Category: Genocide

Introduction

Western intervention in genocidal wars in other parts of the world is a highly controversial and heavily debated aspect of international politics in recent years. While from an ethical standpoint, intervening may be rationalized, there are international laws that prohibit such actions and historical evidence that demonstrates it can exacerbate the conflict in the region where genocide is occurring. Humanitarian intervention is justified if there are specific prerequisites met regarding the severity of the conflict and other mechanisms of regulation have been unsuccessful, creating an ethical dilemma which warrants action.

Background

Western civilization has been built on principles of democracy and freedom, which identity, legitimize, and support fundamental human rights. International charters of organizations such as the United Nations also support human rights and peace while condemning oppression and genocide. Nevertheless, the status quo of international relations has led to ineffective responses by the UN to crimes against humanity such as genocide in less developed parts of the world. Genocide is a mass killing of a specific population, commonly due to ideological, religious, or ethnic reasons. Scholarly research argues that without a direct influence or intervention, genocides can reach extreme proportions, creating ethical and humanitarian concerns (Kreps and Maxey 1816). The lack of sufficient mechanisms through international organizations often leaves Western nations with the choice of intervention, usually through military means. This has led to the rise of humanitarian intervention which is central to the foreign policy of Western countries. It permits to exercise of military intervention on a limited basis to alleviate a humanitarian crisis such as genocide to prevent human suffering and loss of life.

Socio-Political Justification

When Western states initiated the humanitarian intervention, they believe they are justified. Although this area of international law is a grey area, it is inherently legal if certain conditions are met. These include specific evidence of a crisis that is accepted by the global community, there is a lack of practical alternatives, and the use of force during the intervention must be limited to providing relief and not step outside the objective. This approach has been used by the international coalition through the UN Security Council Resolution in Libya in 2011 when there was specific evidence of human rights abuses and potential use of weapons of mass destruction against the population. However, if there is no unanimous approval, such actions are prohibited by the UN Charter leading to Western countries which choose to intervene technically outside international law.

Recently there has a rise in greater support of institutionalized humanitarian intervention, with many Western countries creating the Canadian-based International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS). It was established with the purpose of balancing the link between international law and actual practical interventions by states which feel that there is an ethical duty to respond to egregious infraction of human rights. The ICISS is built on the principle known as Responsibility to Protect (R2P) that shifts the primary dialogue for intervention among global actors. The primary argument is that genocide renders a foreign government immune to sovereignty protections since it is a violation of the UN charter. Bajoria and McMahon of the Council of Foreign Relations, argue that sovereignty is directly related to the conditional that a government protects its peoples, if that is violated, then the nations sovereignty no longer exists, and a Western military humanitarian intervention would not be considered an invasion (Bajoria and McMahon). Furthermore, from a humanitarian standpoint, intervention is necessary which should be complemented by the transformation in international law rather than Western democracies, with available resources to resolve it, standing by.

Humanitarian Concerns

There is a cosmopolitan perspective on interventions that highlights that the global community has the legal and ethical responsibility to intervene, including through the use of force in order to defend vulnerable populations and the principle of human rights. This argument believes in establishing international law that would support humanitarian intervention as a response to genocides and similar crises. The scholar Trahan in her discussion of international law on the issue suggests that the International Criminal Court suggests that military invasions with humanitarian objectives are legally ambiguous (42). It is a perspective shared by many international organizations and charters which exist for the protection of human rights such as the UN Human Rights Council and the European Court of Human Rights. Although these institutions offer judicial mechanisms for prosecuting those who initiate and participate in genocides, they are often ineffective or can only be done ex post facto. It remains a critical argument for humanitarian intervention which suggests that human rights are guaranteed by law but not anyhow enforceable during or even after such crimes as genocides. This allows for Western democracies to conduct planned operations based on the ICISS R2P values.

