What Lessons Should Armenians Learn From TARC's Demise?

[MosJan]

What Lessons Should Armenians Learn From TARC's Demise?

By Harut Sassounian

 

Even though the demise of the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC) was widely anticipated, Armenians worldwide breathed a sigh of relief when its death was finally announced last week. In a joint statement, the four Armenian members of TARC announced that "TARC is not going to proceed" and asserted that they had taken this action in retaliation for the Turkish commissioners' decision not to go ahead with a study by a third party concerning the Armenian Genocide.

 

The Armenian commissioners and their supporters naturally blamed the Turks for TARC's "untimely" demise.

 

While the Turks deserve to be criticized, it is all-too-easy and convenient to pin the whole blame on them. A more useful and instructive exercise would be for Armenians to ask some tough questions to themselves:

 

Who Is Responsible For This Fiasco?

 

a. The main culprits are the four Armenian members of TARC: Alexander Arzoumanian, David Hovhannissian, Van Krikorian, and Andranik Mihranian. Those who took the lead in the formation of TARC bear a higher degree of responsibility.

 

b. The blame should be shared by the few Armenian groups and individuals that supported this misadventure, even though many of them were fooled into thinking that TARC was simply an attempt at "dialogue" between Armenians and Turks.

 

c. The governing boards and the membership of these groups wrongly allowed a small clique of their leaders to support TARC without the knowledge or the approval of the majority of their members. Such negligent behavior on the part of the majority in these organizations made it possible for an autocratic minority to hijack and ruin a group's reputation.

 

d. A couple of Armenian newspapers, motivated by self-serving considerations, misled their readers by publishing ghost-written editorials favoring TARC.

 

e. The blame also goes to Armenian government officials who consciously or unconsciously handed over to the four Armenian TARC members the conduct of Turkish-Armenian relations.

 

What Price Should Be Paid For The Damage Caused?

 

a. The four Armenian members of TARC have already paid a hefty price by being discredited in the eyes of the entire Armenian nation. A couple of them will probably lose their leadership roles in their respective organizations.

 

b. The organizations and individuals that backed TARC have also been tarnished. Some of these groups have lost both members as well as financial supporters.

 

c. The State Department, the Turkish government, and other foreign powers now know who NOT to deal with in future discussions involving Armenian issues.

 

d) A growing number of Armenians are questioning the wisdom of those Armenian government officials who gave their tacit consent to the formation of TARC.

 

What Lessons Should Be Learned From This Misadventure?

 

a. Reconciliation with Turkey can only be achieved after the Turkish government recognizes the crime of its predecessor and makes appropriate amends for the grave damage caused to the Armenian nation.

 

b. Negotiations with Turkey can only be conducted from a position of strength, not weakness. Catering to the Turks or wining and dining them will not lead to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

 

c. The Turks had agreed to join TARC not for the purpose of reconciling with the Armenians or recognizing the Genocide, but to scuttle the successful efforts that had led to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by a growing number of countries in recent years.

 

d. Critical issues affecting the entire Armenian nation, like the Genocide or the Artsax conflict, should not be negotiated by a handful of individuals behind closed doors. Serious efforts should be made to include the major segments of the Armenian nation prior to sitting at the negotiating table with Armenia's enemies. e. Armenian organizations should no longer blindly add their signatures to any statement submitted to them by another group unless they can independently verify the alleged facts and arguments contained in that statement. In recent months, so many false representations have been made to the Armenian community that henceforth, all such claims have to be scrutinized before trusting their accuracy.

 

How Do We Ensure That Such Mistakes Are Not Repeated?

 

a. Those who were involved in this fiasco have to acknowledge their mistake. In their last statement, the Armenian members of TARC said that they "continue to believe" that contacts between Turks and Armenians "such as those which have been enabled through the TARC continue to be necessary." This statement may indicate that TARC is not fully dead and that its Armenian members and supporters have not learned their lesson. Given another opportunity, they will probably repeat their grave mistakes!

 

b. Pan-Armenian consultations have to take place before embarking on solo adventures that involve the interests of the entire nation.

