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Children of Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-long Struggle for Justice

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Mr. Bobelian delivers a thoroughly researched and documented account
of the Armenian people's struggle for justice to avenge the genocide
of their ancestors by Turkey, almost a century ago. Though well
documented by the global press and foreign governments at the time,
the Turkish government, with the aid of the U.S. and European
governments, has acted to deny and all but extinguish the world's
memory of this tragedy. Bobelian illuminates the complex power
struggle between morality, justice, and historical fact on the one
hand, and national security, politics, and corporate interest on the
other. First with the establishment of U.S. corporate interests, and
then with the establishment of national security interests, the U.S.
has created a relationship with Turkey that is so tenuous, that
Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack
Obama have all refused to publicly acknowledge the genocide once they
were elected; not because they deny the near extermination of an
entire people, but because they fear angering the Turkish government.
By incorporating three different storylines of actual individuals
involved in this struggle, Bobelian creates a dramatic narrative that
is one part historical and one part legal thriller. As I read
Children of Armenia, I could not help but think about more recent
genocides in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Sudan and whether our national
interests will lead us to aid the denial of these atrocities in the
decades to come. Bobelian's deep and thorough research will resonate
with academia-focused readers, while his narrative style will resonate
with casual readers of history, making Children of Armenia a must-read
for anyone interested in the interplay between human rights, global
politics, and global economics.

Until now, it has been far easier for an American reader to learn about the facts of the Armenian Genocide, which took place nearly a hundred years ago, than to trace the story of the Genocide's survivors: how they have variously attempted to seek revenge, justice, or at least acknowledgement of what happened to their families and forebears. Children of Armenia: a Forgotten Genocide and the Century-long Struggle for Justice, by Michael Bobelian, a Columbia-trained journalist and lawyer, fills in many of the gaps, and does so in a vivid and highly readable way. Episodes that Bobelian sheds particularly helpful light upon include the short-lived First Republic of Armenia (1919-20), the assassination of Archbishop Tourian in a New York Church on Christmas Eve 1933, the effects of the Cold War and the Truman Doctrine in changing the equities and the attitudes of the U.S. Government toward Armenia and the Armenians, the reawakening in the 1960s of Armenian consciousness and assertiveness concerning the Genocide, the period of terrorist assassinations of Turkish officials in the 1970s and 1980s, and the prodigious efforts of Armenians to win recognition of the fact of the Genocide in Washington, against the intense pressure of Turkish official denial and behind-the-scenes lobbying. This book in many ways picks up where Peter Balakian's 2003 The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response left off. It continues the story right up to our own time and the recent "football diplomacy" between Yerevan and Ankara. While I had a quibble with a turn of phrase here and there, Mr. Bobelian's overwhelming contribution is to have made a very complicated tale comprehensible to an outsider, and to have provided illuminating portraits of so many of the key actors (for example, Gourgen Yanikian, Senator Bob Dole, Van Krikorian, Vartkes Yeghiayan) in these interlocking dramas, all of which have roots in the Genocide, but each of which is in some way unique. I heartily recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand why it is that Armenians care so passionately about the Genocide.

There are a number of books that describe the events of the Armenian Genocide, but there are no books, other than this one, that describe the struggle for recognition of that genocide between 1915 and 2008. This book is the seminal text on this topic.

At the outset, and of particular relevance to the general reader, I think its important to say that this is not a dry tome recounting facts and dates. On the contrary, it is a fast-paced narrative that tells the story of the struggle for recognition of the Armenian Genocide through the lives of three men. The book opens with Gourgen Yanikian, a 77 year old terrorist plotting the assassination of Turkish diplomats as his final act of revenge for the horrors that haunt him. We then meet Vartkes Yeghiayan, a lawyer who brought a class action suit against New York Life, seeking to win a judgment for thousands of unclaimed policies. The third character is Van Krikorian who together with Senator Bob Dole campaigned tirelessly to gain public recognition of the Genocide from the US government.