Opposing Argument

The opposition to the issue does not deny that genocide is an egregious human rights violation that is unacceptable and morally wrong. However, the use of foreign interventions, particularly military, sets a dangerous precedent. An article by Jayakumar citing a famous international politics scholar Noam Chomsky argues that practically every military invasion in recent decades has been done under the cover of humanitarian intervention (1). Even, the UN-approved intervention in Libya led to Western states breaking many rules by overthrowing the ruling regime and establishing a permanent presence in the region with the interest of supporting a pro-Western leader. Meanwhile, the UN charter explicitly establishes the principles of national sovereignty and self-determination which prohibits foreign intervention in internal conflicts of specific countries.

Humanitarian intervention is often used as a double standard since any potential criticism or foreign influence in Western countries is viewed as hostile. Those who promote intervention often focus narrowly on justifying it rather than attempting to resolve structural issues which have led to failures to resolve the conflict at its origins or non-military means. However, the primary issue remains that every single intervention by Western states historically has been done with an ulterior motive, inherently discrediting the humanitarian aspect of the operation.

Conclusion

Despite the legal and political challenges, Western interventions in genocide crises are a necessary aspect of humanitarian intervention. If there are no alternatives and there is a moral imperative to intervene, such actions are warranted. However, this mechanism of humanitarian intervention should be carefully balanced and regulated to avoid abuse as a cover for invasion. Therefore, it is better to improve its operation under international law and the UN rather than operating in grey areas as it currently does. The principle of the responsibility to protect is vital in the modern multilateral world and the rise of regional conflicts. More competent and actionable mechanisms should be developed at the international level to ensure the effectiveness of any potential interventions.

Works Cited

Bajoria, Jayshree, and Robert McMahon. The Dilemma of Humanitarian Intervention.Council on Foreign Relations. 2013, Web.

Jayakumar, Kirthi. Humanitarian Intervention: A Legal Analysis.SSRN Electronic Journal, 2012, pp. 1-5, Web.

Kreps, Sarah, and Sarah Maxey. Mechanisms of Morality: Sources of Support for Humanitarian Intervention. Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 62, no. 8, 2017, pp. 1814-1842, Web.

Trahan, Jennifer. Defining the Grey Area Where Humanitarian Intervention May Not Be Fully Legal, But Is Not the Crime of Aggression. Journal on the Use of Force and International Law, vol. 2, no. 1, 2015, pp. 42-80, Web.

Genocide, which is an act of the mass killing of a population, is a brutal crime against humanity and is punishable to the fullest extent of the law. Nevertheless, recent history knows numerous examples when individual peoples were exterminated by massively dominant forces of those who pursued criminal and inhuman goals. According to the existing world legislation adopted in the middle of the 20th century, genocide is associated not only with direct killings. This act also implies attempts to stop the birth of children in a certain group of the population or cause irreparable mental harm (Convention on the Prevention and Punishment, 1948). As a historical example, one can discuss the events of 1915-1923, when in Turkey, over a million of the Armenian people living there were exterminated (Alvarez & Bachman, 2016). From the perspective of the legal standard of genocide accepted in the world law, the events in Turkey correspond to the definition of the mass killing of one people by the other one.

The Turkish government, supported by the military, outlined a clear policy of killing the Armenian people. Armenian men serving in the army were deported to special battalions and murdered (Alvarez & Bachman, 2016). The entire intelligentsia of the Armenian diaspora, including representatives of the medical and educational spheres, were arrested and killed (Alvarez & Bachman, 2016). Finally, the most vulnerable classes, including older adults, children, and women, were sent to special camps like reservations, where they died of hunger and torture (Alvarez & Bachman, 2016). Such inhuman treatment of a certain nation corresponds to the definition of genocide. It falls under several of its characteristics, including mass extermination, the prevention of births, and the eviction of victims to separate territories (Convention on the Prevention and Punishment, 1948). Therefore, the events in Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century are an example of a crime against humanity and one of the saddest pages in Armenian history.

References

Alvarez, A., & Bachman, R. D. (2016). Violence: The enduring problem (3^rd ed.). Sage Publications.

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. (1948). Prevent Genocide International. Web.

