• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Thomas de Waal"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie Europe"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Europe",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Türkiye",
    "Caucasus",
    "Armenia"
  ],
  "topics": []
}

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.

Link Copied
By Thomas de Waal
Published on Apr 14, 2015
Program mobile hero image

Program

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.

Learn More

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.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    Europolis, Where Europe Ends

      Thomas de Waal

  • Commentary
    Taking the Pulse: Is It Time for Europe to Reengage With Belarus?

      Thomas de Waal, ed.

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.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • GCC foreign minister meeting in Kuwait City on June 2, 2025
    Article
    Can the Gulf Cooperation Council Transcend Its Divisions?

    Without structural reform, the organization, which is racked by internal rivalries, risks sliding into irrelevance.

      Hesham Alghannam

  • Photo of Marco Rubio speaking while Donald Trump sits beside him at the table with a row of flags behind them.
    Article
    The Trump Administration’s Tangled Talk About Democracy Abroad

    How significant are statements by senior U.S. officials about supporting democracy abroad in the context of a foreign policy led by a president focused on near-term transactional interests?

      • McKenzie Carrier

      Thomas Carothers, McKenzie Carrier

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Once Neutral on the Ukraine War, Arab States Increasingly Favor Moscow

    Disillusioned with the West over Gaza, Arab countries are not only trading more with Russia; they are also more willing to criticize Kyiv.  

      Ruslan Suleymanov

  • Turkey Erdogan Caucasus Central Asia
    Article
    How Turkey Can Help the Economies of the South Caucasus to Diversify

    Over the past two decades, regional collaboration in the South Caucasus has intensified. Turkey and the EU should establish a cooperation framework to accelerate economic development and diversification.

      • Feride Inan
      • Güven Sak
      • Berat Yücel

      Feride İnan, Güven Sak, Berat Yücel

  • BAGHDAD, IRAQ - OCTOBER 30: Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat (2nd L) and Iraqi Trade Minister Etir Davud Selman al-Greyri (3rd R) sign the JETCO 2nd Term Protocol and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Exhibition Services during The 2nd Session Meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), held to develop commercial and economic relations between Turkiye and Iraq in Iraq's Baghdad on October 30, 2025.
    Article
    The Evolving Middle Eastern Regional Order: Türkiye-Iraq Relations in Context

    In this moment of geopolitical fluidity, Türkiye and Iraq have been drawn to each other. Economic and security agreements can help solidify the relationship.

      • Meliha Altunışık

      Derya Göçer, Meliha Altunışık

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.