By Edmond Y. Azadian
It is well said by English historian and writer Lord Acton that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There can be no better example to demonstrated the veracity of the above adage then citing the names of a political duo at the top of the power pyramid in Washington DC: President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.
On the eve of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington, they have already sacrificed the most dispensable issues in honor of the visiting dignitary: Armenians and the Armenian Genocide. Obama and Kerry seemed to be espousing the most humanistic and moral causes while serving in the senate. Mr. Kerry is extremely knowledgeable on the Armenian Genocide and at times he has made the most stirring remarks in favor of its official recognition. Yet during his recent shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Ankara, he praises Turkey’s position as a positive one in resolving the Karabagh conflict. And he makes the statement with a straight face, showing little concern with this political about face. He has no comments on the continuing illegal blockade of Armenia.
As to Mr. Obama, he has already repeated his “Medz Yeghern” charade on April 24 and continues to keep Guantanamo Bay gulag, which had given a black eye to the US human rights position during the Bush-Cheney era and continues the stigma on the Obama administration’s rhetoric on democracy and human rights.
Mr. Obama has given more to Turkey than the latter even expected, because on the political market, Armenian rights and issues have proven to be the most disposable ones.
He had already reduced US aid to Armenia dramatically and now presents a legal gift to Mr. Erdogan on a silver platter. Indeed the Obama administration has urged the Supreme Court not to hear the appeal of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2012 striking down of a California law extending the statute of limitations on the Armenian Genocide-era life insurance claims. This is a third-world practice of exerting political pressure on the judiciary to abort justice. Had this been undertaken by a private citizen, it would be labeled as obstruction of justice. Rather than leaving the Supreme Court to determine the merits of the case, the administration has already intervened to block the adjudication of the case.
