situation might be different for current or recent atrocities, where the denunciation of a crime as a genocide might spur the action, say, of something like ICT-Y or ICT-R, but I do not see the advantage at all in raking over history. We have quite enough of the nightmarish weight of history fouling the relations between states. If this resolution passes, would it not be logical to expect similar condemnations of the Holodomor, or the killing of Native Americans, or every other entry in the long catalogue of human brutality.
House Resolution 252 (of the 111th Congress) has been passed 23-22 by the Foreign Affairs Committee. Introduced by Rep Schiff, a Democrat from California, its title is “Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution”. It has soured relations between the US and Turkey and has led to the Turkish ambassador to the US being recalled for consultations.
Just over two years ago, I wrote about House Resolution 106 (of the 110th Congress), titled “Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution“.
Similar resolutions were introduced in the 106th and 109th Congresses, both by Rep. George Radanovich, a GOPer from California’s 19th district.
It was introduced by the same Rep. Schiff. The resolution was passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee 27-21 to the House, where no action was taken. It did have some effects, though; as my interlocutor Ewan Watt pointed out, it soured relations between Turkey and the US, leading to the Turkish ambassador to the US being recalled for ‘a week or ten days of consultations’.
I reiterate the points made at the time made by myself and an interlocutor, Ewan Watt, at the time: this resolution is the result of special interest lobbying, damaging to relations between the US and Turkey and, most of all, I do not feel that is the role of the government to be an official arbiter of history.
The texts of the two resolutions are identical. The first resolution was not debated on the floor of the House, as I understand it, because of pressure from George W. Bush. I can only presume that the reintroduction of HR.106 is with the intention of having it debate and passed on the floor of the House. Rep. Schiff believes he has as many as eighty thousand constituents of Armenian descent in his district. Why so many other representatives support the resolution, I don’t know, but I wonder if the primacy in the White House’s mind of the healthcare debate means it will be unwilling to spend political capital on stopping this motion.
I see this resolution as unnecessary and irresponsible; I hope it does not reach the floor of the House.
xD.