Introduction

Genocide is a crime that is punished by international law. The United Nations (UN, n.d.) defines genocide as any acts committed to destroying a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group by killing, seriously harming, or inflicting conditions aimed at the destruction of the group. Additionally, preventing birth or forcibly transferring children of one group to another is also considered a form of genocide. A total of 149 nations, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China, ratified the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UN, n.d.).

This implies that all these nations agreed to avoid, prevent, and punish genocide by implementing necessary internal and external policies (UN, n.d.). It appears that having all major countries ratify the convention would eliminate genocide from the world. However, many researchers agree that policies against the Uighurs imposed by the Chinese government can be considered a form of genocide (Fallon, 2019; Finley, 2020; Finnegan, 2020). Indeed, the situation in Xinjiang is peculiar due to the unfair treatment of the local cultural minority.

The region of Xinjiang, Chinas Uighur Autonomous Region, has high economic, political, and strategic importance for China for a wide variety of reasons. Its reserves of coal, natural gas, and oil account for roughly a quarter of all Chinese natural resources (Fallon, 2019). Additionally, the area is a crucial region of the One Road, One Belt Initiative, which is a project to link the economies of China and other countries of Eurasia (Fallon, 2019).

However, the local population, a Turkic Muslim nation of Uighurs, has been trying to gain independence from China for the last century, which causes much disturbance to the region (Fallon, 2019). To subdue the nation to Chinese rule, the government implemented a series of measures, including forced abortions and sterilization, unlawful imprisonments, and discrimination on the basis of culture (Finley, 2020). The present paper claims that even though China presents the oppression against Uighurs as part of an anti-separatism campaign, it should be considered genocide that is to be prosecuted.

Policy of Exclusion

The Chinese government is trying to exclude Uighurs from society under the veil of the anti-extremism, anti-separatism, and anti-terrorism campaigns. After the events of September 11, 2001, the Chinese government launched its own war on terror. According to Chung (2002), the Chinese government started to label all the people that fight for the independence of Xinjiang as terrorists. The Chinese government claimed that the cultural group received funds from Al Qaeda, which made the group potentially dangerous (Chung, 2002).

As a result, China started to profile all Uighurs as potential terrorists, requiring them to provide DNA and biometric samples (Fallon, 2019). The rhetoric also helped to control separatism and extremism in the region through arbitrary arrest, detention without public trial, and summary executions (Chung, 2002). Thus, the War on Terrorism declared by the US helped the Chinese government to implement a series of questionable policies that raise the concern of international observers.

Numerous investigations confirmed that there were no signs of excessive danger of extremism and terrorism in the region. The separatism moods were common for the region since the start of the twentieth century (Fallon, 2019). However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, when many Islamic states received their independence, separatism became a common idea among Uighurs (Finley, 2020). As a reaction to these moods, the Chinese government started a policy of mass colonization of the region with Han Chinese representatives to reduce the percentage of Uighurs in the area (Fallon, 2019). The idea of the government appeared simple  to replace the unwanted Uighurs with loyal Han Chinese.

The events of September 11 helped the Chinese government to further enforce the policy using the global fear of terrorism to its advantage. International investigations revealed no signs of Uighurs being financed by Al Qaeda (Chung, 2002). Moreover, it is not legal or sensible to view all people of a cultural group as potential terrorists on the basis of the possible connection between some Uighurs and Al Qaeda.

Thus, even though the Chinese government is trying to represent the situation in Xinjiang as a war on terrorism, it is a clear attempt to deprive people of the cultural group of their rights. This can be seen as deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, which can be considered genocide according to the UNs definition (UN, n.d., para. 4). Therefore, the policy that excludes Uighurs from society by depriving them of their rights should be considered genocide.

Birth Control

Uighurs are being massively forced to have sterilizations and abortions, which is a step towards eliminating the national group. Uighur women were reported to have been massively taken to camps, where numerous crimes were committed against them (Finley, 2020). In particular, Uighur women reported forced insertions of intrauterine devices, repeated hits in the stomach, forced abortions, and pregnancy prevention injections inside these camps (Finley, 2020).

