Taner Akcam's new book on the armenian genocide

San Diego, October 3, 2006

Taner Akcam may create an important step in the endless discussion over the arménian genocide by Turkey. At the same time, President Chirac declared during his first visit to Armenia that Turkey should recognize the génocide before being accepted in the European Union
About the book: A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide And the Question of Turkish Responsibility
"In 1915, under the cover of a world war, some one million Armenians were killed through starvation, forced marches, forced exile, and mass acts of slaughter. Although Armenians and world opinion have held the Ottoman powers responsible, Turkey has consistently rejected any claim of intentional genocide. Now, in a pioneering work of excavation, Turkish historian Taner Akam has made extensive and unprecedented use of Ottoman and other sources to produce a scrupulous charge sheet against the Turkish authorities. The first scholar of any nationality to have mined the significant evidencein Turkish military and court records, parliamentary minutes, letters, and eyewitness accountsAkam follows the chain of events leading up to the killing and then reconstructs its systematic orchestration by coordinated departments of the Ottoman state, the ruling political parties, and the military. He also probes the crucial question of how Turkey succeeded in evading responsibility, pointing to competing international interests in the region, the priorities of Turkish nationalists, and the international communitys inadequate attempts to bring the perpetrators to justice. As Turkey lobbies to enter the European Union, Akams work becomes ever more important and relevant. Beyond its timeliness, A Shameful Act is sure to take its lasting place as a classic and necessary work on the subject. "

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