-
Taner Akçam, amid contradictions and charges of betrayal, loses credibility
By Ferruh Demirmen, Ph.D. Taner Akçam, Associate Professor of History at Clark University (Worcester, MA) and the “prince charming” of the Armenian lobby, got himself trapped in contradictions on interpreting the results of Turkey’s recent (September 12) referendum on Constitutional changes. He inadvertently brought to surface some unsavory aspects of his past. Akçam’s younger brother, […]
-
Taner Akçam, amid contradictions and charges of betrayal, loses credibility
Taner Akçam, the “prince charming” of the Armenian lobby, got himself trapped in contradictions on interpreting the results of Turkey’s September 12, 2010 referendum on Constitutional changes. He inadvertently brought to surface some unsavory aspects of his past. Akçam’s younger brother, Cahit Akçam, used the occasion to chastise and mock his brother. The portrayal of Akçam that emerged was a professor that had a biased approach to historical events, and one that was short in scruples and trustworthiness.
-
Armenia engagement derailing Turkey’s energy policy
A misconceived engagement with Armenia has boomeranged beyond diplomacy to impact Turkey’s energy policy. The developments so far are already worrying, and further negative consequences may follow. Turkey’s energy policy is held hostage, and the culprit is a short-sighted Armenia rapprochement that has ignored Azerbaijan’s legitimate concerns on Nagorno-Karabakh.
-
ATAA’s analysis of Turkish-Armenian protocols gives no comfort
In conclusion, ATAA’s analysis, no doubt reflecting an idealistic outlook, is based on presumptive logic, or wishful thinking, and cannot be supported. ATAA says the normalization protocols are based on the concept of “constructive ambiguity” by which each side interprets the language as it sees fit. This is an interesting approach, but offers no comfort for the Turkish side – or, for that matter, the Azeri side.
