The United States is in a bit of political tough spot these days. We have had to make some tough choices, and they’re particularly vexing for American Jews.

One situation is Congress’ upcoming important, yet toothless vote on whether to officially proclaim the Ottoman-Turks’ murder of 1.5 million Armenians during World War I a “genocide.” This is prickly issue for Jews because we like to think our Holocaust is unique. But many Jews of conscious speak out against all systematic slaughter. Normally this would be no-brainer for the U.S. and the majority of Jews, but this resolution would anger Turkey, a key ally in the war in Iraq. The United States cannot afford to alienate them right now. The Turks also have specifically warned that the vote could harm Turkish-Israeli ties. Meanwhile, Turkish Jews are nervous about their fate. Where, as American Jews, are we supposed to stand? Against all mass extermination or for the current war on terror or for the State of Israel and Turkey’s Jews?

The other tough choice of late concerns the Dali Lama, who just received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Nobel Prize winning Buddhist spiritual leader is despised by China for his push for an autonomous Tibet. Now Jews know a little about living in the Diaspora while advocating for a safe religious homeland. Again, it’s a non-issue.

The challenge for the U.S. becomes how do we stand up for the Tibetan Buddhists and not alienate China? After all, that country is a huge trading partner, can help pressure the Iranians and can be useful in other ways. For certain, with more than 1.6 billion people it cannot be avoided. At the same time, many Americans and Jews are concerned about China’s relationship with Sudan. The Chinese government is quenching its tremendous thirst for oil directly from Sudan, whose roving janjaweed gangs of murderers have slaughtered some 400,000 people and displaced as many as 2.3 million. We need to ensure we can work with China to get of Sudan.

American policy is caught between condemning China for its acts against the Tibetan people and trying to stop a current genocide.

These issues make for delicate maneuvering for the U.S. and challenging stances for American Jews.