The Return Game (1)

[DominO123]

This Aktan is really starting to amuse me, I'm angry of having read this one at home, the next time I'll print what he writes so I can read them in the Metro.

 

Colors means something, no comment. (if two set of words have the same color, it means the logic of placing them in color is related with the link between those two sets.)

 

 

The return game (1)

 

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

http://www.tdn.com.tr/editorial.php?ed=gunduz_aktan

 

 

By Gündüz AKTAN

Turkish Daily News

 

A conference held at Gazi University (Nov. 24-26) represented the first

response to the Armenian conference that had taken place at Bilgi

University. This conference was different from the earlier one in that it

was open to the public and those who held an opposite view were permitted to

speak up as well. In other words, those who maintained that an `Armenian

genocide' had happened were also permitted to take the floor.

 

During the conference one could not help but get the feeling, `It's good

that the `Armenian genocide' issue has been put forth. Otherwise, we would

never have unearthed certain facts concerning our own history.'

 

The Armenian problem surfaced in 1973 when the Turkish consul general in Los

Angeles and his deputy were assassinated in a hotel room. Later, ASALA

[Armenian terrorist group] terrorists assassinated nearly 40 more Turkish

diplomats. First-generation researchers such as Esat Uras, Selahi Sonyel,

Sinasi Orel, Bilal Simsir and Turkkaya Ataov wrote their books in the second

half of the 1970s. In 1983, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador

Kamuran Gurun published his renowned `Armenian File.' In other countries,

too, those who oppose the genocide claims, such as Stanford Shaw, Heath

Lowry and, more recently, Justin McCarthy, have made serious contributions

to this effect in the face of terrorist threats.

 

A generation has passed. Now, greater numbers of newly emerging Turkish

historians and social scientists are tackling this issue. They base their

work on Turkish and foreign archival material. They have a great advantage

in that by now Ottoman documents have been arranged for the archives and

they know the Ottoman script.

 

These scholars do argue that the Armenian problem did not involve a

genocide. For that reason it has been claimed that they do not act in a

scientific manner. Their approach of giving weight to documents has been

criticized as `document fetishism' and their choice of documents as

`one-sided assessment.'

 

Armenians have prevented the correct writing of history through terrorist

threats. They commissioned their `paid' versions of history. They have

falsified documents. They have fabricated tales. First, the field of study

must be cleared of these unscientific, primitive lies and fabrications. In

this effort, one would inevitably be branded as an `official' or

'nationalistic' historian. Furthermore, how can the way the entire West, the

Latin and Orthodox world -- with the exception of Britain -- pressuring

Turkey to recognize the Armenian `genocide' be considered a scientific

attitude? Should they instead not be supporting our proposal for a joint

study with the Armenians?

 

At first glance one gets the impression that the `Armenian front' continues

to gain ground, to wit: the European Parliament decisions, a succession of

U.S. presidents' April 24 messages that `describe the act' of genocide

without using the term itself, attempts on the part of France to make this

issue one of the preconditions for starting Turkey's accession talks with

the EU, and the refusal to invite Turkish researchers who `deny the

genocide' to international meetings.

 

In fact, they have expanded the front into Turkey as well. Using all kinds

of methods, they have persuaded a group of `identity-less' intellectuals to

support the genocide claim. Halil Berktay, who had fulfilled important

`ideological' missions in the late 1960s, has undertaken the duty of

organizing that group. Although not even a single book reflecting the

Turkish view has been published in Armenia, many books that maintain the

`genocide' occurred are freely sold in Turkey. Meanwhile, in European

countries that preach human rights to the rest of the world, arguments that

`negate the genocide' hit a wall erected by the restrictions imposed on the

freedom of expression.

 

Despite all this, new generation historians are unveiling the facts one by

one. It was quite obvious that those scholars who took part in the

conference to maintain that Armenians were subjected to a genocide faltered

in the face of arguments put forth by historians such as Yusuf Halacoglu and

Hikmet Ozdemir. Meanwhile, the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM)

has awarded its `Prize for Studies on Crimes Against Humanity' to renowned

Holocaust scholar Guenter Lewy, who has, for a decade, not been able to find

a U.S. publisher for his book, suffering from covert censorship.

