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Source: Getty

In The Media
Carnegie Europe

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.

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By Thomas de Waal
Published on Apr 14, 2015
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Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

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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

Thomas de Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

    Recent Work

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    Managing Montreux: Turkey and the Russia-Ukraine War in the Black Sea

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Thomas de Waal
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe
Thomas de Waal
Middle EastTürkiyeCaucasusArmenia

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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