End of argument

Tuesday, 17 June 2008 17:15

There was a "Nuremberg" Trial

It's World War I. The Ottoman Empire was close to entering the war on the side of the Allies, but (among other reasons) the British pull a fast one by not delivering on a warship paid for by the common folks, down to the pennies of poor Turkish schoolchildren. (War broke out, and the Brits figured they could make better use of their goods on hand... so they reneged on the deal.) Meanwhile, Germany smells blood and brilliantly steps in by making a pseudo-gift of a couple of warships. Result: the road is better paved for the Ottoman Turks to join the Central Powers, a decision that will ultimately seal the fate of the centuries-old empire.

The British were noted for demonizing the enemy... the Germans were referred to as "Huns," for example. Certainly, the Ottoman Turks were not let off the hook... it must not have been too tough to demonize an enemy that easily lent itself to demonization, since the days of the Crusades.

You'd think there would be a little originality in the American demonizing campaign

The usually false reports of massacres were a great foundation to build upon. (Armenians well learned the value of exploiting the "Christian" connection, accusing their Ottoman society