Within this accessible narrative, Bobelian unfolds, never-before-seen research into the reaction of the US government and individuals within the government to the cause of Armenian Genocide recognition. The compelling question Bobelian tries to answer is how the United States went from front-page outrage in the New York Times and other newspapers of record in 1915 to the failure to recognize the genocide as such almost 100 years later. Bobelian offers a balanced explanation, clearly explaining the geo-political role that Turkey has played in US foreign policy, especially since the Second World War, but also describing, in nail-biting detail, the frantic lobbying of US politicians by the Turkish government and the susceptibility of American politicians to, and complicity in, this seduction.

This book obviously has an urgent and deep significance for Armenians today. But it is also shot through with universal themes and insights that are compelling to non-Armenians. Firstly, the issue of genocide recognition, whether it be the Jewish Holocaust or the current genocide in Darfur, is obviously of the utmost urgency to all human beings. Echoing the well-known poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller, this book makes one reflect on one's own insecurity should one find oneself, or one's kin, the victims of savage, uncivilized, state-sanctioned thuggery, and buried for decades beneath an immoral geo-political calculus. Secondly, the book speaks to the role of memory in cultural identity. On the one-hand there are the Armenians whose cultural-identity is gripped by the need to remember, while on the other the modern Turkish identity seems to require a continuous forgetting. Thirdly, the context of this book in the life of its author is one to which many will relate and draw inspiration. Bobelian's family barely survived the Genocide. One cannot help but feel, from the immense amount of research (the copious footnotes span some 45 pages at the end of this 293 page text) that to read this book is to witness a dialogue through diligence between a modern urbane Armenian-American author living in the 21st century, and an unresolved past. As such it speaks to a universal human condition; our capacity for empathy with past injustice visited upon kith and kin, our inherited commitment to see justice done, the weight of that inheritance, and our own search for self-actualization and peace along the way.

In the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, various ethnic groups came under deadly assault by Turkish authorities and people, and perhaps the group which suffered the most was the Armenia people. In the years after this first of all genocides, the Turkish authorities launched a campaign of denial about the events of the genocide, seeking to minimize or even completely whitewash the events. This is the story of the genocide, and the century-long struggle that the Armenians have had to wage to receive any sort of recognition of what happened.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting book. Instead of being a history of the genocide itself, the book gives no more than an introduction to it, instead focusing on placing it within the context of what was going on in Turkey at the time. Then the book goes on to tell the story of the Armenians and the Turks, as they moved through history - one seeking full recognition of the genocide, and the other seeking to deny it.

I found the book to be interesting, and quite informative on a subject that I must admit that I knew basically nothing about. The book was well-researched and written in an interesting manner. If you want to understand the modern Armenian people and their recent history, then you should read this book.