Some women were tortured into confessing birth control crimes and self-inflicted abortions (Finley, 2020). Data demonstrates that, in 2016, China invested tens of millions of dollars into sterilization programs, which resulted that 30% of women of child-bearing age in some Uighur-dominated areas reported being sterile (Finley, 2020). Thus, data demonstrate evident crimes that can be classified as imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group (UN, n.d., para. 4). These measures are considered a sign of genocide against Uighurs.

The Chinese government refutes the accusation of birth control by saying that Uighurs were subject to forced sterilization and abortion no more than other ethnical groups. In 2001, China implemented a policy under which each Han Chinese family was allowed to have only one child, while racial minorities were allowed two children (Finley, 2020). Everyone not obeying the law was fined, which motivated many women to have abortions or to be sterilized (Fenley, 2020). Indeed, Chinas n National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) implemented policies to control the entire population rather than the minority group (Fallon, 2019).

However, evidence published by the Associated Press in June 2020 demonstrated that there was a major disproportion between the number of sterilized Uighur women and the number of sterilized women from other cultural groups (Finley, 2020).

Data from open-source data provided by the Chinese government shows that over the past four years, hundreds of thousands of Turkic Muslim women have been subjected to mandatory pregnancy checks, forcible insertion of intrauterine devices (IUDs), and forced sterilizations and abortions (Finley, 2020, p. 10). These practices fell sharply in other regions apart from Chinas Uighur Autonomous Region (Finley, 2020). This demonstrates that the claims made by the Chinese government that birth control measures toward Uighur women were similar to those taken towards all women are untrue. Therefore, mass abortions and sterilization of Uighurs should be considered genocide.

Cultural Genocide

The Chinese government is trying to erase the culture of Uighurs, which is a sign of cultural genocide. The culture of Uighurs is associated with religious beliefs, customs, traditions, and language spoken by the group. The Chinese government is trying to erase the cultural identity of Uighurs through threats and forced re-education. According to Finnegan (2020), numerous Uighurs are being put in high-security camps without significant reasons.

These re-education camps aim at removing religious beliefs from the minds of Uighurs, as the racial minority is being repeatedly punished for practicing their faith (Finnegan, 2020). Additionally, representatives of Uighur culture are forced to sing praise to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), memorize and cite rules applicable only to the cultural group, and speak only Mandarin Chinese (Fallon, 2019). In other words, Uighurs are being punished for not abandoning their cultural identity and accept the ideology of communism.

The Chinese government is denying the idea that these camps are forced to oppress the Turkic minority group. The authorities claim that these camps are re-education camps, where Uighurs are reintroduced to society (Finnegan, 2020). According to the official explanation, the re-education camp help Uighurs to acquire the necessary skills to become valuable members of Chinese society (Finnegan, 2020). Government reports demonstrate that the majority of detainees entered the workforce after re-education and became happier (Finnegan, 2020).

Interviews with detainees and ex-wardens of these camps demonstrate that these claims are far from reality (Fallon, 2019; Finley, 2020; Finnegan, 2020). The interviews demonstrate that Uighurs in these camps are tortured, beaten, and psychologically pressured to abandon their beliefs (Finnegan, 2020). Thus, the described actions should be considered cultural genocide, as Uighurs are forced to give up their cultural identity.

The problem is that there is no official term for cultural genocide. The Genocide Convention of 1948 omitted cultural genocide as a term, which implied that only the physical being of minority groups was protected (Finnegan, 2020). The punishments for crimes against cultural identity are minimal, which makes people around the world unprotected from cultural genocide (Finnegan, 2020). The example of the oppression of Uighurs should become a sign for international organizations to revisit the definition of genocide.

Conclusion

The steps made by the Chinese government to destroy Uighurs as a cultural group are the signs of genocide, which should not be allowed in the modern world. The Chinese government is trying to exclude the Uighurs from society by depriving them of the right to self-determination. The Chinese authorities control the reproduction of Uighurs through forced sterilization and abortion. Moreover, China uses re-education camps to force the representatives of the minority group to abandon their cultural identities.

