Improving Armenian-Turkish Relations Won't Put A Crimp In The Profits Of DC's Culture Of Corruption

Listening to the most extreme and radical Israeli voices on the radio, especially when it comes to settlements on Arab land in the West Bank, there is almost always an American accent. When I visited Israel, I met a lot of just regular people with different opinions. But the worst right-wing lunatics were always American voices. I remember the chilling videography of Max Blumenthal when he interviewed ignorant and drunken American Jewish rightists in Israel screaming curses about Obama and racism towards Arabs. (Both YouTube and Vimeo removed Max's video.)

This past week Turkey and Armenia took a giant step towards ameliorating the decades-old enmity between their two nations by normalization of relations. Largely brokered by the Obama Administration the pact has evinced howls of protest-- generally from Azerbaijan... and Glendale.

Armenia and Turkey signed a landmark agreement Saturday to establish diplomatic ties, after a dramatic last-minute intervention by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to keep the event from falling apart.

The accord, aimed at ending a century of hostility stemming from Ottoman Era massacres, was brokered by the Swiss over the past two years, with the help of French, Russian and U.S. officials. Clinton had been in frequent contact with the two sides in recent months to help seal the deal... Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia have had bitter relations since a wave of bloodshed starting in 1915 left hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians dead.

Many historians call the killings genocide, but Turkey strongly rejects that label, saying people died in forced relocations and fighting.

If ratified, the accord could have implications well beyond Turkey and Armenia. It may ease tensions in other parts of southeastern Europe and provide new opportunities for oil pipelines to the West, U.S. officials said. Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia have had bitter relations since a wave of bloodshed starting in 1915 left hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians dead.

Many historians call the killings genocide, but Turkey strongly rejects that label, saying people died in forced relocations and fighting.

If ratified, the accord could have implications well beyond Turkey and Armenia. It may ease tensions in other parts of southeastern Europe and provide new opportunities for oil pipelines to the West, U.S. officials said.

The Armenian Diaspora, which is far bigger than the population of Armenia, is primarily in France, Lebanon, Russia, Australia, Iran, Argentina, Syria and the U.S., although I've run into Armenian ex-pats all over the world and even realized, when I was there, that Dakar in Senegal was filled with Armenian families. Here in California, Armenian-Americans are a powerful political bloc that has gradually shifted its allegiance from the GOP to Democrats. So it must be enervating to politicians dependent on Armenian support to hear from the Armenian National Committee of America that "the Obama administration's attempts to force Armenia into one-sided concessions is short-sighted and will, in the long term, create more problems than it serves."

Few members of Congress could be more sensitive to a statement like that than Blue Dog Adam Schiff in the Glendale/Pasadena district that is home to so many Armenian-Americans. Though Jewish, he's the lead sponsor for the genocide resolution in Congress, which he intends to keep pushing until it's politically safe to stop.

Schiff’s non-binding resolution would recognize the massacre as genocide and has earned the passionate backing of Armenian-American groups. The Turkish government has disputed the measure and spent millions of dollars on public relations and lobbying firms to successfully battle it back every congressional session the bill has been introduced so far.
 
“We intend to push forward with the recognition of the genocide,” Schiff told The Hill, hoping Turkey will “come to grips with the past.”
 
Despite Armenia and Turkey officially reconciling, lawmakers are still signing onto Schiff’s bill. Seven House members have added their names to its co-sponsor list since the two countries announced on Aug. 31 the protocols they intended to sign. Two lawmakers-- Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)-- joined others in supporting the resolution this past week, bringing a total of 134 co-sponsors for the legislation.

 Hysterical Turkish opposition to the resolution has turned a regular cottage industry for corrupt politicians. Denny Hastert dragged suitcases stuffed with hundred dollar bills out of his office to stop the resolution from passing and now he-- like Dick Gephardt and Bob Livingston-- are well-paid lobbyists for Turkey (ala Turkmeniscam. No one has covered the scandal of Turkish operations against the resolution as thoroughly as Brad Friedman at Brad Blog, where he was the first to disclose allegations about bribes being paid not just to Speaker Hastert but to other congressional crooks like Dan Burton (R-IN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) as well.