In the last ten years there were published a number of very good and comprehensive histories about the forgotten Armenian Holocaust.One can cite the works of Peter Balakian and Taner Akcam and their excellent surveys on the matter.
Bobelian's book is a bit different,because his purpose is not to prove that the Turks have perpetrated one of the most horrendous acts of brutality and thus having-I think- the dubious honour of being the first ones to commit such a crime,meaning a Holocaust in the twentieth century.This book tries to answer the question of the world's indifference to this Holocaust where more than 1.5 million Armenians were butchered by the Turks, using all the possible and affordable means.The Turks spared no one and tried to exterminate a whole people.But the were totally wrong when they thought they would also be capable of exterminating the memories of those who managed to survive.The struggle against forgetting is stronger than anything else- to paraphrase Milan Kundera.
Contrary to the wishful thinking of the Turkish authorities, not only had this Holocaust not perished from the consciousness of the human race,but the awareness about it is also steadily increasing and those who are responsible for this should be congratulated.One can witness to what extent the Turkish government is trembling and shaking these days when this issue has finally reached the podium of the American Congress.I have no doubt that a brave decision will be taken soon to finalize a resolution which will acknowledge the Turkish responsibility for the Armenian Holocaust.
This book starts with a story of a seventy-seven-year-old man, an Armenian who wants revenge because of what his family went through those horrible years.
Then the author gives a very good, precise and concise summary about the events which led the "dying man of Europe"-Turkey-to commit these gruesome crimes.In fact,the idea of the extermination policies against the Armenians started to brew in the twisted minds of the Turkish policy makers at the beginning of the twentieth century,culminating in 1915 when wholesale massacres of Armenians took place.It is well-known that the turks got assistance from the Germans and this was the first rehearsal for the Jewish Holocaust.The Armenian leaders, among them the last Prime Minister Simon Vratsian,have done a lot to seek for relief and justice for their people, but in vain.Unfortunately political interests prevailed over morality and President's Truman Realpolitik vis-a-vis the Soviet Union.The famous doctrine named after the American President has included massive financial help to Turkey which was regarded in Washington as a bulwark against the the Communist bloc.Turkey, we are informed,received by 1970 3 billion dollars in military assistance and another billion in economic aid.
As a result of the manslaughter, the Armenians "suffered from a dearth of leadership, because the Turkish crimes have wiped out the adult population,leaving a generation of refugees and orphans with no guidance".The Armenian Diaspora was powerless to promote the memories and their interests and it would take at least three decades for anew generation to continue and pursue the matter.No apologies were offered,no compensations were granted and the Turkish authorities promised to chase and threaten those who advocated the recognition of the Armenian Holocaust.
Mr. Boberian is absolutely right whn he gives the example of Jewish and Israeli leaders who tried to dodge this issue.After all, the Jewish people lost six million in a horrible Holocaust and therefore one could have expected them to lead to fight for the Armenian cause.But in vain.When a conference was planned in Tel-Aviv, the Turks threatened to sever their diplomatic relations with Israel.Even Mr. Shimon Peres,then the Foreign Minister,intervened and asked the participants to exclude the Genocide from the conference.Among those who surrendered was also Mr. Elie Wiesel.We also have a detailed description about Senator Dole's efforts to team up with other Armenian activists in order to raise the issue in theAmerican Senate.The author is also critical about his own brethren,blaming them for spending a "great dael of time and energy trying to preservr the pre-Genocide past rather than redefining themselves for the modern world".
Why should one want to read this book? First, this opus is extremely well-researched and documented.Second,this is a chronicle of endless efforts by a minority against forgetting.Third,this is a small, modest but very essential contribution in the fight against denial.Fourth, it will help augment the fight against the Turkish authoritieswhich are still refusing to come to terms with their ghoulish past.

A MUST READ FOR ALL WHO WANT TO PREVENT SYSTEMATIC KILLINGS OF SELECT GROUP OF PEOPLE. AND THE FORCED FADING OF FACTS AFTERWARDS BY POWERFUL NATIONS WHO IGNORE THE TRAGEDY.

Can someone explain to me why Turkey can't do what Germany did and admit what it did to the Armenian people? It's time to be upfront with this and stop the charade. Please authors, keep writing these novels that tell the truth and keep this in the face of current events so it is not forgotten. Thank you facebook and the changes we see in the Arab world, this kind of thing can not be put into a closet.

Bobelian is not an historic scholar, he is a journalist and lawyer, but he has done an admirable job in the writing of the account which is really the "history" of the 'Genocide' perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire on its' Armenian minority. The attitude of the Turkish Government since 1923 has been one of denial and obfuscation. They in many ways use the argument, prove that this was an organized pogrom by the "Young Turks" to 'sanitize' the new country from the 'criminal' effects of Armenian merchants and traders.

Though Bobelian does not address this issue, much of the animosity of the "Turks" against the Armenians was related to money. The Armenians being Christians, were 'allowed' to lend money at interest which Muslims could not do. (In many ways this parallels the position of Jews in many parts of Europe.) That they became rich and were conspicuous in their wealth, was a thorn in the side of the average Ottoman. Many of the problems of the "Sublime Port" were related to the power which European powers accumulated over the years (just like in China) were the direct result of working to control the Ottoman Empire through control of its' finances.

