Samantha Power could be of use for Armenian lobbying - analyst

Suren Sargsyan, Teaching Assistant, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, believes that US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power’s political connections and academic potential could be considered in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

“Before being appointed US Ambassador to the United Nations, she delivered lectures at leading US universities and did academic work. And the most important thing is her clear position on the Armenian Genocide. Over the past 20-25 years, she has been the highest-ranking US official to use the term ‘genocide’ in describing the events in 1915. This is a really unprecedented event,” Mr Sargsyan said.

In a speech hailing the work of Holocaust survivor and Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel, Samantha Power lamented the injustices that continue to this day. Among these, she listed: "Genocide denial against the Armenians."

In quoting Samantha Power, the Associated Press, puts the following question: “has the Obama administration quietly recognized the World War I-era killing of Armenians as genocide?”

“The term has long been taboo for U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, who have instead talked of mass atrocity and historical tragedy. But Obama's UN ambassador last week went further than her boss by describing the event as genocide,” the article reads. 

Samantha Power’s personality, her connections and potential can be of use also after her resignation, Sargsyan, said adding that the US official can have her contribution to genocide research and Armenian studies.

 

Meantime, the expert noted that Power had been earlier sacked as advisor to President Obama after branding Hillary Clinton a “monster”.

“The United States’ ambassador to the UN is considered an integral part of the administration, i.e. – enjoys almost a minister’s status. So her political weight should be estimated accordingly for using her as a lobbyist,” he said, recommending that the Armenian lobbyist organizations in the US collaborate with Power.  

 

An important moment, Sargsyan said, was that Power did not incur administrative liabilities for using “genocide” (as opposed to John Evans, a former US ambassador to Armenia, who was recalled after using the word, getting stripped off all his titles).

 

He described Power’s move as a clear-worded diplomatic stance to which the administration adopted a balanced approach despite its repeated attempts to avoid the use of the proper legal definition.