(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)January 27, 2014

(MAHWAH, NJ)  –“Russo-Turkish Relations and the Armenian Community of the Ottoman Empire” was the title of a talk given by Dr. George A. Bournoutian at Ramapo College of New Jersey on September 24, 2013. The Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the History Club of Ramapo College cosponsored the program

On the faculty of Iona College, New Rochelle, New York since 1986, where he is the Senior Professor of History, Dr. Bournoutian examined the impact of Russo-Turkish conflict since the mid-nineteenth century on the fate of the Armenian community of the Ottoman Empire.

Far from being a zero sum game, as Bornoutian explained, for Tsarist Russia the diplomatic and political problems posed by the decay of the Ottoman Empire constituted an opportunity to gain influence and territory on Turkey’s eastern and  western frontiers. As a Christian minority primarily residing in the eastern reaches of Ottoman territory, the Armenians were almost inevitably involved in the long decades of struggle that only ended with the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide.

As Russia extended its border southwards, it became increasingly involved with Ottoman affairs. Not only because Russia gained control of a swathe of Armenian territory, but also because of its support of Serbian and Romanian indepedence did Armenians increasingly view Russia as its champion vis-a-vis the Ottomans. This potentially incendiary development, according to Bournoutian, fueled a steady deterioration of  Armenian-Turkish relations that was exacerbated by the onset of the First World War.

Born in Ishfahan, Iran, Dr. Bournoutian is the author of more than two dozen books and numerous articles on the history of Armenia, Georgia, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Iran, and Azerbaijan. His book, A Concise History of the Armenian People, published by Mazda Publishers and already in its 6th edition (some 20,000 copies sold), is the basic text for most Armenian courses offered in the US. It has been translated into Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, and Armenian, with editions in Japanese, Persian and Russian forthcoming.

In addition to his post at Iona College, he has held visiting appointments at Columbia University, Tufts University, New York University, Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut, California State University at Fresno, and Ramapo College. Professor Bournoutian lives in Haworth, New Jersey, is an avid world traveler and is fluent in eight languages. He holds B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in History from the University of California at Los Angeles.

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