 

c. Armenian government officials have to think long and hard about the possible consequences of such private initiatives the next time someone approaches them with a similar half-baked idea.

 

d. Those who irresponsibly aggravated the division within the Armenian community and caused such serious damage to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the retention of Section 907 have to prove in concrete actions, not just words, that they have made significant organizational changes that will preclude a small clique from embarking on an adventure that risks compromising the interests of the entire nation. It would also be welcome, if they would admit that it was wrong to attack the reputations of those who criticized TARC.

 

e. The transcripts of all TARC meetings should be made public to regain the trust and confidence of the Armenian community and learn valuable lessons as to what went wrong.

 

If Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora draw the appropriate lessons from this contentious experience and become more conscientious about the critical issues facing the nation, they would then be able stand up to their rights and not allow any one to manipulate their interests.

[MJ]

Who Is Responsible For This Fiasco?

a. The main culprits are the four Armenian members of TARC: Alexander Arzoumanian, David Hovhannissian, Van Krikorian, and Andranik Mihranian. Those who took the lead in the formation of TARC bear a higher degree of responsibility.

 

Responsibility for what? First, this guy criticized TARC for initiating the dialog, now he holds them responsible for the failure of the initiative.

 

b. The blame should be shared by the few Armenian groups and individuals that supported this misadventure, even though many of them were fooled into thinking that TARC was simply an attempt at "dialogue" between Armenians and Turks.

 

So what was it, given that it was not done on behalf of the governments? How else does it qualify if not an attempt for dialog?

 

c. The governing boards and the membership of these groups wrongly allowed a small clique of their leaders to support TARC without the knowledge or the approval of the majority of their members. Such negligent behavior on the part of the majority in these organizations made it possible for an autocratic minority to hijack and ruin a group's reputation.

 

This is another lie, I think. The Armenian members of TARC have not participated in the initiative as representatives of whatever organizations, but as individuals, representing only themselves. I think the author of the article is deliberately misrepresenting the essence of the relationship in a very dishonest manner.

 

d. A couple of Armenian newspapers, motivated by self-serving considerations, misled their readers by publishing ghost-written editorials favoring TARC.

 

Who does Sasosunian think he is serving?

 

e. The blame also goes to Armenian government officials who consciously or unconsciously handed over to the four Armenian TARC members the conduct of Turkish-Armenian relations.

 

And who the hell is Sassounian to intervene in what the Armenian government thinks or does?

 

a. The four Armenian members of TARC have already paid a hefty price by being discredited in the eyes of the entire Armenian nation. A couple of them will probably lose their leadership roles in their respective organizations.

 

I don’t see any of the Armenian members being discredited in the eyes of "the entire nation." However, Sassounian is discredited in my eyes, for example.

 

b. The organizations and individuals that backed TARC have also been tarnished. Some of these groups have lost both members as well as financial supporters.

 

More specifically?

 

c. The State Department, the Turkish government, and other foreign powers now know who NOT to deal with in future discussions involving Armenian issues.

 

I guess they have to deal with the Sassounians, right? Isn’t this what the whole issue is about for the Sassounians? They think they are the ones to make decisions on behalf of the Armenian Nation, and some four people have dared to talk to the Turks without asking Sassounian’s permission.

 

d) A growing number of Armenians are questioning the wisdom of those Armenian government officials who gave their tacit consent to the formation of TARC.

 

How about those who have similar questions about the likes of Sassounian?

 

What Lessons Should Be Learned From This Misadventure?

 

a. Reconciliation with Turkey can only be achieved after the Turkish government recognizes the crime of its predecessor and makes appropriate amends for the grave damage caused to the Armenian nation.

 

This is a totally different issue. It has nothing to do with the dialog, and with the searching of ways on how to accomplish the recognition and its consequences.

 

b. Negotiations with Turkey can only be conducted from a position of strength, not weakness. Catering to the Turks or wining and dining them will not lead to the

recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

 

The obvious exclamation is – what a moron. From the position of whose strength is he talking and what is the source of his strength?