 

Commendably, those who defended the Turkish view at the conference were

obviously well versed in genocide law. They based their historical and

sociological studies in a legal framework. Those who held the opposite view

ignored the law just as they ignored historical documents. Taner Akcam, who

acts as their leader, has obviously felt the need to look into the legal

aspect of the problem at hand, having realized how poorly informed they are

in that regard. However, as he dwelt on the `intent to destroy,' he

conveniently omitted the need to identify a `motive' leading to any such

intent. Yet, the `intent to destroy' a certain group emerges only from

racist motivations, which altogether didn't exist in the Ottoman experience.

 

-----------

Copyright 2005, Turkish Daily News. This article is redistributed with

permission for personal use of Groong readers. No part of this article

may be reproduced, further distributed or archived without the prior

permission of the publisher. Contact Turkish Daily News Online at

http://www.TurkishDailyNews.com for details.

Edited November 29, 2005 by QueBeceR

[Lev7]

I love it how they make it sound like they are the victims. What an idiot!

[hytga]

sometimes when i read these turkish articles, and the ones in jtw i wonder if they actually believe what they write. none of the accusations made here have been supported by examples, and yet they expect everyone to believe them.

[Lev7]

sometimes when i read these turkish articles, and the ones in jtw i wonder if they actually believe what they write. none of the accusations made here have been supported by examples, and yet they expect everyone to believe them.

 

You know what I noticed this trend long time ago when I was debating Turks over the genocide issue. They keep bringing the ASALA and tell me if I condem Armenian terrorism like it has something to do with what happened in 1915. Also I noticed their explanations (or whatever they call it) are very vague and without no proof or a source. And finally when they see they can't win they resort to personal and racial attacks. They do not have and never will have a case.

[yalpa]

You know what I noticed this trend long time ago when I was debating Turks over the genocide issue. They keep bringing the ASALA and tell me if I condem Armenian terrorism like it has something to do with what happened in 1915. Also I noticed their explanations (or whatever they call it) are very vague and without no proof or a source. And finally when they see they can't win they resort to personal and racial attacks. They do not have and never will have a case.

 

I am assuming that you are talking about the Turkish nationalists, since there are others (from the non-nationalist bunch) who do have valid arguments. I am not sure if it is wise to take this very nationalistic one sided guy and think that he represents what the opposition is all about.

[Eloren]

Although not even a single book reflecting the

Turkish view has been published in Armenia, many books that maintain the

`genocide' occurred are freely sold in Turkey. Meanwhile, in European

countries that preach human rights to the rest of the world, arguments that

`negate the genocide' hit a wall erected by the restrictions imposed on the

freedom of expression.

 

Very interesting!

 

How funny they forget to mention that anyone who speeks about the genocide in Turkey does not hit a wall, but stays years behind 4 walls (or bars? ). Aaaah the joy of freedom of speech in Turkey..

 

This article is just a bunch of crap with absolutly no proofs or anything.

 

 

Armenian guy: Turks commited a genocide during WWI and here are the proofs and documents!

 

Turkish guy with his hands in his pockets (maybe to hide the blood on it?): No. (<=Isn't this the best proof?)

[Takoush]

You know what I noticed this trend long time ago when I was debating Turks over the genocide issue. They keep bringing the ASALA and tell me if I condemn Armenian terrorism like it has something to do with what happened in 1915. Also I noticed their explanations (or whatever they call it) are very vague and without no proof or a source. And finally when they see they can't win they resort to personal and racial attacks. They do not have and never will have a case.

Lev7:

 

I totally agree with you. That's exactly what happends till today. It's disgraceful and disparaging on the Turk's part.

 

What a real IDIOT this guy sounds like.

 

The colors that Domino put forth are obviously the exact ones that he wants us to see how this idiot Aktan is wording his one sided phanatically oriented views, and he's calling it scientifically correct. HUH, I laugh at him (Aktan) and his idiotic views.

 

I should then have someone translate it for me my newly created poetry Re. the Genocide, and send it to this Aktan -return address unknown- and have him see what I think of him. Something like this....

 

...ninety years has been passed

...yet the mindless Turk learned nothing from it

...he continues his denialist ways

...that he did not annihilated us, not at all

...that it was merely a displacement or a migration...

 

...let the Turks know it well

...that Armenians indeed know their rights

...today we have our homeland

...next to it our powerful Kharapagh

...but let us not forget the Diaspora...

Edited December 1, 2005 by Anahid Takouhi