Armenian Genocide Resolution

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Armenian Genocide Resolution On March 4, 2010, House Resolution 252 was narrowly passed with a 23-22 vote. This resolution stated that the mass killings and deportation of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks was indeed genocide. The resolution passed “despite a lobbying blitz from the Turkish government, which hired an army of K Street lobbyists to fight it” (Isikoff 1). Similar resolutions had been brought to floor vote before but the Turks’ “government-to-government realpolitik triumphed, preventing a full House vote three times since 2000” (Kosterlitz 4). Most Armenians living in America are descended from survivors of the calamity and grew up listening to stories about how the Ottoman Turks led their grandparents…show more content…
This resolution was a little ounce of hope for second and third generation genocide survivors. But just as the Armenian-Americans’ hope had risen, the resolution was stopped from going any further. Due to the intense pressure from Turkey’s government, America caved, leaving the Armenians disappointed once again. The Armenian Genocide Resolution has been a controversial issue because it interferes with the relationship between the two allies, Turkey and America. One might say that America is being asked to endorse history at the risk of insulting a needed ally (Hughes 1). But Armenian- Americans, and the 40 state governments that have recognized the Armenian Genocide, think otherwise. The motive of this resolution is not to insult or hinder Turkey’s relationship with America. It is merely to clear up foggy history and bring justice to those families that were affected and still are affected by the Genocide. This resolution should be fully passed…show more content…
This humanitarian cause not only affects Armenia though, it will affect the entire world. The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the century and has set an example for other genocide perpetrators. The resolution states that “the failure of the domestic and international authorities to punish those responsible for the Armenian genocide is a reason why similar genocides have recurred and may recur in the future” (Doyle 4). And the resolution is right because after the Armenian Genocide came the Jewish Holocaust, Rwanda Genocide, and Pol Pot in Cambodia. Adolf Hitler once said "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" before he sent out troops to massacre men, women and children in Poland and Germany (Tran 1). This shows that because the Turks had gotten away with their actions at the time, Hitler felt that he could get away with it too. Thankfully, Hitler was wrong because Armenians are still around, spreading the word about their cause today, 97 years later. But how do these Armenians keep their 97 year old cause contemporary?

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