 

c. The Turks had agreed to join TARC not for the purpose of reconciling with the Armenians or recognizing the Genocide, but to scuttle the successful efforts that had led to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by a growing number of countries in recent years.

 

If this is true, it is even worse for them. Only an idiot wouldn’t understand that the September 11th has dramatically changed the political landscape surrounding Turkey, and the natural implication of it was going to be Turkey’s hardening of its position. Additionally, it is going to harden the position of the US State Department. The greatest tragedy of the Armenian Diaspora is the having of such “banner carriers” as the Sassounians.

 

d. Critical issues affecting the entire Armenian nation, like the Genocide or the Artsax conflict, should not be negotiated by a handful of individuals behind closed doors. Serious efforts should be made to include the major segments of the Armenian nation prior to sitting at the negotiating table with Armenia's enemies. e. Armenian organizations should no longer blindly add their signatures to any statement submitted to them by another group unless they can independently verify the alleged facts and arguments contained in that statement. In recent months, so many false representations have been made to the Armenian community that henceforth, all such claims have to be scrutinized before trusting their accuracy.

 

When it comes to making critical decisions concerning the Armenian Nation, there is only one authority endowed with appropriate mandate – the government of the Republic of Armenia. And the government of the Republic of Armenia would be the last idiot “to include the major segments of the Armenian nation prior to sitting at the negotiating table with Armenia's enemies.”

 

a. Those who were involved in this fiasco have to acknowledge their mistake. In their last statement, the Armenian members of TARC said that they "continue to believe" that contacts between Turks and Armenians "such as those which have been enabled through the TARC continue to be necessary." This statement may indicate that TARC is not fully dead and that its Armenian members and supporters have not learned their lesson. Given another opportunity, they will probably repeat their grave mistakes!

 

There has been no mistake, here. The participants of TARC where brave people, TARC was the first initiative in a series of initiatives to come, I hope. TARC is not over, I think. It will change its shapes and forms, but the effort of improved dialog between Armenians and Turks will go on. Those who opposed to the dialog would be at liberty to not participate in such dialogs.

 

b. Pan-Armenian consultations have to take place before embarking on solo adventures that involve the interests of the entire nation.

 

There is no such thing as “pan-Armenian.” There is no “entire nation.” Most of those who would claim belonging to the “entire nation,” have nothing to do with it. These are people with lost identity, and the only thing that makes them to think that they have anything to do with the Armenian nation is their superstitious hate for the Turks.

 

d. Armenian government officials have to think long and hard about the possible consequences of such private initiatives the next time someone approaches them with a similar half-baked idea.

 

 

Briefly, Mr. Sassounian, get on with your life, and continue milking the fertile Armenian cows, and be satisfied.

 

e. Those who irresponsibly aggravated the division within the Armenian community and caused such serious damage to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the retention of Section 907 have to prove in concrete actions, not just words, that they have made significant organizational changes that will preclude a small clique from embarking on an adventure that risks compromising the interests of the entire nation. It would also be welcome, if they would admit that it was wrong to attack the reputations of those who criticized TARC.

 

It is so ridiculous to talk about the “divisions” amongst the Armenian community. Just when has the Armenian community not been divided?

 

f. The transcripts of all TARC meetings should be made public to regain the trust and confidence of the Armenian community and learn valuable lessons as to what went wrong.

 

If I where a TARC member, I would’ve said, “Just who the hell are you, Mr. Sassounian?”

 

If Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora draw the appropriate lessons from this contentious experience and become more conscientious about the critical issues facing the nation, they would then be able stand up to their rights and not allow any one to manipulate their interests.

 

The lesson from this is that people like the TARC participants will keep their efforts alive, and will continue not noticing the Sassounians, and their alikes.

 

Just thought that I would post something in the Hye Forum, after being away for prolonged time.

 

[ December 23, 2001: Message edited by: MJ ]

[Juggernaut]

Martin,

 

What do you think of Rommel? Millitary genius or hyped up to justify the Allies poor performance against the Africa Korps?

[MJ]

Nothing.

