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| Nicholas von Hoffmann and The Lobby -- The Armenian One | |
 by Michael Weiss, October 11, 2007
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Nicholas von Hoffman will probably go to his grave still known as the journalist who predicted in 2001 a complete rout in Afghanistan -- by the Taliban. To borrow Trotsky's animadversion on Dwight Macdonald, everyone has the right to be stupid, but von Hoffman abuses the privilege.
His latest Nation column, "Whose Genocide Counts?", is more like a sub-literate raspberry directed at the congressmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who yesterday voted to recognize the Armenian Genocide:
What's next? A resolution condemning Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the slaughter visited on the Egyptians at the Battle of the Pyramids? And how about a little legislative attention for the Romans killed by Hannibal at the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC. Better look into that one, too, guys.
Do you think that the House Foreign Affairs Committee might, after it has righted any number of ancient wrongs, look into what the Sam Hill is going on now? This very committee has a direct responsibility for the death of 600,000 Iraqis and the flight of some 2 million more from their homes. Does that bear a little looking into? While they are putting the genocide label on others, would the gentlemen and gentleladies of the committee consider putting some sort of label on themselves?
More interesting questions: Does France today make it a crime to acknowledge or publish works about Napoleon's invasion of Egypt? Is there a massive state-funded project underway attempting to get classicists to airbrush Hannibal's depredations from the historical record?
Since von Hoffman segues so effortlessly from Bonaparte to Baghdad, it's worth pointing out that the Left's favorite Mideast historian is Juan Cole, lately the author of Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East, which parlays the French general's 19th century adventurism into a cautionary tale about U.S. efforts in Iraq.
And what of those efforts? According to the above, the same committee that now censures the vanished Ottoman Empire bears a "direct responsibility for the death of 600,000 Iraqis and the flight of some 2 million more." If only Al Qaeda or the Mahdi Army had thundered and grumbled about the Tehcir Law, then perhaps The Nation might lay some direct responsibility at their feet!
Of course, we're now told of another dread "lobby" that has wielded its undue influence to get cynical congressmen to alienate Turkey: "Many persons of Armenian extraction live in vote-rich California," writes von Hoffman, "which explains why these politicians have flung themselves into the study of bygone events. Once again the pander bear stalks the land."
There are exactly 10 California representatives on the committee, and the resolution was passed 27-21, leaving the other 17 either big fans of System of a Down or hostages to conscience.
And consider von Hoffman's citation of Committee chairman Tom Lantos, who:
hit it on the head when he said, "We have to weigh the desire to express our solidarity with the Armenian people...against the risk that it could cause young men and women in the uniform of the United States armed services to pay an even heavier price."
Von Hoffman is concerned for the U.S. troops fighting, in an all-volunteer military, a war commissioned by the very politicos said to be directly responsible for a human catastrophe. Left to the imagination is what von Hoffman thinks of the responsibility borne by those troops he suddenly can't bear to see put in harm's way for so many dead and displaced Iraqis. But the moral logic here is as simple as it is bankrupt: Turkey might now assault our soldiers and this is all the fault of rich Armenians and incumbents! Von Hoffman could teach Bashar al-Assad's correspondence course in propaganda.
Just out of curiosity, and because a Turkish invasion of Kurdistan seems imminent, what responsibility would the rogue Kemalist military bear for killing Kurds under the pretext of hunting the PKK? What responsibility does Abdullah Gul bear for imprisoning the son of murdered journalist Hrant Drink for the crime of re-publishing his father's articles about the Armenian Genocide?
Looks like Armenian-Jewish solidarity is stronger than ever. We've both got evil, heaving lobbies in Washington responsible for all the trouble in the world.
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Michael is a contributing editor of Jewcy and the New York editor of Pajamas Media. His work has appeared in Slate, New York, Democratiya, The New Criterion and The Weekly Standard. His blog is More... |
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Anonymous
At the popular Turkish daily
At the popular Turkish daily todayszaman.com, there is currently a poll on the front page, "Who or what do you think bears the greatest responsibility for Armenian genocide claims having begun the process to become a law in the United States?"
One of the four options is, of course, Jews. Because that makes sense somehow??
Handsome-Dan
To be fair, the exact
To be fair, the exact phrasing of the poll option is "Jews' having legitimized the genocide claims," which is a little different than the usual outright conspiracy nonsense I'd imagined at first. But its ironic, considering that the major beef of this blog over the past days and weeks has been the failure of a prominent Jewish organization to treat this situation seriously.
Anyway, it looks like this issue has rapidly escalated into serious displays of mutual pissiness on the part of Turkey and the USA. So what happens if the Senate does the right thing and concurs with the resolution? How far do we push this? Von Hoffman's a moron, but the prospect of Turkish meddling in the one part of Iraq that seems to have its shit together is, uh, unnerving.
Dany Beylerian
Where's Foxman?
eom
torquemada
armenian genocide
I guess the genocide is "an inconvenient truth."
Anonymous
If Turks go too far and
If Turks go too far and impede US, we can always reinstate the 1918 treaty creating Armenian state under US protection over Central and Eastern Turkey and demand the territories to be given to Armenian Diaspora to become a US protectorate state. If that happens, I will vote to give US all the bases it wants. Turks do not realize that major parts of Eastern Turkey are still under question due to some unresolved agreements. I think the Armenian Diaspora should not even worry about Genocide recognition, they should just demand their properties back, simple as that.
Hrag
So many bogeymans
My question is why is the mainstream media letting such half-truths become major stories...why is no one outraged that a foreign government's dollars ($20 so far, according to the NY Times) is trying to trump Americans who want their government to assert a simple historical fact?
