Support for the Armenian genocide resolution now being considered in the House of Representatives is bleeding away. That may be predictable, but it's still very disappointing. What looked a short while ago like a slam dunk is anything but now. The defectors include a number of the bill's original co-sponsors.
Our editorial today points out an ironic twist in the matter. The House is backing away from taking a stand in favor of justice and truth, on account of fears that doing so might upset a close ally, Turkey. The Turks are absolutely bonkers on the notion of admitting what happened to 1.5 million Armenian victims of the genocide in the years 1915 through 1923.
And the Turks are important to the U.S. effort in Iraq. Huge amounts of personnel and materiel move to Iraq through Turkey, and the threat of cutting off that access is chilling to the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department.
So chilling that they're willing to back off rather than offend Turkey with the truth.
The irony is that this comes at precisely the moment President Bush and Congress were honoring the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, which has been in the less-than-gentle grip of China for decades. The Chinese are inflamed by that action, but that didn't stop Bush and Congress from grabbing a photo-op with the spiritual icon in Washington.
Are we to conclude from this that angering Turkey is a more dangerous course of action that angering a world power, China? That's a very curious application of geopolitics.
It may not make much moral sense, but it actually does make sense geopolitically. Turkey is a long-time ally (if not always a cooperative one), in a very strategic location. (Just ask Putin how important he thinks the Bosporus is.)
Moreover, at the same time we're condemning them for an atrocity that took place almost a century ago, we're asking them (pretty please!) to not invade Iraq to get at those pesky Kurdish rebels holed up there. (We invaded it first, so it's ours, fair and square!)
China, on the other hand, while a major world power (though not quite superpower yet), and trading partner, can only pout. They're not going to shoot themselves in the foot by halting their trade with us, which mostly benefits them. And they don't cooperate much with us on the international scene, anyway. It's always fair game in geopolitics to tweak a rival power, which is what they are. Especially when they can't do much in return except make noise.
Haven't heard back from Putin yet.Also you characterization of our effort in Iraq is cavalier and demeaning to what we are trying to accomplish.I do agree with your assessment of the Chi-coms.They can pound sand.