[wh00t]

This was one of the worst ideas the AAA has ever become involved with. Harut Sassounian should be commended for his valuable commentary.

[MJ]

That's your opinion. However, as always, AAA is a much more professional, thoughtful, and useful. As to Sassounian, I think he is an average loud-mouth idiot. And that's my opinion.

Marry Christmas, Wh00t.

[wh00t]

I don't know exactly how Mr. Sassounian has stepped on your toes in the past, but there is a definite grudge here that prevents you from analyzing his article in a reasonable manner. You are evidently not be a firm believer in universalism.

 

If you will take a step back and take a look at the TARC months of the past, I think you will realize that there have been absolutely no gains for Armenians as a consequence of the committee. The Armenian/Turkish friendship objective has not taken any steps forward, and indeed the respective communities must now deal with finger-pointing for an indefinite amount of time. The Turks can now proclaim that Armenians are not willing to reconcile (alas, they broke up the TARC), while Armenians can now say that the Turks are too frightened to allow a third-party study to confirm or deny that a "genocide" has occurred. If this was the mission then so be it.

 

While the Armenians bickered over the TARC, the Turks emerged as the clear winners. It has stopped the Genocide recognition train dead in its tracks and has drived a further wedge between the AAA/ANCA divide. Interestingly enough, you continued to support the project even after Ozdem Sanberk (Turkish TARC member) boasted:

 

quote

The basic goals of our commission is to impede the initiatives put forth every year in the U.S. Congress and parliaments of Western countries for the genocide issue and aimed at weakening Turkey….The key goal is to prevent the genocide issue from being regularly brought into the agenda of the Western countries…. The significant matter for us is that the genocide issue is not discussed by the American Congress any more. Because, as long as we continue the dialogue, the issue won't be brought to the Congress agenda. If it is not discussed in the Congress, we, being Turkey, will gain from that. The U.S. Congress will see that there is a channel of dialogue between Turks and Armenians and decide that 'there is no necessity for the Congress to take such decision while such a channel exists

 

Most Armenians can now breathe a sigh of relief as the fiasco comes to a close. And MJ, a holly jolly Christmas to you too.

[MJ]

Wh00t,

 

I am lucky enough to exist in a different domain, and not to come across (by my own choice) with idiots like the “Sassounians.” So he couldn’t have the opportunity to step on my toes.

 

The tragedy of Armenians over the centuries has been having “leaders” like the “Sassounians,” who are parochial, unsophisticated “basturmadjies,” with certain means at their disposal to take their medieval bickering to the national stage. And the Armenian nation and the Armenian soil have suffered more than enough in the hands of such nincompoops. As far as your quotation of the Turkish member of TARC is concerned, I have tried to explain it at the time, but apparently it has not come across. Let me not violate the spirit of Christmas, and just say that if reading that quotation, you don’t understand that that statement alone has constituted a major victory for the Armenian TARC members, and has potentially advance the Armenian position to the next level, you should be blind.

 

Most Armenians in your understanding of the term, have nothing to do with Armenia and Armenians. Their Armenianness is a superficial declaration, and if not for the Turks, they would not even feel an element of Armenianness. Try not to be with them – if you can.

[Juggernaut]

quote

Nothing.

 

Nothing, as in you dont know much about him, or you dont think much of him (despite being aware of his great successes)?

[MJ]

I don't know anything about him. Whether I would like to say something after I learn about him, I don't know.

[wh00t]

Alright, now I am certain that Mr. Sassounian has done or said something in the past that has strongly angered you. You are insulting the guy bluntly and relentlessly whereas your other personal attacks are more subtle and controlled in their nature.

 

You say Sanberk's words "has potentially advance the Armenian position to the next level". Please elaborate. What is the Armenian position, and what is the next level?

[MJ]

Yes, he constantly writes materials that I find idiotic. I don't have as much time to be as subtle as I have been before - as simple as that. Besides, he doesn't deserve so much attention. One thing is obvious that he is angered because of being detoured by the committee, and not being invited to participate in its work, or not being consulted.

 

As to the elaboration of my insight, I will do it at another time. Have to go, now.