Which of the following best describes the cause of the armenian genocide?
-global competition for trade made the crimean peninsula important
-ottoman leaders feared losing parts of the empire to ambitious neighbors
-the expansion of islam required the conversion of conquered peoples
-the young turks required a unifying mission to elevate them to power

- Ottoman leaders feared losing parts of the empire to ambitious neighbors

Explanation:

Prior to the Armenian genocide, the Ottoman Empire lost lot of its territory. The leaders of the empire were afraid that the process will continue and that the places where there's larger concentrations of people of other ethnicity or religion will act the same. The tensions between the Ottomans and the Armenians have had long history, but prior to the genocide actually it was very peaceful between the two groups, and there were no signs that the Armenians would go on to fight against the Ottomans. The Ottoman leaders though had already made their mind about it, saw that they will be able to achieve their goal without any problem so they started with a systematic genocide over the Armenians. Over 1.5 million people died, with many more tortured, put into terrible conditions, separated from their families, and displaced.