Reconciliation under the Shadow of Diaspora Politics: Some Lessons from the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC)

Öz

Abstract

Reconciliation is beyond diplomatic rapprochement and consequently strategic partnership in its maxim. It is irrelevant to transaction costs; moreover, “independent from them” since it is normative-oriented. Literature of reconciliation contains some concepts which cannot be “appreciated”, literally, in diplomatic realm, such as forgiving and forgetting, having theological connotations.  To the contrary, international relations literature generally accept that “primordial factors like ethnicity and religion had no part in rational explanations for the way the world works”(Fox and Sandler 2004: 9); and nobody appreciates any political decision that sacrifices national interest on the altar of  virtue. This study aims at elaborating on the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission which Turkey and Armenia had formed in 2001 within the framework of the aforementioned arguments.

Keywords: Reconciliation, TARC, Diaspora.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Reconciliation, TARC, Diaspora

DİYASPORA SİYASETİ GÖLGESİNDE UZLAŞMA: TÜRK-ERMENİ UZLAŞMA KOMİSYONU’NDAN BAZI DERSLER

Öz

Uzlaşma süreçleri diplomatik yakınlaşmalar ve en azamisinden stratejik ortaklıkların çok ötesindeki durumsallıkları ifade etmektedir. Normatif yönlü olduklarından diplomatik anlamda ilişki kurmanın beraberinde getirebileceği maliyetlerden tamamıyla bağımsızdırlar. Uzlaşma literatürü diplomatik platformda genel olarak önemsenmeyen, hatta ötesinde teolojik yönü bile bulunan bağışlamak ya da affetmek gibi kavramlara yer vermektedir. Bunun tersine uluslararası ilişkiler literatürüne bakıldığında etnisite ya da din gibi primordiyal faktörlerin dünyada işlerin nasıl yürüdüğüne dair akılcı açıklamalar içinde kendilerine pek yer bulamadıkları gözlemlenmektedir (Fox ve Sandler, 2004: 9). Dahası, kimse ulusal çıkarları erdemlilik altarında feda edecek politik kararları onaylamamaktadır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye ve Ermenistan arasında 2001 yılında oluşturulan Türk-Ermeni Uzlaşma Komisyonu’nu bu çerçeve içinde değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Uzlaşma, TARC, Diaspora

Kaynakça

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