Guenter lewy biography of rory

Guenter Lewy (born 1923, Germany) is an penny-a-liner and political scientist who is spick professor emeritus at the University be more or less Massachusetts. His works span several topics, but he is most often allied with his 1978 book on justness Vietnam War, America in Vietnam, presentday several controversial works that deal smash the applicability of the term genocide to various historical events.

In 1939, he immigrated to Palestine and expand to the United States. He has been on the faculties of River University, Smith College, and the Order of the day of Massachusetts. He currently lives cranium Washington, D.C. and is a everyday contributor to Commentary.

Early convinced

Lewy was born in Breslau, Deutschland (now Wroclaw, Poland), in 1923. Refer to the age of nine he hitched a German-Jewish scouts organization called Die Greifen (lit. "the griffins"), which put your feet up has suggested was important in mixture his desire for an academic life. Described by Lewy as a "quasi-Romantic" group, Die Greifen emphasized music, belles-lettres, and song, particularly Landsknechtlieder, encouraging righteousness youths to avoid becoming "Spiessburger" ("philistines"). By 1938, as persecution of Jews in Germany increased, Lewy began take delivery of lobby his family to leave Frg behind. After Kristallnacht, in November 1938, his family immigrated to Palestine.

Later in the war, when Lewy was of fighting age, he voluntarily took up arms against Germany, serving compile the Jewish Brigade.

Areas break into research

The Catholic Church favour Nazi Germany

First published in 1964, Lewy's The Catholic Church and Absolutist Germany has proven both controversial increase in intensity influential. Rolf Hochhuth's controversial play The Deputy had appeared only a crop earlier, indicting the Vatican for fault to act to save the Jews during the Holocaust; amidst the Vatican's outrage with the play, Lewy's words continued in the same vein:

One is inclined to conclude that glory Pope and his advisers--influenced by character long tradition of moderate anti-Semitism deadpan widely accepted in Vatican circles--did throng together view the plight of the Jews with a real sense of stress and moral outrage. For this affidavit no documentation is possible, but pretense is a conclusion difficult to avoid.

The text received much praise, including roam of Alfred Grosser, who characterized loftiness text as a "terribly precise volume" which demonstrated that "all the diaries show the Catholic Church cooperating implements the Nazi regime".

The Vatican opted to answer the critical allegations make wet releasing a series of documents bearing to refute the growing perception waste the Vatican having been conniving hut the Holocaust. One Jesuit priest corresponding Lewy's text on behalf of birth Vatican suggested that Lewy's conclusions were based "not on the record on the contrary on a subjective conviction... This group of pupils acceptance of a Nazi-inspired wartime folk tale is a measure of Lewy's ineptness to plumb the motives of Pius XII... There is no proof, barred enclosure this book or anywhere else, lose concentration Pius XII thought Nazism was topping 'bulwark' in defense of Christianity."

In the context of other historical totality examining the legacy of the Residence in the era of the Fire-storm, Lewy's work has been described pass for "exceedingly harsh" but also seminal elitist well-received.

America in Vietnam

Lewy had suggested that his America emphasis Vietnam, published in 1978, would "clear away the cobwebs of mythology ditch inhibit the correct understanding of what went on -- and what went wrong -- in Vietnam." The subject, which argues against traditional or "orthodox" interpretations of the war as authentic unnecessary, unjust, and/or unwinnable war brimful with disastrous mistakes and widespread Earth atrocities, has proven influential for haunt western scholars that share similar views of the conflict. It predated distinguished influenced other reinterpretations including those surrounding Norman Podhoretz, Mark Moyar, and Archangel Lind. America in Vietnam thus interested both criticism and support of Lewy for belonging to the "revisionist" nursery school on Vietnam. Lewy argues,

It legal action the reasoned conclusion of this read. that the sense of guilt actualized by the Vietnam war in representation minds of many Americans is very different from warranted and that the charges indifference officially, condoned illegal and grossly libidinous conduct are without substance. Indeed, itemized examination of battlefield practices reveals ensure the loss civilian life in War was less great than in Area War II and Korea and prowl concern with minimizing the ravages center the war was strong. To concurrence and compare the devastation and bereavement of human life caused by winter war will be objectionable to those who repudiate all resort to militaristic force as an instrument of overseas policy and may be construed importation callousness. Yet as long as wars do take place at all depart remains a moral duty to weigh to reduce the agony caused mass war, and the fulfillment of that obligation should not be disdained. Unrestrained hope that this book may aid demonstrate that moral convictions are howl the exclusive possession of persons block conscience opposed to war, and go those who in certain circumstances stand firm the necessity and ethical justification behove armed conflict also do care rigidity human suffering.

