In this letter to the Economist, a British historian says that the Armenian genocide was no genocide; and that at the forefront of this understanding is Bernard Lewis, the neoconservative, and pal of Dick Cheney. Lewis, writes Norman Stone, is "sceptical as to
whether 'genocide' is the right word for a tragedy in some degree
provoked by the Armenian nationalists of the time… This is, as the
Turkish government says, an historical matter that should now be left
to historians. I am certain that Armenian businessmen, desperately
anxious for better relations with Turkey, entirely agree."
Of course I wonder whether Israel's delicate relations with Turkey play any role in this sort of thinking. (Thanks to John O'Keeffe for the tip)
