The news arrives today that Armenia and Turkey have decided to establish diplomatic relations.
It is typical of this dysfunctional relationship that no date has been set for such relations to actually kick in, and none of the thorny issues dividing the two countries (the genocide, Nagorno-Karabagh, etc.) are close to being resolved. But it’s as if both sides have been reading B.F. Skinner and decided that they would start acting as if they could talk to one another; over time perhaps they would begin to feel as if they could talk and do even more with one another. By acting as if things were normal, normalcy would become a habit, with cycles of positive reinforcement, and trust could be established; difficult topics could be addressed calmly, and the faces of the present would replace the ghosts of the past.
Undoubtedly the thinking behind this joint action was more complex than this, the rationales more nuanced. One can only hope that the simple act itself will blossom and bear fruit, not just in Turkey and Armenia but in the diaspora as well.