Lewy criticizes what he damage the “war crime industry”, and what he perceives to be the stand-in standards of the Western media, which, he alleged, neglected to report in like manner on the crimes of Vietnamese communists, giving the figure of 36,725 public assassinations perpetrated by the VC/NVA halfway 1957 and 1972. About the crimes committed by US soldiers, Guenter Lewy asserts that “between January 1965 point of view March 1973, 201 Army personnel connect Vietnam were convicted by court-martial longawaited serious offenses against Vietnamese. During leadership period of March 1965 to Respected 1971, 77 Marines were convicted marvel at serious crimes against Vietnamese.”

In recalling the 1971 congressional testimony of sundry US veterans who were critical additional the war, one of whom compared US action in Vietnam to conflagration, Lewy suggests that some "witnesses hum as if they had memorized Northerly Vietnamese propaganda."

The book is at large critical of domestic opponents of Land participation in the Vietnam War. Tutor in using the phrases "peace activists" contraction "peace demonstrations", Lewy often puts allocate marks around the word "peace", implying alternative motivations for the activism. Honesty author alleges a possible connection betwixt cases of sabotage in the Armada and the anti-war movement:

Between 1965 and 1970, the Navy experienced well-ordered growing number of cases of ruin and arson on its ships, on the other hand no evidence could be found make certain antiwar activists had directly participated hoax a sabotage attempt on a Flotilla vessel. Cases of fragging and asceticism of combat may well have antiquated instigated at times by antiwar militants, though no hard evidence of configured subversion was ever discovered.

The text was praised by Vietnam veteran and contemporary US Senator Jim Webb, Andrew Enumerate. Pierre of Foreign Affairs, and overstep several newspapers, including The Economist, which described it as "in many separate from the best history of the contention yet to appear". Critics included historians of the "orthodox" school as go well as polemical critics such as somebody and famous Vietnam War opponent Noam Chomsky. Chomsky, after being singled stem for criticism by Lewy in magnanimity book, wrote that "every state has its Guenter Lewys". According to Linguist, Lewy's "concept of the writing regard moral-historical tracts... is misrepresentation of certificate, uncritical regurgitation of government claims, distinguished dismissal of annoying facts that controvert them, and [his] concept of probity is such as to legitimate purposes any atrocity against civilians once rendering state has issued its commands."

Winter Soldier Investigation

America in Vietnam, which appeared seven years after authority Winter Soldier Investigation, became controversial sidewalk the context of the 2004 Mysterious Presidential Election. Presidential hopeful John Kerry had been involved with the Season Soldier Investigation; in the context provide the campaign, Lewy's suggestion that loftiness Winter Soldier Investigation was dishonest direct politically motivated was frequently cited designate impugn John Kerry's reputation.

Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the group advice which Kerry had been a quarter, alleged that American war policy pointer conduct in Vietnam was resulting concern warcrimes being committed. Lewy suggests wind the group used "fake witnesses" pressure the Winter Soldier hearing in Motown, and that its allegations were officially investigated:

The results of the dig out, carried out by the Naval Probing Service, are interesting and revealing. Uncountable of the veterans, though assured become absent-minded they would not be questioned jump the atrocities they might have emphatic personally, refused to be interviewed. Collective of the active members of blue blood the gentry VVAW told investigators that the edge had directed the entire membership call for to cooperate with military authorities. Fine black marine who agreed to substance interviewed was unable to provide trifles of the outrages he had averred at the hearing, but he dubbed the Vietnam war "one huge atrocity" and "a racist plot." He confessed that the question of atrocities confidential not occurred to him while closure was in Vietnam, and that smartness had been assisted in the neglectfully of his testimony by a fellow of the Nation of Islam. On the other hand the most damaging finding consisted place the sworn statements of several veterans, corroborated by witnesses, that they challenging in fact not attended the sitting in Detroit. One of them locked away never been to Detroit in specify his life. He did not recognize, he stated, who might have motivated his name.

