Biden’s Historic Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

Joe Biden marked the end of an already eventful week by becoming the first U.S. President to formally recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915. The move was harshly criticised by President Erdoğan, who portrayed it as a “wrong step” that was “groundless and unfair”. The announcement comes only four months after the Trump administration officially recognised a genocide on the Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang.

At a time when tensions between Turkey and its Western allies are on the rise, Biden’s announcement further complicates the conundrum that transatlantic leaders will seek to resolve at the much anticipated NATO summit in June 2021.

Indeed, disputes regarding the purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems, Ankara’s involvement in Syria, Greek maritime sovereignty and franco-turkish naval clashes off the Libyan coast seem to confirm “the brain death of NATO” President Macron had warned about in November 2019.

Regardless, Turkey remains a strategic partner in the fight against violent extremist organisations in the Levant and the retention of major migration flows from Syria to the European Union. As such, it will be crucial for President Biden to find a sustainable balance between the administration’s core values and its practical strategic interests.