Commentary
Thomas de Waal
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Source: Getty
In The Media
A New Chapter in the Century-Old Debate Over the Massacre of Armenians
Pope Francis reignited a debate that has smoldered for a hundred years: Whether the deaths of more than a million Armenians were caused by a policy of genocide by the Turks.
Published on Apr 14, 2015
Source: WAMU’s Diane Rehm Show
Pope Francis reignited a debate that has smoldered for a hundred years: Whether the deaths of more than a million Armenians were caused by a policy of genocide by the Turks. In a mass on Sunday, the Pope called the massacre “the first genocide of the 20th century.” The Turkish government responded quickly, labeling the pope’s comments unacceptable. Turkey maintains that the death toll was exaggerated, and that many of the Christian Armenians who died in 1915 were the victims of civil war.
Carnegie Endowment Senior Associate Thomas de Waal joined the Diane Rehm Show to discuss why the fate of Armenians in Turkey a century ago remains a passionate issue today.
This interview was originally broadcast on WAMU’s Diane Rehm Show.
About the Author
Thomas de Waal
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe
De Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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