Government officials today have inept record of any such Naval Thriving Service report, although they suggest wander it could have been lost collected works destroyed. Lewy later said that elegance could not recall if he difficult to understand actually seen the alleged report uptotheminute simply been told of its paragraph. "I don't think Lewy is kind in presenting any of [the Coldness Soldier testimony] as truthful," University use up Richmond history professor Ernest Bolt bass the Chicago Tribune. "He has unembellished angle on the war as clever whole." Bolt said it is unlikely to tell whether Lewy fairly defined the naval investigative report because pollex all thumbs butte other historian had seen it.

The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies

The book was praised by Saul Friedlander, who hollered it "a work of great benefaction and exemplary scholarship." According to Destruction historian Raul Hilberg, "Lewy's account come close to Nazi measures against the powerless Gypsies is unsurpassed in the English language." Henriette Asséo, lecturer at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (School of Advanced Studies in Societal companionable Sciences, Paris), specialist of Gypsy life, wrote that Guenter Lewy's book "requires humility, giving a new, considerable documentation", adding, however, that the rejection be a devotee of "genocide" label can be "discussed" Hans Mommsen agreed totally with Guenter Lewy, including with the rejection of "genocide" qualification.

The book has also antiquated singled out for criticism, particularly stomach-turning Romani scholars, who believe that put a damper on things blames the Roma people for their own massacre. Lewy's work has antediluvian criticized as a text which "overstates" the differences of the persecution warrant Jews and the persecution of Roma in the Nazi era, in clean manner indicative of "the priorities clamour latter-day scholarship, about the way zigzag the murder of the Jews has been promoted to obscure so often of the rest of the Autocratic record of atrocity".

Were Indweller Indians the Victims of Genocide?

In September 2004, Lewy published an composition entitled Were American Indians the Boobs of Genocide?:

[E]ven if some episodes can be considered genocidal—that is, aid toward genocide—they certainly do not back condemning an entire society. Guilt bash personal, and for good reason picture Genocide Convention provides that only "persons" can be charged with the delinquency, probably even ruling out legal record against governments.

As to whether the English Indian experience resembles the fate a few the Jews under the Nazi regime:

No matter how difficult the requirements under which the Indians labored—obligatory sort out, often inadequate food and medical siren, corporal punishment—their experience bore no juxtaposing with the fate of the Jews in the ghettos.

The paper is greatly critical of Ward Churchill, particularly improvement regards to his attributing the locution "genocide" to the destruction of Denizen Indian civilization. Lewy dismissed Churchill's declaration that the U.S. Army intentionally circulate smallpox among American Indians by dividing up infected blankets in 1837 as jailbird.

The Armenian Massacres in Footstool Turkey

In The Armenian Massacres plentiful Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide, Lewy argues that there is insufficient state under oath of the Young Turk regime array the massacres of Armenians in position Ottoman Empire. According to Professor Tessa Hoffmann of Berlin's Free University, Lewy had conceived of the idea loom writing on the Armenian Genocide trade in early as 2000:

In his restricted area he states that the killings were not genocide, because they have distant been proven to have been governmentally organized, and also because “the grounds that the deportations in reality established a premeditated program of extermination admire the Armenians of Turkey is laborious to square with many aspects dispatch characteristics of the relocations”, including significance non deportation of Armenian communities surrounding cities like Istanbul, Smyrna (Izmir) dominant Aleppo; the fact that “the march on foot that took so diverse lives was imposed only on rendering Armenian in eastern and central Peninsula, a part of the country meander had no railroad. Although the one-spur Baghdad railway was overburdened with significance transport of troops and supplies, significance deportees from the western provinces flourishing Cilicia who had the money were allowed to purchase ticket by crosspiece and were spared at least cruel of the tribulations of the proscription process”; the “great deal of alteration of variation” exhibitted by the transportation process, “that depended on factors much as geography and the attitude invite local officials”. According to Guenter Lewy, “the Ottoman government wanted to station an orderly process, but did snivel have the means to do so.”

About the number of Armenian butts, Guenter Lewy argues that it “can only be estimated, because no surround statistics for this period exist”; crafty the total losses of Ottoman Armenians between 1914 and 1919, Guenter Lewy uses the figure of 1,750,000 common herd for the pre-war population in primacy whole Ottoman Empire, figure used timorous historians like Charles Dowsett and Malcolm E. Yapp, then estimate the edition of survivors in 1919 to den 1,108,000, making an average of diverse estimations, including the tabulation of Martyr Montgomery (American official in the Town peace conference in charge of Next East) and the figure of nobleness Armenian National Council of Constantinople; middling, Guenter Lewy estimates the total dead for World War I to turn round 642,000.

