US recognition of this terrible tragedy should not be held hostage by political convenience.

For over a century, the systematic annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire has been a settled historical fact, recognized by scholars and countless nations worldwide. Yet in the halls of American power, this tragedy has long served a different purpose: as a convenient, cynical, bipartisan political football to navigate the complexities of negotiating with a capricious ally, Turkey.

For decades, both Republican and Democratic administrations upheld a tacit policy of appeasement and avoidance, rarely using the word “genocide” to describe the 1915 atrocities, an event the Turkish government continues to deny. The rationale was not rooted in historical doubt, but rather in strategic convenience and political expediency. Put simply, Turkey, a NATO ally, was considered too important to offend and was subsequently treated with kid gloves.

Under both parties, the issue was formally introduced for debate in Congress only when it was politically beneficial or used as a switch to extract concessions. When the United States needed Turkey’s cooperation in the Middle East, the Armenian genocide was brushed under the rug. When relations soured over the purchase of Russian missiles or conflicts in Syria, suddenly, the moral imperative to recognize the genocide became paramount and a legislative priority.

The Bill Clinton and George W Bush administrations, for instance, actively worked to shelve resolutions recognizing the genocide to maintain strong relations with Ankara. Despite promising to recognize the genocide as a candidate, President Barack Obama reversed course once in office, with his administration actively lobbying against recognition to avoid upsetting Turkey.

These shifts prove that for many politicians, this is not a matter of human rights but a tool for transactional diplomacy and trade-offs. When recognition mirrors geopolitical frustration rather than a steady ethical commitment, it signals to despots that history itself is up for negotiation.

The 2019 congressional resolutions for genocide recognition, passed overwhelmingly in both houses of Congress, were a clear example of using history as a political cudgel, prompted more by frustration with Turkey’s military actions in Syria than a sudden bipartisan awakening to a moral obligation. 

Donald Trump, in his first term, continued the long tradition of avoiding the term genocide, focusing on a personal and friendly relationship with President Recep Erdogan of Turkey, only for his party members to be part of the legislative pushback when that relationship deteriorated.

President Joe Biden finally broke this cycle in 2021, becoming the first US president since Ronald Reagan to officially recognize the genocide. While this was a long-overdue and historic move, its timing was clearly tied to his administration’s willingness to distance itself from Ankara, unlike that of his predecessor.

Even today, the transactional nature of this issue persists. During his visit to the South Caucasus this week to help reinforce a US-brokered peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vice President JD Vance wrote a post on X recognizing the Armenian genocide and then deleted it, which justifiably sparked much outrage among the Armenian-American community. Such actions suggest that history can be toggled on and off for diplomatic comfort, which is an insult to the memory of the victims and a betrayal of the principles and values the United States claims to uphold.

That is why the Armenian genocide must not be a bargaining chip or a tool for punishing a difficult ally. It is a defining, horrific chapter in human history. It is time for both political parties to stop treating this tragedy as a weapon and treat it with the moral gravity and respect it deserves.

About the Author: Stephan Pechmaldji

Stephan Pechdimaldji is a communications strategist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a first-generation Armenian American and the grandson of survivors of the Armenian genocide. His work has been featured in Newsweekand Foreign Policy. You can follow him on X at @spechdimaldji.

The post What Washington Doesn’t Get About the Armenian Genocide appeared first on The National Interest.