The UN nations should trial and prosecute the individuals responsible for these crimes against humanity, which is feasible according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. If China does not cooperate, countries can impose political and economic sanctions, which proved their effectiveness in international practice (Fallon, 2019). The UN should prosecute genocide to prevent future cases from happening.

References

Chung, C. (2002). Chinas War on Terror: September 11 and Uighur Separatism. Foreign Affairs, 81(4), 8-12. Web.

Fallon, J. E. (2019). Chinas crime against Uyghurs is a form of genocide. Fourth World Journal, 18(1), 76-88.

Finley, J. (2020). Why scholars and activists increasingly fear a Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang. Journal of Genocide Research, 23(3), 348-370.

Finnegan, C. (2020). The Uyghur minority in China: a case study of cultural genocide, minority rights and the insufficiency of the international legal framework in preventing state-imposed extinction. Laws, 9(1), 1-20.

United Nations. (n.d.). Genocide. Web.

Romeo Dallaire was correct in asserting that there were many flaws with the United Nations and its mission in Rwanda. His book Shake Hands with the Devil demonstrated the limitations of the largest international organization. The world has now come to grips with the nightmares that occurred in Rwanda. The nasty civil war in Rwanda that involved the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minorities had escalated into a hundred days of carnage and violence in which over 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu moderates were massacred by Hutu extremists. There is so far no account that has surpassed Romeo Dallaires Shake Hands with the Devil in narrating the epic tragedy in Rwanda. This paper will examine the issue in highlighting that the main purpose of the book was to let the world know of its blindness and lack of caution while the horrible and immoral situation developed unabated.

Introduction

The Rwandan Civil War began in October 1990 after rebel groups of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) attacked northern Rwanda through Ugandas southern borders. Rwandan Patriotic Front comprised of over 4000 soldiers, mostly the offspring of Tutsi refugees that had escaped from Rwanda after ethnic clashes between 1959 and 1963. The RPF had depicted itself as a multi-ethnic and democratic group that wanted to put an end to the ethnic discrimination and economic plunder of the state by government agents. They wanted to prevent the security forces from taking destructive actions that were resulting in a constant flow of refugees into neighboring countries. The movement was entirely supported by the Ugandan government which was at the time under the leadership of Yoweri Museveni who came to power after winning the Ugandan Bush Wars with the support of these very insurgents. Fortunately for Rwanda, reinforcements arrived soon from France and Zaire that supported the Rwandan government (Barnett, 2002). This paper will examine the issue in highlighting the theme that the main purpose of the book was to let the world know of its callousness and lack of precaution while the horrible and immoral situation developed unabated.

Body Paragraph

While the conflict continued, on 22 June 1993, the United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (UNOMUR) was approved to be deployed by the UNSC along the Ugandan border with Rwanda. A week later, UN Secretary-General Boutros Ghali appointed Brigadier General Dallaire as the Chief Military Observer for UNOMUR. The Arusha Accords were signed on 16 March 1993 which made way for an all-inclusive accord to establish a power-sharing government and accordingly an UN-led peacekeeping mission was established in the region. The UN Security Council established The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) on 5th October 1993 and its mandate was to ensure the security of the capital city of Kigali; monitoring the ceasefire agreement, including the establishment of an expanded demilitarized zone and demobilization procedures; monitoring the security situation during the final period of the transitional Governments mandate leading up to elections; assisting with mine-clearance; and assisting in the coordination of humanitarian assistance activities in conjunction with relief operations (Rwanda Mandate, UNAMIR, 2009). Jacques Roger of Cameroon was the missions head while Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire was its Force Commander and the troops numbered 400, mainly from Belgium although Rwanda had once been a Belgian colony and the UN usually does not allow former colonies to assist in such peacekeeping efforts. Other nations that contributed to the efforts were Canada, Bangladesh, Tunisia, and Ghana. Both sides remained committed to the Arusha Accords for the entire year and it appeared that a broad-based government would be created shortly. However, squabbles developed amongst them which prevented the formation of a transitional government after Habyarimana became President on 5th January 1994. Violent clashes soon followed in which two prominent political leaders were assassinated and a UNAMIR convoy was ambushed (Atlee, 2003). The UN efforts became more strong in impressing upon the two sides to act as per the ideas put forth in the Arusha Accords. The UN extended the UNAMIR mandate up to 29th July 1994 because of the delay in establishing a broad-based transitional government. On 6th April 1994, a plane that carried President Habyarimana and President Cyprien of Burundi was shot down which led to a total collapse of the Rwanda peace process which was further carried forward in resulting in the Rwandan Genocide whereby over 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu people were massacred for 100 days. The first targets of the genocide were Prime Minister Uwilingiyimana along with some Belgian commandos and soldiers of the Paracommando Regiments that were participating with the UNAMIR.