Anonymous
Armenian myths
The anonymous poster (11:05 am) claims that armenians have right to the land where their ancestors once lived and where they were a minority even back then. The area known as south-eastern Turkey was never part part of an armenian nation in history, its only in armenian myths and legends. There are more people living in that area then there are armenians in the world. Armenians were known as storytellers and troubadours in the Ottoman empire, they should stop dreaming and face the reality. Instead of dealing with Turkey they should use their energy to help and feed the people of impoverished armenia.
Vrezh
Myths?
9:02 am,
Just because you say so, does not make it so. I suggest you do some studies and find out what is myth and what is fact. The fact is that my Armenian ancestors had records of being in Urfa for 2,000 years before Genocide. So who are you to come here and call that a myth? The fact is that Armenians were slowly reduced in numbers for centuries due to invaders taking young boys into their armies, thus depleting the population and reducing birth rate. I am willing to bet that present day Turks and Kurds are genetically mostly Armenian than anything else. Question is, how did this Turkish nation come about, from what origins, surely a few Ottoman warlords pushing million sheep in front of them did not procreate into a nation of 70 million. Turkey needs to be honest with itself and its origins and history.
Yes, Armenians were excellent story tellers and performers, they were also excellent in all other fields, and they were the backbone of the Ottoman Empire as far as trade and banking. Your posting reflects deep seated jealousy and inferiority complex that drove the masses of ignorant Turks to commit Genocide in the first place.
Well, Armenians do have atomic energy, maybe they should use it........
Anonymous
To Vrezh
The Ottomans never took armenians as janissaries, the janissaries were all from the balkan (slavs). The immigration of Turks from central-asia started as early as 1020 and continued till 1800. The first wave of Turks came to anatolia in large groups (some 1 million) after the battle of malazgirt in 1071. It is estimated that some 5 million Turks have immigrated to anatolia. Very few Turks have armenian or greek genes, my fathers ancestors came to anatolia from iran in the early 1800's and my mothers family are Tatars from russia. To claim that armenians were somewhat influential in the ottoman empire is one of the armenian myths. They were nothing but troublemakers and terrorists.
ps: the atomic energy in armenia is thanks to russian technology
Jack Ter-Haroutunian
To The Genocide Denier
Armenians had lived and, according to some reports where Armenians have been found currently living in hiding in Eastern "Turkey", continue to live on those lands for over 5,000 years. As far as Armenian power during the bloody Empire, if you check New York Times articles around the early 1900's you can find many instances where journalists clearly list that Armenians are the people who control the major banking, shipping and overall trade, especially in Constantinople (Istanbul). Of course these were the people who were killed first during the genocide, along with intellectuals. Turks have no valid claims to Western Armenia. The past agreements of continuing that State will eventually be brought in debate once again. What the Turks need to do for now is stop denying a Genocide, and stop putting people in prison and "indirectly" causing their assassinations (see: Hrant Dink), for talking about the Armenian Genocide.
Anonymous
Nuclear war
Has a nuklear arms race broken out here on Jewcy?
Anonymous
Why the crap do we have to
Why the crap do we have to care about those Armenians? We have our own problems to take care of. We have our national interests to defend. So far there was not a single event where Armenians helped us in any way. Why should we help them? Hey, they even welcomed Iranian president in Yerevan couple of days ago and one of the leading Armenian colleges awarded this anti-Semit bastard with some sort of a medal of honor!!!
That country has all the friends that stand against our nation and our second nation, Israel - Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Russia. Yes, why won't we help Armenians, so they can help their fanatic friends to destroy Israel? Yes, that makes lots of sense. This is complete idiocy! Turks have been helping us for centuries, we have our community in Turkey. Turkey is still supporting Israel on all levels - business, politics, military, intelligence, etc... So why in the world would we turn our backs on our friends and support their enemies? Why would we be interested in weaker Turkey if that's the only Middle Eastern state that stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel in all aspects?
I personally don't give a rat's ass what happened 100 years ago with Armenians and Turks. All I know is that Turks have been backing us up for centuries and supporting Armenians now does not benefit us anyhow and might even work against our interests in the Middle East. I don't know about rest of you, but I have bunch of relatives and family members residing now in Israeil and I wouldn't want them to get hurt because of this ridiculous and completely useless resolution. This is stupidity at its highest level!
Anonymous
From the Genocide Rejector to the Armenian
Well if your source of information is the New York Times well good luck to you. The Armenian's were influential and very loyal citizens in the Ottoman Empire but did not control the trade or shipping. But due to their own undoing were expelled from modern day Turkey. The Armenian's sided with the Russian side and were rightly punished. This punishment was by no means light, it wasn't easy but necessary and lawful during a war situation. Similiar policies were followed by the British in expelling Germans out of UK during the first world war and with the US by expelling the Japanese during the second world war.
My advice to those Armenians is that it is 92 years ago and time to move on. Commiting crimes against the local people and then claim to be victims is a disgrace and a bad reflection on you Armenians. Armenia needs to live in the real world and understand that you will NEVER from get Turkey recognition for a crime alleged to have been commited. Just move on and grow up.
Anonymous
To Jack Ter-Haroutunian
The armenian influence within the Ottoman empire is exaggerated, they were insignificant.There are more people living in eastern-Turkey then there are armenians in the world. How in the world are you going to remove them? Is there a nation in the world that can break up Turkey? Besides look at the population growth rate, Armenians are dying out while Turkey's population grows a million a year. The armenian diaspora is living in a dreamworld hoping to regain a territory that was never theirs. Try to hold on what you have or you will lose more land. Armenian(s) are no match against the Turks and never were.
Danny Kravis
To Anonymous above
What an unbelievable display of fascism. I really must applaud you. Your a faithful stormtropper
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