The inauguration of a president

Published: Saturday January 17, 2009

The 44th president of the United States is taking the oath of office on January 20 at an especially difficult time for the country and the world. The new president and his administration will have to tackle multiple interconnected and momentous challenges at once.

As Armenian-Americans we celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden as president and vice president.

We believe the new leadership they promise on a wide range of issues - from economic growth to physical security, from healthcare to justice and the rule of law, from energy security to the environment - will help the United States and the world grow more secure and more prosperous.

We believe that the particular concerns of the American-Armenian community are consistent with the stated agenda of the Obama administration. Thus, we can look forward to an era of vigorous advocacy in a cooperative rather than a confrontational spirit.

During confirmation hearings this week, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton made it clear that she and Mr. Obama recognize the importance of working with Russia on nuclear nonproliferation as well as other issues. This is a priority shared by the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sens. John Kerry (D.-Mass.) and Richard Lugar (R.-Ind.). The United States will have to work together with Russia to cut the nuclear arsenals of both countries, and to prevent other countries - including Iran - from developing nuclear-weapon capabilities.

The struggle over influence in the Caucasus is a continuing source of tension between the United States and Russia, as the August 2008 war in Georgia clearly demonstrated. The Obama administration should, as part of its policy review, look at innovative ways of addressing this source of tension. One such path has been proposed by Armenia's former foreign minister Vartan Oskanian: to create a nonaligned Caucasus, free of security memberships and adversarial alliances, with a new security pact that marginalizes no one and includes a comprehensive, strong security component.

Preventing war

In the immediate term, the first priority for Armenian-Americans is to avoid a new war in the Caucasus. Azerbaijan is spending a huge sum of money on its armed forces, and specifically on arms designed for aggression. The president of Azerbaijan and his subordinates explicitly warn the world of their intention to go to war over Nagorno-Karabakh. Starting a new war would be an extremely ill-advised choice, but that knowledge is no guarantee of peace.

In its role as mediator of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the United States should first and foremost focus on preventing a new war. The administration should seek a commitment from all parties to the nonuse of force and to a political resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Persuading Azerbaijan to renounce the use of force will be a formidable challenge. But it also represents an opportunity for cooperation among regional adversaries: the United States and Iran, the United States and Russia, Georgia and Russia, Armenia and Turkey all can agree that avoiding the resumption of war in the Caucasus is something to work on together. This challenge is an opportunity for the first triumph of the administration's promised foreign policy of engagement.

Promoting peace and stability

Preventing a new war in the Caucasus is one part of a larger effort to secure a lasting peace.

The United States can and should do more to promote normal relations among neighbors in the south Caucasus. Open borders, shared highways, railways, and pipelines all contribute to shared prosperity and shared interests.

Certainly, such regional projects should never serve to isolate a friendly nation such as Armenia. In promoting large-scale regional projects, the administration should insist that Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey are all included. When arranging high-profile visits to or from the region, likewise, the administration should be inclusive.

As the parties continue to negotiate on Karabakh, the administration should end any restrictions on official contacts between U.S. and Karabakh officials, and allow U.S. assistance to be used for development as well as humanitarian projects. It should help diffuse tensions by supporting confidence-building measures designed to reduce tension in the region and build trust among the parties, including Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan.

Ending genocide in Darfur

Mr. Obama has made a historic commitment to preventing genocide and to ending the genocide in Darfur. It is a commitment we - as survivors and descendants of survivors of genocide - welcome and expect the president and his administration to act on quickly and decisively.

As part of that broader agenda, Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton are both explicitly committed to acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. We fully expect that the president will do so, and the secretary of state will move quickly to remove the gag rule imposed on U.S. diplomats with regard to what Ambassador Henry Morgenthau called "a campaign of race extermination."

Last week, as we set forth an Armenian-American agenda for the 111th Congress, we pointed to a number of other issues of interest to our community. Our expectations of the administration are along similar lines.

Turkey

The United States should maintain a nuanced approach to Turkey. Given its geographical position, and its status as a NATO ally and a moderate Muslim state, Turkey will remain important to the United States. For the relationship to grow and certainly for Turkey to be seen as any sort of model, the Obama administration should insist that Turkey meet three criteria: