“A Problem from Hell” is a must read. The first chapter details the American response to the “race murder” of the Armenians. Owen Richardson in the Sydney Morning Herald writes:

“Samantha Power’s densely researched and vividly written A Problem from Hell provides a history of genocide from Armenia to Kosovo. It is also a first-class piece of muck-raking journalism which reveals how US responses to these horrors have almost always been motivated by wilful blindness, self-interest and moral torpor.”

The choice of Samantha Power and Senator Obama’s promise to do diplomacy differently gives me “hope” that realpolitik will not be allowed by President Obama as an excuse for moral torpor.

I also believe that Senator Edwards would never be overcome by fear of offending Turkey or its allies in recognizing the truth of the horrors.

Obama and Edwards’ embracing of change appears to me as more than campaign sloganeering. I am unable to imagine either one of them working for the Turkish lobby—no matter the fee.

I am not a certain about the other candidates. If I were to guess, I would guess they may offer the Armenians nothing more and perhaps less than what Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush have put forth under the guise of realpolitik.

If a president cannot accept a stark historical truth, then how can we expect a president to be truthful with us?

Robert S. Abdalian–January 17, 2008.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who the politicians are. Being at the helm of the country demands realpolitiking so whoever is elected the president, they will behave like Bush or any other president before them. Unless we can make a strong case about the benefit of recognizing Metz Yeghern, emotional appeals or moral arguments are not going to yield any results.