What do US Presidential Candidates Think about Armenian Genocide?

• 03.02.2016, 16:50
•  America,  World

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On March 1 the US 12 states simultaneously held the first stage of the presidential elections, primaries, when the representatives of the same parties, Republicans and Democrats, compete against each other to nominate a candidate, who will represent the party in the second stage of the national elections. According to the initial results main Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, won in seven states, while her opponent Bernie Sanders won in four states. As for the Republicans the frontrunner Donald Trump won in seven states, while his main opponents, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, in three and one states respectively, New York Times  reports. At this stage when the frontrunners from each party are already known, one of the main interesting parts for us - Armenians, is what position (if any) the candidates have on the issue of Armenian Genocide. 

The stance of the main Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, former US State Secretary and the wife of the US 42nd president Bill Clinton, for sure cannot be considered a definite one. Still running for president in 2008 she used the word Genocide to characterize mass killings in 1915. However, already the US State Secretary (2009-2013) she refrained from using the word Genocide. During her official visit to Armenia in 2010 Clinton visited Tsitsernakaberd (the Armenian Genocide memorial complex); a visit which by the US Embassy in Armenia was later characterized as "a private visit to the Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd as a sign of respect for the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives in 1915." 

Another Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders was among the Senators who signed for the US Congress resolution on the Armenian Genocide (Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, March 19, 2012), which called to "ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide"

As for republicans Ted Cruz, in his address to the Armenian Church of Austin in the Texas State Capitol, during the Austin Peace March and Rally, which was attended by thousands and was organized by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Texas, he noted: "The Massacre of the Armenian, Assyrian and other Christian People Should be Called what it is: Genocide," official page of the Armenian National Committee of America reports.

Another main candidate Marco Rubio was among the senators who signed under the letter that called US President Barack Obama to attend commemorative event in Yerevan on April 24, 2015 "to send a powerful message that the United States Recognizes the magnitude and the full meaning of the Armenian Genocide."  

Finally Donald Trump, current frontrunner among the Republicans, has so far not referred to the issue of the Armenian Genocide in his election campaign. However, circulating news about his connections with Anar Mammadov, a 34-year-old billionaire playboy and a son of Azerbaijan’s transportation minister Ziya Mammadov and a chairman of the Garant Company, the builder and owner of the Trump Tower in Baku, at least gives reason to think.

To summarize, it should be stated that majority of the US candidates from both Republican and Democratic candidates at least on the personal level  recognized the Armenian massacres and called it Genocide. However, it will be naïve to think that they will feel free to use as they call it G-word once they become US president if one takes into consideration current geopolitical developments and the expectations of the US from its NATO alley, Turkey. On the other hand, one may come to a logical question: is it enough to be fixed on the word Genocide for making judgments whether the US president recognized the Armenian Genocide or not?