Correspondence
Correspondence MULLING OVER MULLAHS TAKEN TOGETHER, William Kristol's, Thomas McInerney's, and Reuel Marc Gerecht's approaches to "the Iran question" are logically unassailable ("Unacceptable?"...
...And supporters of the war on terrorism should eagerly engage, rather than avoid, this urgent debate...
...Provisions of the new Turkish penal code prohibiting insults against the state and "Turkishness" and attempts to influence court proceedings have been used against authors, journalists, and publishers who mention the deaths of over one million Armenians under the Ottoman empire...
...All letters should be addressed: Correspondence Editor THE WEEKLY STANDARD 1150 17th St., NW, Suite 505 Washington, DC 20036...
...THE WEEKLY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor...
...Genocide is arguably the most odious of crimes, but in a democracy the accused reserves the right to present a defense...
...Only through dialogue can Turks and Armenians reach a mutual understanding about their common history...
...It is hypocritical to criticize Turkey when the debate here is less open and more exposed to political pressure...
...Turkish prime minister Erdogan last year proposed the establishment of a joint historical commission with Armenia on this matter...
...TALKING TURKEY CONTRARY TO WHAT Ellen Bork suggests ("The Price of Denial," April 17), there is a healthy and robust debate within Turkey on the Ottoman Armenian tragedy...
...First, when the Brits turn their clocks one hour ahead each spring, the result is "British Summer Time...
...The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide, a recent book by eminent scholar Guenter Lewy, concludes that the history of this matter is incomplete and overly politicized...
...Stifling debate and perpetuating a unilaterally established orthodoxy may be expedient, but it will not bring about closure...
...It is difficult to see how any initiative of the Turkish government to deal with its history, including the one Ambassador Sensoy promotes, could be sincere so long as the law prohibits truthful discussion...
...There is much talk about whether "we" are right to put the "military option" on the table, but the truth is the responsibility lies with the Iranian mullahs...
...ELLEN BORK RESPONDS: Ambassador Sensoy may be just doing his job as a representative of Turkey when he asserts that compared with the United States his country has a healthy and robust debate about the Armenian genocide...
...Second, growing up in my neck of the woods (Pittsburgh), anyone referring to candy on a stick as a "lollipop" rather than a "sucker" would have received a severe ear bashing...
...When Yanks do likewise, the result is "Daylight Saving Time...
...If the goal is really to bring about reconciliation, we should support this historic initiative...
...Although a legal case has never been made, the history of the matter is also by no means settled...
...NABI SENSOY Ambassador of Turkey to the United States Washington, D.C...
...In contrast, here in the United States, Armenian activists have been largely successful in preventing any real debate on this historic controversy...
...Only the mullahs can take those options away, but at this point they seem hellbent on their drive to war and destruction...
...SUCKERS EDWARD SHORT is confused on two counts in "Owzat, you say...
...In this case the verdict has been handed down without due process, while pleas for a fair trial fall on deaf ears...
...April 24...
...Target: Iran," and "To Bomb, or Not to Bomb," respectively, April 24...
...This has nothing to do with Gershwin's reference to "summertime...
...It is they who have introduced the "destroy Israel" and the "uranium enrichment" options...
...You may also fax letters: (202) 293-4901 or email: editor@weeklystandard.com...
...Precisely...
...MIKE VITA Alexandria, Va...
...STEVE BEREN Seattle, Wash...
...The recent cancellations of an academic forum on Turkish-Armenian relations at the University of Southern California and of the airing of a PBS panel discussion program on this very question are low points for those who seek a fair and honest accounting of this sad chapter of history...
Vol. 11 • May 2006 • No. 32
