Disclaimer:
I’m neither a historian nor a political science scholar. Therefore, what I’ve written below might not be a 100% accurate. It represent my very raw thoughts. Readers are welcome to post comments below to correct me and argue with the points presented.
And as usual, I apologize in advance for my poor English. Ok, here we go.
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Recently President Biden publicly recognized the massacre of Armenians in WW-I as a genocide. At the same time that this recognition is very just, important, and historic, it is also morally hypocritical and strategically puzzling. Just to be clear: I completely understand and accept the Armenian genocide. That is not the topic of this writing. My heart is with the Armenian people and at the same time I’m questioning Biden’s action. The two are not two mutually exclusive.
Morally:
America has never officially apologized to the Native Americans for all that was done to them - murder and forced relocation - during the expansion of the US. The US government simply ignores this. Puzzling in itself, considering Canada’s open apology to its Indigenous People and Australia’s similar act with the aboriginal people. What keeps America mum about it?
Simultaneously and probably not a coincidence, the US is battling a fresh wave of call to social justice, which is rooted in 300 years of slavery and a 100 years of discrimination - openly and under the hood. This is still undone and in progress at this very moment.
In light of these two, what gave Biden the chutzpah to call Turkey on this genocide? Clean up your own act first before criticizing others. Biden took on a big items:
- Confronting Russia.
- Confronting China - not only about the Uyghur genocide (same hypocrisy as above), but mostly regarding economical and military dominance around the world.
- Infrastructure bill.
- Clean energy initiative.
- And of course the successful turnaround with the pandemic.
If Mr. Biden is so bold, brave, and ambitious in all these, what’s stopping him from recognizing the dark history of the US? My guess is that money and politics are involved. In my opinion to scold Turkey and China on their abuse is blatantly hypocritical and it’s very surprising to me that neither black nor Native American leaders jumped at Biden’s Armenian genocide recognition. That is a bit puzzling. What am I missing here?
Strategically:
What can the US gain from such recognition? I don’t know. But I can think of several downsides to it:
- For years the US maintained friendly relationships with Turkey - which in turn allowed for US military bases on its land. These bases are extremely important especially now - to put more pressure on Iran. Put it in these terms: If Turkey decides to ask the Americans to leave, that would leave the US with no middle-east military presence at all. Having forces on the ground and in the air north of Iran is extremely important. So why risk it all in the name of recognizing an old genocide that is hardly relevant today? Puzzling.
- If the US is out of Turkey (and if then Turkey decides to leave NATO), who would fill that void? Well, how about Russia? In this region old enemies can quickly shake hands in light of a new common enemy. Again, this is a big risk to take - to open the door for Russia to form an alliance with Turkey. Can the US afford to risk it?
- Much os the same logic can be applied to Iran. The fact that Turkey and Iran may have chosen different allays in the past may be irrelevant too. If both of them see the US as a common adversary, they too may shake hands and form an alliance. Can the US afford to risk it?
- Lastly, the European immigrant crisis: this one is less of an “American problem”, but nevertheless has a direct impact on America allies in Western Europe. Turkey is the roadblock between Syrian and other middle-eastern refugees and western Europe. Did Biden consult with the EU prior to his Armenian genocide recognition?
In other words, it looks like the US have nothing to gain and everything to lose from such recognition. So why did Biden say it? Again, what am I missing here?
As noted above, I would love to continue the conversation with comments below.
