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An isolated ally
Over the years, Turkey has become more isolated in its position.
Led by France, many European countries have stepped up pressure on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide as a condition of joining the European Union. United Nations human rights panels have repeatedly called the Armenian deaths “genocide,” as defined by international treaties.
As Goldberg’s film shows, American diplomats deployed to the Ottoman Empire during WWI described “systematic” atrocities committed against Armenians. The word “genocide” doesn’t appear in the dispatches, because it wasn’t coined until decades later by Holocaust survivor Rafael Lemkin.
But among the holdouts for Turkey today are the U.S. and U.K., which have strong economic and military ties to the nation.
Under recent Republican and Democratic administrations, the U.S. has avoided using the “G-word,” instead calling the Armenian deaths a “tragedy” or “atrocity.”
As they come of age, a growing number of Armenian Americans are demanding the government recognize their ancestors’ deaths as genocide. Filmmakers and Grammy-nominated bands with Armenian roots, such as System of a Down, have staged benefits calling attention to the issue. The band and other activists are scheduled to meet with members of Congress next week to again press their case.
Is change near? Another look at history casts doubt: Nearly every year federal legislation is introduced. All of the measures have either died in the House or languished in the Senate.
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