The United States government, by recognizing and officially commemorating the Armenian Genocide can help ensure that the lessons of this terrible crime against humanity are used to prevent future genocides against the Armenians or any other people.

The single greatest obstacle to this recognition is the Republic of Turkey, which, in spite of the overwhelming evidence documenting the Armenian Genocide, continues to pursue a well-funded campaign - in Washington, DC and throughout the world - to deny and ultimately erase from world history the 1.5 million victims of Ottoman Turkey's and later the Republic of Turkey's systematic and deliberate massacres and deportations of Armenians between 1915 and 1923.

Since 1982, successive U.S. Administrations, fearful of offending Turkey, have effectively supported the Turkish government's revisionism by opposing passage of Congressional Armenian Genocide resolutions and objecting to the use of the word "genocide" to describe the systematic destruction of the Armenian people.

The Administration, rather than supporting Turkey's denials, should pressure Turkey to come to terms with its past.

A just resolution of the Armenian Genocide would decrease regional tensions and open the door to improved Armenia - Turkey relations. As Turkey's main ally, the U.S. is well positioned to engage Turkey on this important regional and human rights issue.