by SANA OMAR Staff Writer
In his fourth year of being president, Barack Obama has again broken his promise to the Armenians to use the word “genocide” to describe what happened to them over 100 years ago, in his speech on April 21.
Obama often called himself very bold for describing the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians a genocide. During his time as senator, and even during his presidency, Obama claimed that he would acknowledge the killings as a genocide.
The Armenian Genocide, often called the Armenian Holocaust, was atrocities committed against the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
During the rule of the Turkish, the Armenian people were subjected to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and starvation. Many Armenians were forcibly removed from their houses into different countries outside of Turkey. Women and children were abducted and abused. The wealth that the Armenians had was taken or stolen. Police and judges ignored the destruction of Armenian people’s homes and families.
Obama’s love for foreign policies has clouded his judgment on history. He wants to remain allies with Turkey and decided against publicly displaying his support for the Armenians. The friendship of Turkey and America is good to maintain for trade and obtain many natural resources for both sides. “The genocide obviously happened, and refusing to commemorate it disrespects the memory of those who died,” says freshman Michelle Chow.
The president’s refusal to maintain his promise to the Armenian people has enraged many Armenians across the globe.
“The Armenians feel betrayed, and they should. The president is trying to downsize what really happened and degrade the status from genocide to just slaughter during his speech,” says freshman Tatyana Drobyshevskaya.
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