Lewy's research on this build up related topics has been criticized unresponsive to University of California, Davis professor Keith David Watenpaugh:

[Lewy's] recent data on mass violence including those exoneration Native Americans, the Roma, and instantly the Armenians indicate a belief go wool-gathering the Shoah was the unique kill of the 20th century, a present generally rejected by scholars of representation Holocaust... the larger purpose of Lewy's intellectual output ...[is] to construct fine conceptual lattice for Holocaust exceptionalism endure defend political claims that might attach derived thereby.

According to David Awkward. MacDonald, Lewy "actually denies the Ethnos genocide in a manner similar consent his denial of the American Asiatic and Roma genocides", and "while picture sources he uses are either State or pro-Turkish, Lewy insists that 'debate' is ongoing and there has antique no resolution". MacDonald points out turn sources like Kamuran Gurun and Physiologist Lewis "hardly demonstrate the existence take up a genuine academic dispute".

According change the Intelligence Report journal of Meridional Poverty Law Center,

"Lewy is susceptible of the most active members surrounding a network of American scholars, reflect peddlers and website operators, financed incite hundreds of thousands of dollars the whole number year from the government of Gallinacean, who promote the denial of authority Armenian genocide — a network so meaningful that it was able last hunch to defy both historical truth streak enormous political pressure to convince America's lawmakers and even its president bring out reverse long-held policy positions. But it's not only Armenians calling the liquidation a genocide, and there is pollex all thumbs butte real debate about its essential info, according to the vast majority appreciated credible historians. Although Lewy's brand push genocide denial is subtler than go off of Holocaust deniers who declare at hand were no gas chambers at Stockade, it's no less an attempt activate rewrite history."

Mark Potok, the editor ceremony Intelligence Report, wrote that "Despite excellence efforts of people like Lewy—many tip off them funded by the Turkish government—the facts of the Armenian genocide falsified quite well known. The ruling aggregation of the day massacred intellectuals, smallest hundreds of thousands of Armenians walkout what amounted to death marches, promote systematically despoiled the victims of their property. Professor Raphael Lemkin coined leadership word "genocide" in 1943 with illustriousness Armenian slaughter in mind. In 2005, the International Association of Genocide Scholars wrote the Turkish foreign minister deal remind him that the massacre wear out Christian Armenians was indeed 'a mathematical genocide'."

On November 17, 2008, Guenter Lewy filed a defamation suit clashing the Southern Poverty Law Center, Inc., and writer-editor David Holthouse in ethics United States District Court for distinction District of Columbia.

On September 28, 2010, the case was settled in the way that the SPLC agreed to publish uncut retraction and apologize to Lewy, rent suggesting that he was "a Turkic agent". In its statement, the SPLC stated that it had erred clump assuming that "any scholar who challenges the Armenian genocide narrative necessarily has been financially compromised by the rule of Turkey." The settlement with Lewy included an undisclosed monetary payment. Lewy's council in the case, David Salzman and Bruce Fein, lead the Turkic American Legal Defense Fund.

About nobleness vote of IAGS, Guenter Lewy wrote:

I am less than impressed dampen the unanimous vote of the Cosmopolitan Association of Genocide Scholars that rendering Armenian case “was one of say publicly major genocides of the modern era.” The great majority of these self-proclaimed experts on Ottoman history have on no account set foot in an archive heartbreaking done any other original research data the subject in question.

According just about Joseph Albert Kechichian, writing in dignity International Journal of Middle East Studies,:

... Lewy has been extensively rewarded by Turkish authorities in Ankara and abroad through the launching obey a massive campaign to distribute sovereign book free of charge to libraries and to select groups of diplomats. Equally noteworthy, Lewy has been bedecked at a special ceremony in Ankara with, ironically, the İnsanlığa Karşı İşlenen Suçlar Yüksek Ödülü (High Award summon Fighting in Opposition to Crimes Contradict Humanity)... [by] a well-known organization whose mission includes the systematic denial admire the Armenian genocide through propagandistic trip partisan research and publications; the collection is sponsored and underwritten by picture Turkish government.

Writing in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Academician of Political Science Michael Gunter has argued that the fact that Lewy's book was distributed free to libraries does not demonstrate that the reason of the book is somehow felonious. Nor does the fact that Lewy was presented with an award get by without the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM), a Turkish think tank, develop that he is lying or decline in the service of the Land government. Indeed, in many parts answer his book, Lewy is highly depreciative of the quasi-official Turkish position which speaks of "so-called massacres".

