Ottomans and Armenians

Transcription

1 Ottomans and Armenians

2 Also by Edward J. Erickson Mustafa Kemal Atat ü rk Strategic Water; Iraq, Water and Security in the Euphrates-Tigris Basin, coauthored with F. M. Lorenz Gallipoli, The Ottoman Campaign, published in Turkish as Gelibolu, Osmanl ĭ Cephesi A Military History of the Ottoman s, from Osman to Ataturk, coauthored with Mesut Uyar By the Light of a Candle, The Diaries of a Reserve Officer in the Ottoman Army: The WW1 Diaries of Ragip Nurettin Ege, translated by Gunes Ege-Akter, annotated by Edward Erickson Gallipoli and the Middle East , From the Dardanelles to Mesopotamia, Published in Swedish as F ö rsta V ä rldskriget Del 5: Gallipoli och Mellan ö stern, published in Turkish as Birinci D ü nya Sava şı nda Osmanl ı : D ü nya Sava ş Tarihi Ottoman Army Effectiveness in W.W.I: A Comparative Study, published in Turkish as D ü nya Sava ş nda Osmanl ı Ordusu ( Ç anakkale, Kut ü l-amare ve Filistin Cephesi) Defeat in Detail, The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, , published in Turkish as Balkan Harplerinde Osmanl ı Ordusu Ordered To Die, A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War, published in Turkish as Size Ö lmeyi Emrediyorum! Bininci D ü nya Sava ş nda Osmanl ı Ordusu The Euphrates Triangle, Security Implications of the Southeast Anatolia Project, coauthored with F. M. Lorenz

3 Ottomans and Armenians A Study in Counterinsurgency Edward J. Erickson

4 OTTOMANS AND ARMENIANS Copyright Edward J. Erickson, Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition All rights reserved. First published in 2013 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United States a division of St. Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number , of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: November

5 This book is dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Stanford J. Shaw (emeritus UCLA and Bilkent University) and to Professor Dennis Showalter, Colorado College, both of whom gave me incredible encouragement and support as a novice author and historian

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7 Contents List of Maps, Figures, and Table Acknowledgments ix xi Introduction 1 1 Insurgency by Committee 7 2 Counterinsurgency in the Empire s Core 39 3 Counterinsurgency in the Periphery 57 4 A Template for Destruction 79 5 Invisible Armies 97 6 Readiness for War Irregular War in Caucasia and in the Levant Enemies Within A New Course of Action Aftermath 213 Appendix A: The Relocation Antitheses 223 Notes 231 Bibliography 281 Index 291

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9 Maps, Figures, and Table Maps 1.1 Ottoman core provinces in Armenian arms smuggling routes Distribution of Ottoman Armenian population, Locations of Ottoman army corps in August Locations of Ottoman army corps in December Ottoman lines of communication Large communities of Ottoman Armenians, Locations of Ottoman army corps in July Distribution of Armenians remaining in Ottoman provinces, Figures 1.1 The Armenian ARF committee structure, The Armenian ARF committee structure, Table 10.1 Distribution of Armenians remaining in

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11 Acknowledgments I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many friends and colleagues who have helped me in the writing of this book. Without their generous and willing support, as well as critical commentary, I could not have written Ottomans and Armenians. Let me first identify Professor Hakan Yavuz, who teaches at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, without whose unstinting and creative quest to help me find a publisher this book would still be an unpublished manuscript on my desk. Hakan connected me with my editor, Dr. Farideh Koohi-Kamali, at Palgrave Macmillan Publishing, who had the intellectual courage to support this work, in spite of its political incorrectness and contravention of our received historical wisdom. I would also like to thank Sara Doskow, also at Palgrave Macmillan, for her advice and guidance in steering me through the publication process. My appreciation goes to Newgen Knowledge Works for their unfailing support, patience, and careful work. A number of my colleagues have been instrumental in leading me toward information and research opportunities that have been critical in framing my understanding of this subject. First among equals is my close friend and coauthor Professor Mesut Uyar (retired colonel, Turkish Army) at the University of New South Wales. Mesut s tireless efforts in guiding me with midcourse corrections and offering new information have had a monumental impact on this book. My friend and independent scholar Dr. Garabet Moundijian, obviously of Armenian heritage but wonderfully open-minded to the Ottoman experience, provided me with extremely valuable counterpoints and supporting information about the Armenian revolutionary committees. My very good friend and colleague Dr. Y ü cel G üç l ü, a Turkish diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided me with much information on the Ottoman narrative and sources. Finally, Professor Guenter Lewy, professor emeritus from the University of Massachusetts, was particularly helpful in sending me in search of German archival materials. These four scholars were kind enough to read portions of my manuscript and I acknowledge their monumental contributions in lending whatever balance I have achieved in this book.

12 xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Over the past years, I have enjoyed a number of personal conversations with scholars about the events detailed in this book. These include: Ara Sarafian from the Gomidas Institute; Suleyman Gok ç e and Ela G ö rkem from the Republic of Turkey s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Professor Michael Reynolds of Princeton University, whose comments have been very valuable to me. Likewise, a number of scholars have read and commented on the manuscript. These include: Professor Jeremy Salt of Bilkent University, independent scholar Dr. Hilmar Kaiser, Professor Re ş it Engener of Bosporus University, and David Saltzman of Saltzman and Evinch Law Partners. I also acknowledge the following individuals who have supported my efforts with encouragement and friendship: Professor Nur Bilge Criss at Bilkent University, Professor Michael Gunter at Tennessee Tech, Professor Dave Cuthell at Columbia University, Dr. Sinan Ciddi at the Institute of Turkish Studies, Professor Sean McMeekin at Kac University, Professor Doug Streusand and Professor Pauletta Otis at the Marine Corps University, Dean of Academics Dr. Doug McKenna at the Marine Corps Command & Staff College, Dr. Turhan Bykan in the United States, and Mr. Haluk Oral in Istanbul, Turkey. Much of my research was conducted in Turkey and a number of friends, old and new, were of immense help in hosting and supporting my trips to Ankara. These are: PhD candidate Marlene Elwell from Bilkent University, independent scholar Mr. Bulent Yilmazer, independent scholar Ms. Sevin Elekda ğ, the current director of the Turkish military archives (ATASE) Colonel Suat Akg ü l, and former director Dr. Ahmet Tetik (retired colonel, Turkish Army), translator at the military archives Mr. Yusuf Serdar Demirta ş, and Ambassador (retired) Ö mer Engin L ü tem of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I would also like to gratefully acknowledge the University of Utah Press for allowing me to use material I have published in War and Diplomacy, The Russo-Turkish War of and the Treaty of Berlin (M. Hakan Yavuz and Peter Sluglett (eds.); Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2011) and the Chief of the Australian Army for material I have published in 1911, Preliminary Moves (Peter Dennis and Jeffrey Grey (eds); Canberra: Big Sky Publishing, 2011). I would also like to thank Professor (Emeritus) John Hall of Saint Lawrence University and Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper (USMC, retired) for allowing me to quote their wisdom. The superb maps included in this book are the work of my former command and staff college student and good friend Mr. Nick Sims

13 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii of Woodbridge, Virginia and Professor Justin McCarthy at the University of Louisville. Finally, I gratefully acknowledge the encouragement, support, and love given to me by my fianc é e, Jennifer Collins, without whose willingness to leave me alone in isolation, I could not have finished this book.