Obama sacrificed American values, avoiding ‘genocide’ – Daily Trojan

By Nika  Shahery

On April 24, President Barack Obama commemorated the centennial anniversary of the one million Armenians who were systematically murdered in Ottoman-controlled Turkey.  Like other world leaders to this day, Obama refrained from referring to this tragedy as genocide. This year marks the seventh year Obama ignored his campaign promise to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

The lack of commemoration marks an impasse in American government: a sacrifice of American values at the demands of defense strategy. Recognizing the events would have strained the United States’ relationship with Turkey, leaving the United States at a loss in political, economic and security terms.

Turkey provides a strategic cohort in a region of adversaries. With its geographic position, influence and internal stability, Turkey is an essential partner in the fight against ISIS. Turkey has fortified its border with Syria, by putting over 12,800 individuals on its no entry list, collaborated with the United States in training of Syrian rebels and hosted more refugees from the conflict than any other country. In addition to the indispensable partnership, this year alone, U.S. imports from Turkey - primarily vehicles, machinery and steel - amount to $1.2 trillion.

The short-term gains are clear. Refraining from referring to the events of 1915 as genocide, however, denies the Armenian community long-awaited recognition of what occurred a century ago. Moreover, the United States, in denying that the event was genocide, speaks volumes to historical inaction in times where inaction is unjustifiable.

The lack of accountability in keeping promises can be attributed to failing to uphold standards to serve selfish interests. The obligation established by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Resolution of 1948, along with U.S. foreign policy, calls for intervention in instances of genocide.

Events that occurred in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Srebrenica and Kosovo were clear violations of the resolution but were ignored, as involvement did not serve national interest. In Rwanda, failure to perform any action, including action with little to no cost such as jamming the airwaves to prevent the dissemination of dangerous directives on the radio, led to the deaths of 800,000 civilians.

There’s a reason why activist Raphael Lemkin dedicated his life to defining genocide, something many would perceive as indefinable. His contributions, however, are worthless if his definition is manipulated to avoid involvement. Historical instances of inaction and a commitment to refraining from using the term genocide demonstrates that regardless of the conviction of “never forget,” the United States along with others will continue to ignore social justice issues.

Sidestepping around the word “genocide” demonstrates that the world truly has not internalized an agenda of eradicating genocide. Instead, leaders have relied on ambiguities such as “acts of genocide” or calling for more research to corroborate if actions are in accordance with Lemkin’s definition.

Recognition is an important step in healing and can help determine actions in the future. In this instance, recognizing the atrocities of 1915 as genocide would assume responsibility as well as provide a long-awaited reconciliation of the reality of the tragedy.

The centennial anniversary of the Armenian Genocide marked an opportunity not only for the United States to recognize the desires of a community whose members have been lost but also to embrace its own failures of inaction. It was an opportunity to realign commitment to upholding the terms set by the UN It was an opportunity to bring awareness to genocides and instill a commitment to ending these egregious offenses.