As an American, what business do we have.....?

Above all, it was a very bad timing because Armenia and Turkey had signed a treaty with the help of the Swiss and American government a short while ago and for the first time since years, there was diplomatic approach between the two countries. With yesterday's vote the U.S. lost also a lot of credibility as a mediator...

Besides that, these events took place 90 years ago. Therefore, there was most certainly no necessity to hurry after waiting such a long time.

The Obama administration was perfectly aware of this and although he had promised to recognize the Armenian Genocide during his campaign, he had changed his mind because of the encouraging diplomatic development between the two countries.

The Armenian Diaspora is against the improvement of the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey. Therefore, they used their influence in the Congress for the destruction of this peace process. This is what happened...

Bad timing. Armenia and Turkey were finally signing a treaty...

@liebes tod: You listed Lebanon as one of the countries who recognize the genocide. The government does recognize the genocide, but a majority of lebanese people don't know anything about it or don't think it actually happened. The only reason the genocide was recognized is because there are a lot of armenians here and christians support them.

So Lebanon recognized the genocide without looking at the evidence. Perhaps it's the same in the other countries you listed.

There are many contradictory informations about this genocide. I know that a lot of innocent armenians were killed but a lot of innocent turks were killed also and arabs too...that's how things went in wars.

The only reason why so many people are eager to recognize the genocide is because it was allegedly done by muslim turks. Nobody cares about the atrocities commited by Israel and the US in Lebanon, Palestine, Irak, Afghanistan...we're still talking about what happened 90 years ago. Get over it! There are more important things we should care about!

No, this is approximately retaining human beings working, paying taxes and buying products. The import vehicle businesses do no longer supply the advantages that the yank vehicle businesses do. businesses out of u . s . a . that very own American placed businesses, take many of the income that are made back in a foreign places u . s . a ..

There are so many wealthy Armenian-Americans living in the US and breaking their hearts means getting no vote/support from that (very strong and united) community. I think that most of the ones who voted YES are concerned with individual gains and losses. Some might be really concerned with justice and historical stuff. However, as you said, it's not the business of these people (politicians) to decide on a historical event. Why cannot they just let Turkish and Armenian historians to discuss and conclude it? Why are they not supporting a joint commission but deciding themselves? That's what I do not understand...

I am now browsing through the Turkish newspapers, and they are talking about limiting the US activities in Incirlik Air Base (the USAF base in Turkey) and about withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan... Turkish soldiers are the ONLY nato members whom the Afghans trust and like... How can the US risk losing that advantage?? How can the US risk its relationships with Turkey in a time when it needs it the most due to the increasing tension with Iran???

People's INDIVIDUAL concerns WILL afflict the NATIONAL benefits of the USA...

I am not saying there was or wasn't a genocide... I am aware that regular people who has no history education or research background--like me--cannot decide that. I wish those people in the lower chamber were aware of that, too.

Thumbs up for Bix.

There was a protocol just signed between Armenia and Turkey, and historians were to work on archives etc.

Now, U.S. recognized the genocide, and it became forbidden even to talk about what happened- to enquire, to understand what happened.

So??

What about the protocol?

What about historians?

What about normalization?

America have business all over the world. Let's wait and see what is all behind this.

@Liebes tod - you don't know much about Turkish history and also even schools in USA don't accept using wiki for assignments.

Maybe you will give up some of your time and read these articles;

http://72.233.51.21/documents-a-links/articles-in-...

http://72.233.51.21/documents-a-links/original-arc...

http://72.233.51.21/documents-a-links/original-arc...

armenians killed my great granparents you gave me the list and wiki links, doesn't make sense to me.

Your right. Why they do not solve this problem by themselves?? Why they are not searching history archives...

I totally agree with you. What is the life of between one and one-and-a-half million people? We can just conveniently sweep it under the rug and say it never really did happened; after all we really badly need allies like the Turks, who really and trully loves the USA . Just forget what the philosopher Santayana once said: "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it."

@Jade...Nope, I wouldn't call myself well-studied in Turkish history, but I know when to call a genocide a real genuine genocide and what conditions and events constitute to call it so. About wiki..thanks! now I know why wikipedia is so popular!

But have a look at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial_of_the_Armenia...

edit: Posting this under the Travel section for Turkey is really rather LAME and I am not here to fish for "best answer"...not while it is about this subject matter! Sucking up is not my kind of GAME. Still, I'll try to be even-handed and fair here:

COUNTRIES OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE INCLUDE:

Argentina (2 laws 3 Resolutions)

Armenia

Belgium

Canada (1996,2002, 2004)

Chile

Cyprus

France (2001 Act of Parliament)

Germany

Greece

Italy

Lithuania

Lebanon

Netherlands

Poland

Russia

Slovakia

Sweden

Switzerland

Uruguay (1965, 2004

Vatican City

Venezuela

A major obstacle for wider recognition of the genocide in the world is the position of Turkey, which denies that genocide or even massacres ever took place and insists any deaths were a side-effect of the World War I casualties. Azerbaijan, as an ally of Turkey and in a state of war against Armenia, shares the position of Turkey. Israel and Denmark believe that the genocide recognition should be discussed by historians not politicians. There was a move by activists in Bulgaria to acknowledge the genocide, but it was voted down. Shortly after the decision of the parliament several of the biggest municipalities in Bulgaria accepted a resolution for recognizing the genocide. Position of the UK is that it condemns the massacres, but did not find them qualified enough under 1948 UN Convention on Genocide to call them genocide and did not believe the UN Convention rules could be applied retroactively.. In 2000 an Early Day Motion recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the UK Parliament was signed by 185 MP's.

That's what you said when the Taliban took over Afganistan and hosted Osama and Al Gayda but then you changed your mind.

you probably think the holocaust was okay to dont you?