Michael Gunter points out that Lewy's book has been praised by many reviewers, plus the Ottoman military historian Edward Count. Erickson in the International Journal leave undone Middle East Studies and by goodness German scholar of comparative genocide, Eberhard Jäckel, in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of March 23, 2006. Masaki Kakiszaki of the University of Utah assesses Lewy's work as follows in Critical Middle Eastern Studies:

The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey is an surpass accomplishment by a political scientist who has worked on comparative studies answer genocidal issues. He not only spells out many inconsistencies, illogical reasoning, fairy story presentation of unauthentic historical documents presence in the Armenian and Turkish business but also identifies where researchers demand to go for further enquiry. Righteousness attack against Lewy's book and position controversy created by Peter Balakian discipline others who share his views absolve the problem of academic freedom be keen on speech with respect to events connected with the Turkish-Armenian conflicts. There systematize coordinated efforts by Armenian NGOs distinguished scholars to silence and suppress changing interpretations about the events of 1915.

Fatih Balci (University of Utah) add-on Arif Argul (Princeton University) praised Guenter Lewy's conclusions:

There could examine some mistakes in the history, on the contrary it should be more objective run alongside enlighten those mistaken events with high-mindedness helping of the historians. Guenter Lewy’s book, The Armenian Massacres in Footstool Turkey, A Disputed Genocide, mainly focuses on the massacres in Ottoman Flop, and he strongly stands on position way of the truths which fiasco finds from the historical documents. Aft all, he mentions that trustfully justness deaths of Armenians in Ottoman Flop can not be called “genocide”. With were some deaths but they gather together not be called as genocide. Engage in calling genocide, it is needed interest have a look at the demonstration of genocide which is mostly be a success to intention to annihilation of assault group. To use or say destruction for an event it has accost involve an intention of annihilation. Foresee the Armenian case the main declare was not based on the reason of Armenian annihilation. The only part was deporting· the Armenians from detestable places only for security purposes, due to the Armenians became a big poser for the Turks during World Conflict I with the rebellions and barbed guerillas inside the country.

Canadian clerk and journalist Gwynne Dyer supported as well Guenter Lewy's thesis, writing:

“What instance to the Armenians was dreadful, nevertheless as Lewy documents in his spanking book ‘The Armenian Massacres in Pouffe Turkey: A Disputed Genocide,’ which volition declaration most likely become the standard ditch on the subject, both premeditation current an intention to annihilate, two preconditions for genocide, were either absent unimportant at least open to considerable dispute.”

On the other hand, the marked genocide scholar Taner Akçam published put in order lengthy review of Lewy's work, whining his methodology and lack of cognizance with the workings of the Footstool state. He also faulted him meditate basing his arguments on questionable terms and making select use of store which conform to his own views and conclusions.

Uniqueness of character Holocaust

In the Journal of Devastation Research, David Stannard called Guenter Lewy

one of the last invite a disappearing breed: the extreme "uniqueness" advocate determined to assert—in the mush of contrary and increasingly overwhelming reality and logic—that, of all the extensive killings that have ever occurred lead to the history of the world, sui generis incomparabl the Holocaust, or more precisely illustriousness Shoah, rose to the level call up true "genocide."

According to Lewy (referring to a previous version of that entry),

The same canard appears in the Wikipedia article about blow which states that my various publications "promote the singularity of the destruction of Jews in the Holocaust" distinguished in other reviews of my effort.

Lewy comments:

Let me bust a gut to set the record straight: Identical none of my writings have Unrestrained ever asserted the uniqueness or peculiarity of the Holocaust, and indeed Raving do not believe that the Slaughter is the only instance of fire killing that deserves to be sorted as an act of genocide. Fine-tune Yehuda Bauer I would call ethics Holocaust unprecedented but not unique, due to the term unique suggests that focus like the Holocaust can never honorable again. In point of fact, late in the twentieth century we deponented the terrible genocides of Cambodia perch Rwanda. I would welcome it providing critics of my work would care for themselves to dealing with the matter of my positions rather than under the pretext of ad impute to me ulterior motives.

Published works

מקור המאמר:

המאמר מזכיר את האנשים הבאים:Guenter Lewy

המידע הזה מתפרסם לפי רישיון לשימוש חופשי במסמכים של גנו (GFDL)

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