In many ways the reaction to the Armenians was the same as the "Boxers" in China (almost concurrently) who wanted to free their country from 'foreign devils', though most Armenians had lived in Asia Minor and on the Anatolian Plateau for over two thousand year and preceded the "Turks". The "Turks" did not replace the Byzantium Empire until the fifteenth century, while the Armenians had been in Asia Minor since the first millenium BCE.

Just like the Ukrainians, Latvians and Belorussians who deny having helped the Nazis or the Cossacks who instigated Pogroms in the 'Pale of Russia' in order to 'return' resources to themselves that they pillaged from the Jews, Turkey doesn't like to look back at how they exploited minorities like the Armenians, Assyrians and Kurds for hundreds of years. No one likes to think they are descended from murderers and rapist or that the actions of their forefathers were anything but noble.

For many years after World War I the Turks denied that a 'Genocide' had occurred (and like many Russians and Germans liked to make the point that they were only retaliating against those who "deserved" it) or that it was the result of an organized plot by their government. Many of those Armenians who died had chose to leave their homes and seek "refuge" in the desert, right, and Africans willingly go on slave ships so they could come to America. Ok, so I'm a little biased too. But, murder is murder and even though Mel Gibson's dad says it's not possible to kill that many people and get rid of the bodies, in Rwanda, over 700,000 people where killed in a little over a year in a half with mostly knives and machetes (imaging what can be done using guns and poison gas).

So, yes there was a genocide, and yes there has been a concerted effort by the Turks to cover it up. Read this book and determine for yourself who should be held culpable and who should apologize and put this all behind for the good of everyone's children.

Zeb Kantrowitz

Michael Bobelian is a great journalist an a lawyer and his book, "Children of Armenia" definetly proves the latter statement. A thorough research within the incessant amount of documents reveals fundamental evidences of post-Genocide era. It reveals the lifelong struggle of Armenians to achieve justice. Bobelian also does a great job in describing the events in Armenia in 1965.
He describes the commencement of Turkey's importance to USA and the importance of the Truman Doctrine in US' foreign policy, particularly Turkey. Bobelian then goes further to describe Armenians' fight for justice and the gag rule of Turkey to silence democracy with threats.
He also talks about the terrorist groups that were organized to bring more broad attention concerning the Genocide. He brings different aproaches to this issue. Since the community had mixed feelings, Bobelian did a great job of researching all the sides.
BUT, there is a little bit of CRITICISM that should be done on this book.First, he uses the word "tribe" repeatedly to describe the Armenians that were under the Ottoman rule. Armenian "race" would've sounded much better. Also he rarely-if ever-talks about the Armenian National Committee of America. ANCA is no less active than the Armenian Assembly of America. Lastly, in the back of the book he has the Armenian map where Nagorno Karabakh region is within the territory of Azerbaijan. It is not in Armenia's nor Azerbaijan's territory.

This book is exceptional, a real gem. Michael Bobelian writes about the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, with a large focus on the diaspora and the ongoing quest for recognition and justice for the loss of 75% of the Armenian population (who were murdered) and the loss of 100% of historic Western Armenia following Turkey's annihilation of the Armenians starting in 1915. The quality of the writing is tremendously high, and even better than the writing is the subtle analysis that Bobelian offers at various points of the narrative. He has tremendous insights and the analysis is nothing short of first-rate. It is a rich book in every way, and fills a major hole in the literature.

It's unfortunate that the book's title does not really give good insight into what the book is actually about. I didn't know what the book was even about when I started reading it (I received it as a gift from a friend), and I somehow wonder if a better title might have attracted an even wider audience. Regardless, the book is outstanding in every way, and extremely accessible. This book deserves a very wide audience.