Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, Scholarly Look At Problem of Genocide!
Review: In reading the introduction to this terrific book by Harvard professor Samantha Powers, I was reminded of a comment made by one of my own professors in graduate school eons ago to the effect that public morality provides for disastrous foreign policy. What he meant, of course, was that trying to conduct the political affairs of a sovereign state based on one's perceptions of what we believe to be right and wrong is most ussually a terrible idea. In fact, he said, one must eschew the temptation to do so in favor of a more "enlightened' understanding of one's strategic national interest. In other words, realpolitik in the real world is based on gaining and keeping advantage, not on doing what is morally right.While we may not agree with such a cynical and throwaway attitude toward foreign policy, it is consistent with the historical documentation the author so aptly demonstrates in this well documented and well written exploration of the most vexing and curious phenomenon of the 20th century; state sponsored genocide. And while I would quarrel slightly with her voiced notion that it is a peculiarly modern phenomenon (witness our handy slaughter of the American Indian in a very methodical and painstaking fashion over a hundred year period), it can not be denied that the scope and depths of the commission of such mass murder has reached epidemic proportions since the turn of the century. This indeed is a issue of satanic dimensions, a so-called "Problem From Hell".
Those of us who are systematically engaged in the examination of modern warfare have often marveled at the uncanny ability of statesmen like Wilson, Roosevelt, and Churchill to deny any personal knowledge or complicity in the events surrounding the Armenian debacle in the early years of World War One or the Holocaust visited on the Jews, Gypsies, and others during the Nazi epoch. And, as time has gone by, more and more evidence indicating such leaders were indeed quite aware of the circumstances and yquite deliberately chose not to act is even more damning. The, too, when one starts to consider the more recent train of events in Bosnia, we too have become eye-witnesses to a consistent policy of inaction, to what can only be described as the colossal reluctance of either the American government or the European allies to act decisively to stem or stop the wanton genocidal behavior of the Bosnian Serbs. Less clear was the role of the American government in the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, and in East Timor. Finally, it was painfully evident that William Jefferson Clinton was extremely reluctant to act to force the Serbian government from its bloody incursion into Kosovo. Thus, in each case-study that the author provides, the same lack of national resolve is indicated, and the consistencies from administration to administration seems to indicate it is a pattern shared by both Democrat and Republicans while in power. It is instructive at this point to remember that most often our military actions are usually confined to extending the national government's foreign policy through extraordinary means, i.e., forcing a situation in which our perceived national interest is threatened by a change in the status quo. Genocide rarely so affects our interests. In fact, it is often our friends in power who are more likely to be the perpetrators in a genocidal situation. Proof of this is our lack of concern over Saddam's massacre of Kurds when he was considered our "bulwark' against Iran in the late 1980s. Then he made the fatal mistake of putting our oil supply at risk by invading Kuwait. At that point, we acted. Wow, what a surprise! In summary, we should not be intellectually surprised by the lack of morality involved in public decision-making when it comes to the conduct of foreign affairs. We rarely do the "right" thing, but rather do the "smart" thing in terms of what we perceive will best serve our global economic and political goals. In such a world, public morality plays no significant part, and it is only when the media turns on the bright lights of public exposure that authorities will finally act. This is a terrific book, one that deserves a careful and meticulous read. But don't realistically expect to find any solutions for our baleful "realpolitik" lapses in public morality, or that things are likely to change in the future. The powers that be couldn't care less about murder and mayhem, as long as it doesn't affect their perceived national interests. It isn't even on their radar screens. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: bearing witness
Review: ....
It is sad that a government as powerful as Turkey cannot come to terms with its past and acknowledge the tragic mistake of their ancestors. Attacking and wrongly criticizing this book which has the potential to enlighten many about forgotten genocides and human rights violations endangers not only the memory of those who suffered through the Armenian genocide or the Holocaust, but endangers the lives of the general population. For a genocide that killed 1.5 million people to still be forgotten and denied shows potential perpetrators of genocide that these acts can be concealed--whether it be through hiding important documents, hiring public relations and academic institutions driven by money to deny such events, criticizing books, etc.
I hope that readers of this book learn about past genocides and through their knowledge they will bear witness and inform others so that events like these never take place again.
Rating:
Summary: Intellectuals responsibility
Review: Intellectuals responsibility
This is a book, which is well written, well documented, and powerfully worded.
The subject matter of the book is so important that all intellectuals around the world must feel the responsibility and need to write more about it.
After all this is a problem that human race is dealing with. Indeed, It is a problem from hell.
Of course some readers who read this book will object the facts that it represents. No one wants to see that his nation bears the shame and responsibility of carrying such a vicious crime. But lets face it. Lets face the truth and pass it on to the next generations.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: A very informative book that gave me new insight on the Armenian Genocide. Everyone should read this book and educate themselves on the Armenian Genocide - a systematic massacre of the Armenian race committed by the Turks around 1915. By educating ourselves, we can refute the false claims made Turks stating that the genocide was merely a concenquence of war. Read this book, educate yourself, and stand for the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars
Review: The way Powers describes the tragic events makes it seem like it's happenning again. Everyone should read this book to understand the facts of what took place and what humanity needs to be fighting for and against.
Rating:
Summary: A book that delves into the two sided politics of our nation
Review: Excellent examples on how our nation, "land of freedom," has failed to recognoze many of the crimes against humanity in the 20th century in exchange for oil and military bases...
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book for anyone who enjoys reading and learning!
Review: This book is easy to read, and is very informative! A very straight forward look at a dark chapter in history which was left ignored for so long. A great tool both for a professional in that field, and for an average person like me, who wants to KNOW!
Rating:
Summary: Deserves 5 stars
Review: A comprehensive study of genocide that reminds us not to be passive when such injustice occurs again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Extraordinary, and truthful
Review: This is a very truthful bok and the section on the Armenian genocide is much more than noteworthy; it is a cause that deserves recognition and the book explicitly reveals that there was more to it than the lies turkey wants to feed you.
Rating:
Summary: An Unforgettable Event!!!
Review: I was not aware that human beings were capable of such inhumane acts. This book will make every hair on your body stand up. If you want to know the pure truth behind what happened to the Armenian people 87 years ago this book is what I recommend. This is a time when terror has taken on a whole new meaning. Yet, I am not so sure that its underlying roots are resent. Sad, eye-opening, brutal, and inexcusable are just a few of the adjectives that come to my mind. Read it, and you will know what the Turkish government is trying to hide.
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