When is the right time for the U.S. Government to refer to Armenian mass killings as “Genocide”?

April 24 marks the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The US government has yet to officially acknowledge it for what it was: A “genocide.” Genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political or cultural group.

During his first presidential campaign in 2008, President Obama said, “As president I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.” Unfortunately, during his 8 years as president, he used terms such as “mass atrocity” and “tragedy,” but stopped short of using the word “genocide.” Overall, Obama continued the Bush and Clinton Administration’s’ policy of supporting the Turkish Government policy of denying the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian genocide was carried out by Ottoman Empire between the years of 1915 and 1923 causing the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians. The effects of genocide are deep, not only to its survivors, but also to every Armenian who feels the scar of an injustice of epic proportions.

Many countries such as Canada, Italy, Russia, France and Germany have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. On his trip to Armenia last June, Pope Francis referred to the mass slaughter of Armenians as “genocide.” Even 45 out of 50 of the United States, have recognized the atrocity as genocide. Yet, the US government remains silent on the issue.

Now, you might think the US government is not convinced that there is enough evidence to call the mass killings as “genocide.” However, the consensus among historians and academic institutions on Holocaust and genocide studies — including many Turkish scholars — recognizes the Armenian Genocide. Interestingly enough, Rapahel Lemkin a lawyer of Polish-Jewish descent who is best known for coining the word “genocide,” and initiating the Genocide Convention, created this with the massacre of Armenians in mind.

Nonetheless, the Turkish government vehemently denies such claims and directly threatens economic and diplomatic sanctions against countries that officially recognize this atrocity. In an abuse of its status as a member of NATO, the Turkish government has regularly issued threats against the United States should it take such a step. The sad fact is that Turkey is a key regional ally of the United States and we desperately need to use the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. Therefore, the Armenian genocide is not a top priority for our government.

Having said that, it is our government’s obligation to all human beings to ensure this kind of atrocity will never happen again, but to achieve that, they need to first recognize atrocities that have happened in the past. Hitler, when briefing his generals before the 1939 invasion of Poland said: “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

On April 10, in a bipartisan letter, the Chairmen and Ranking Members on both the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees joined with more than 80 of their U.S. House colleagues in calling upon President Trump to reject Turkey’s gag rule and “appropriately mark April 24 as a day of American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,” in his April 24 White House statement. In their letter, the signatories noted that, “by commemorating the Armenian Genocide, we renew our commitment to prevent future atrocities.”

It is time for United States government to step up and correctly labeling as genocide the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923.  The Turkish government will eventually get over it. They did with every other country that recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Given President Trump’s America first policy, I’m not going to hold my breath.