Turkish media are reporting that an explosion in Istanbul's main square has injured some 15 people.

I am not in any way a supporter of any violence that has been committed in the past. let me just start by saying that.

Now, what I cant seem to understand is why the armenian community especially in the US, is so hell bent on bringing up an issue that happened 100 years ago! its unbelievable, instead of whining and moaning about that, why not actually do something, all armenians can do is cry about what happened 100 years ago. Well then why dont we just put the entire egyptian parliament and half the egyptian population in prison and fine them for enslaving jews 1000 years ago for making them build the pyramids?

To be honest, my opinion is you have to come to the table as a big wig to bargain at that table, have some force. Some people do it by being dictator (ahmedinejad, Jong il).

but as of now , to me all the armenians have is kim kardashians big behind.

anyway i find it not only incredibly rude, but just stupid that armenians are constantly commenting on "genocide" under an article that has nothing to do with it.

Listen buddies, nobody is going to listen to you especially right now when turkeys the second fastest growing economy, 16th largest in the world, and is increasing its regional power, so yeah i guess all you can do is comment about genocide under articles thatre irrelevant to that subject. go you !

You lost me at "illegal blockade of the border with Armenia". Turkey blocked border trade with Armenia following the Armenian annexation of Azeri territory. Last I checked, countries are allowed to close their borders if they decide they want to.

Perhaps you were thinking of the closure of Turkey's ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus (which is mutual). While not illegal, it does impede Turkey's efforts to join the EU.

For that matter, the occupation of North Cyprus, while far from an ideal situation, was a response to Greek ethnic cleansing of Turkish Cypriots.

You really do no favors for Cypriots, Armenians, or Kurds with such bias. The Turks are (generalization coming up) a proud, touchy people. Observers--such as myself--would like for them to take pride in the steps they have taken in improving democracy and human rights, and thus to continue on that path.

Lastly: You claim that Turkey will never become a democratic country without accepting these claims. Perhaps the fact that Turks vote in elections does not qualify it for status of a democracy? As mentioned in the article, Turkey is a flawed democracy, but is headed in a liberal democratic trajectory. Many countries that claim the title 'democratic' do not do as well.

Turkey has been offered full EU membership and of course Aliza is right in highlighting Turkish progress on HR issues but:-

A. The Kurdish problem
The Kurdish problem is ongoing! It goes back 100+ years ! Shouldn't that make a difference? What does that say about the Turkish republic's frame of reference?

B. The Cyprus problem
Oh the Turkish "intervention" in Cyprus goes back 35 odd years ago and as far as I know there are ongoing talks to resolve the problem! Does it matter that the Cyprus problem goes back 60 odd years ago ... oh and even longer when the Greeks were living under Turkish occupation and were treated as .. dimmies!?? Sure it does! Even the Young Turks were not happy with the Sultan!

Oh the TSK peace operation in Cyprus stopped after it ethnically cleansed and divided the island into two. Sure the Greeks themselves committed atrocities and the Greek junta overthrew a democratically elected president with 97% of the vote. Does that justify capturing just c. 37% of the island (??!). It was a big chunk my friend and... oh the TSK stopped when the Americans started asking questions otherwise, the TSK might have captured more ground! Oh and TODAY there are more settlers from the Turkish mainland than there are Turkish Cypriots! I trust that you appreciate American, UK, EU, etc. insistence that Israel should confront the settlements issue!

C. Armenia
Oh and about Armenia and irrelevance (!) please next time spare us the comments on Kim Kardassian!

The fact is that the Armenians took up arms in Nagorno-Karabagh partly because they did not want a repetition of what they suffered 100 or 200 years ago in the hands of the Turks (see I didn' t even call it "genocide" to avoid hurting the Turks' reputation!). Turkey responded by blocking the Armenian-Turkish border and will not open it UNTIL AFTER their Azeri "brothers" have resolved the Azeris' problem with Armenia. I assume that you know how Erdogan led Turkish FP on this subject ...

The fact is that modern Turkey ITSELF thinks--and rightly so--that it is the successor of the Turkish nation and that the "genocide" charge hurts today' s Turks and their PRESENT reputation. SEE for yourself how the Turkish republic has been detracting Kurdish aspirations in Aliza's OWN book on the Kurds. Not too long ago the Kurds were mere "mountain Turks" ... they did not EVEN exist! It’ s not a case of Vaclav Havel' s velvet divorce or Tony Blair’ s referendum on devolution!

Contrast Turkish behaviour with the Germans' contrition on the way they treated the Jews. Sadly the Turks are earning THEMSELVES a reputation ... Of course there is a degree to which their enemies and the enemies they themselves have created during the long dark years of Turkish occupation, oppression, denigration of Christians, and denial of genocide are maligning THEIR name. At least IN TURKEY they may deal with malignment because insulting "Turkishness" is a crime under even the CURRENT Turkish criminal code!

Nevertheless, Aliza herself and others are blindsided by the following:

(1) Erdogan' current commitment to full EU membership is no proof of democratic credentials. It would be naive to miss the point that without the EU accession process Erdogan, Gul and AKP would find it very difficult to deal with the generals and the Kemalist establishment.

(2) Today's liberal democratic models are not a panacea for FP and security escapades: case-in-point, the Turkish National Security Council has cross-haired Israel! It has been officially pronounced as a threat to Turkey! This indicates that the top echelons of the Kemalist elite have been decapitated by AKP. Israel itself and its settlement policy--as you know--have been publicly faulted by the US and the EU notwithstanding the fact that Israel is widely regarded as a liberal democracy.

You will recall how secretary Albright and the EU reacted to the election results in Austria in the 1990's! Democracy will not of itself heal societal miasmas such as oppressing the foreigner or the poor, suppressing free speech, religious discrimination, lack of the rule of law, etc.

Aliza should focus on societal needs, actual policies, impact and INTENTION, and the worldview and circumstances that have birthed the policies.

(3) The present ills of liberal democracies (e.g. high unemployment; sovereign debt; drugs; crime; STDs; home-brew terrorism; family breakdown; social disintegration; low birth rates and demographic deficits; illegal immigration; the unravelling of public education, social security and public health systems; huge consumer debt, etc.) are a lot!! Liberal democracies merely facilitate free discussion of social and economic and political problems... they do not necessarily deliver solutions! In fact demagoguery impedes solutions. In point of fact a lot of people in the Turkey and the ME & NA fault the liberal democracies for creating or fostering such problems. They even accuse liberal democracies for liberachio morals or even the lack of them. Earlier generation liberals including Gladstone (!) would agree with them!! The problem with today's «liberals» is that they are extremely secular and militant to the point of intolerance of other people’ s views. Moreover, at the individual adult level almost anything goes at the . This is anathema to people in the ME & NA and they just will not accept it. In fact the secular void is part of the reason for the delegitimization of secularism and the ascendency of Islam in Turkey!

There is always a difference between the normative and the real. Of course Armenians and Turks or the French and the Germans for that matter, should forgive and seek to help each other ... but what beggars belief is that one is not even being real let alone normative by not facing the legacy of damage and by denying the fact that it happened!