By:Hambersom Aghbashian

 Ahmet Insel (born in 1955 in Istanbul to a Turkish Sunni Muslim and kemalist family), is a Turkish Economist, University professor, Writer and a Columnist. He did his university studies in Paris and directed the Economics Department of the University of Paris I from 1990 to 1994.  Since 2004, he teaches in the Economics Department of Galatasaray University in Istanbul and since 2007, he has been Head of the department of economy in Galatasaray  In France, he was one of the founders of the review MAUSS (Anti-Utilitarian Movement in the Social Sciences); in Turkey, he participates in the Iletisim venture, the editing house which published the writer Orhan Pamuk, and he is a chronicler for the daily Radikal.  Ahmet Insel wrote a great number of books about Turkey and is now one of the managing editor of the progressist editing house Iletisim.(1)(2)

Ahmet Insel is one of the initiators of a Turkish petition asks Armenians for forgiveness for the 1915 genocide. On Dec. 7,2008, Robert Tait wrote in (The Guardian) “Academics and writers in Turkey have risked a fierce official backlash by issuing a public apology which came in an open letter that invites Turks to sign an online petition supporting its sentiments. It reads: “My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologize to them”. Tait added that “The contents expose its authors – three scholars, Ahmet Insel, Baskin Oran and Cengiz Aktar, and a journalist, Ali Bayramoglu – to the wrath of the Turkish state, which has prosecuted writers, including the Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, for supporting Armenian genocide claims”.(3)

In April 2010, Ahmet Insel  and Michel Marian published “Dialogue about the Armenian Taboo” (in Turkish and French).The book is a conversation between two men, one Turk, Ahmet Insel ,and one Armenian, Michel Marian , about the past, the present, and the future.  Through their personal and family itineraries, the great events that marked the history of these two peoples are evoked with, as its culminating point, the 1915 genocide and the question of its recognition.(1)(4)

In his article “Could Europe have an effect on the Armenian question ? (www.repairfuture.net)-  10 October 2013,  Insel wrote “it is obvious that there is a strong sensitivity among EU member countries towards genocide which Armenians were exposed to. We saw the reflection of this fact in decisions of parliaments of some EU member countries to accept the genocide and especially in the attitude of European Parliament continues from 1987 till today “. He added ” We are in an era in which the policy of “no problems with neighbor countries” is collapsed in Turkish foreign policy. Within the following two years, Armenian question shall be discussed in the world public opinion and the genocide shall be commemorated. In such an environment,  the approach of Turkey towards Armenian question shall tend to be more defensive and reactive rather than to be proactive towards positive solution. The improvement which shall neutralize this tendency could be the fact that EU Council shall accelerate membership negotiations of Turkey spectacularly.”(5)

According to   (hyemedia.com, 17 Oct 2013) , Ahmen Insel visited Armenia to participate in a book festival. Presentation of Armenian version of Dialogue sur le tabou arménien (Dialogue about the Armenian Taboo) co-authored by Ahmet Insel and Michel Marian was held during the festival.(6)

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1-http://www.lianalevi.fr/f/index.php?sp=liv&livre_id=332

2-http://www.recon-project.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=31&Itemid=157&lang=en

3-http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/08/armenian-genocide-turkey-apology-petition

4- http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=en&id=322&debate_ID=4&slide_ID=25

5- http://www.repairfuture.net/index.php/en/turkey-and-european-union-standpoint-of-turkey/could-europe-have-an-effect-on-the-armenian-question

6-http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Ahmet-Insel/529539334

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