Genocide Cynic?

The 1915 massacre of over a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks was a terrible tragedy, but getting it classified as “genocide” by the US could cause further damage to reconciliation. The move by the House of Representatives to classify it as a racially motivated holocaust will undoubtedly impede the Obama administration’s attempts to boost fragile relations between Turkey and Armenia, something which could be taken as a cynical view of genocide. The Washington Post writes: “To be clear, the overwhelming historical evidence demonstrates that what took place in 1915 was genocide. But while some U.S. lawmakers feel strongly about the Armenian genocide resolution, most realize that no moral good can come from a label applied almost a century later. They support the resolution only to score points with the highly organized Armenian-American lobby. And they know full well that pressure from Turkey, which remains a critical U.S. ally, ultimately will prevent passage on the House floor. The cynicism of this effort is matched only by the cynicism of the Armenians and the Turks.”