(November 26, 2003) -- Author Peter Balakian faced a room of 100 people as he spoke about his book The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response at the Glendale Central Library Nov 6.

Balakian spoke for an hour and a half about the key dimensions of his book before answering questions from the audience. He spoke about the Armenian genocide being a landmark event, the United States’ initial response to it, the infrastructure of the genocide and the history of Turkish denial and American compliance.

“No genocide can be understood without an understanding of the Armenian genocide,” Balakian said. “It was a template for all other genocides.”

Balakian made statements about the historical significance of America’s response to the genocide. “It was America’s first international humanitarian effort,” Balakian repeatedly said. Among his evidence, he cited that in one decade approximately $110 million—the equivalent of about $2.5 billion of today’s currency—was raised to aid the starving Armenians.

When he spoke about the planning and infrastructure of the genocide, Balakian mentioned many policies Turkey implemented during the genocide. Among those that he addressed was the practice of releasing convicts in order to draft them into mobile killing squads. Balakian also spoke of what he termed “removing the voice of the culture” in which Turkish officials arrested and deported intellectual and spiritual leaders of the Armenian people.

Balakian also talked about Turkish denial and American compliance. According to Balakian, America’s attitudes changed with political culture in the United States. “Denial of genocide is the last step of genocide,” Balakian said about Turkey’s current attitudes. “It demonizes the victims and saves the perpetrators while it perpetuates that genocide needs no moral accountability.”