The Assyrian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference

The end of the First World War found Assyrians in disarray. The massacres and the deportations perpetrated by the Ottomans left them with an uncertain future. Yet, there was also a glimmer of hope. Some Assyrians believed that the Paris Peace Conference would deliver some degree of autonomy, if not independence. There was also some expectation that, at the very least, the Assyrians would be compensated for the massacres and the destruction of their homes, churches, and monasteries. The conference failed to deliver any of these potential outcomes. Partly, the reason was inability of the delegates to act in unison and partly it was because the great powers were not interested in resolving the Assyrians’ predicament in this fashion.