They were actually the victims of mockery and misconceived legal protocols that were carried out after being asked by their commander to hand over their weapons to the government soldiers. The chaos escalated and the UN mission was unclear about the extent of force to be used, especially in view of the safety of civilians. By the time the genocide happened, the UNAMIR had become entirely helpless and powerless (Linda, 2004). In getting scared at the intensity of the massacres and the international embarrassment that the US suffered in Somalia, the country soon withdrew its troops and so did the Belgian government. The UNAMIR was now left with less than 270 soldiers with minimal local support. Lieutenant-General Dallaire had been given instructions to withdraw from the site of the genocide but he did not abandon his position and continued to face the genocide in leading whatever forces remained at his command. Despite being understaffed the UNAMIR forces did whatever was possible in saving the lives of thousands of people. Lieutenant-General Dallaire requisitioned for additional troops but they were not sent and the UNAMIR had to continue in coordinating peace talks between the RPF and the Hutu government but did not succeed in bringing about an agreement. The legendry Canadian general wrote in his book Shake Hands with the Devil, how he watched as the devil took control of paradise on earth and fed on the blood of the people we were supposed to protect. General Dallaire reminisced in his book that when he received the message to serve as the Commander of the UNAMIR in Rwanda, he assumed the assignment was to assist the two aggressive parties to achieve peace through negotiations. But he had to face the most unruly and barbarous acts of genocide and civil war and saw in just a hundred days what he had not seen in his entire career. He was shocked to witness the death of over 800,000 Rwandans but was unable to rescue people because of lack of manpower despite his repeated requests to the UN which had fallen on deaf ears. In his book, General Dallaire has recreated the dreadful history that the UN and the world community had chosen to ignore. He has also chronicled how he himself progressed from a confident Cold Warrior to an overwhelmed UN commander, to be eventually retired to struggle in pain and post-traumatic stress disorders. He is on record to have been the highest-ranking defense officer to have shared his experiences with readers.

The book is written as a first-person narration and records the complete tenure of General Dallaire as the UN Force Commander in Rwanda. The book gives exhaustive details as also the inner feelings that the general had about the way things were happening consequently to the ignorant attitude adopted by the UN and the superpowers at a time when thousands of people were being killed mercilessly without any reason. The book gives a detailed account of the events that happened despite the hectic efforts made by Dallaire. His book is very informative in terms of the narratives and the facts about the actual happenings during the Rwanda carnage. He gives a day-by-day account of the role played by the UNAMIR in attempts to resolve the crisis. The entire book is from the perspective of General Dallaire on what he went through in Rwanda. The diplomatic efforts were not undertaken in the right spirit and they only worsened the situation (Schell, 2003). The author writes how hate radio was responsible for creating the propaganda and motivation for the killings. The decision to ask UNIMAR to pull out of Rwanda was taken at a very inopportune time since there were hardly any forces left when the genocide began. General Dallaire and his men did not have the resources to do anything constructive in reducing the genocide problems. The General has been very tacit in expressing his experiences in Rwanda which is evident from the following excerpt from his book: My story is not a strictly military account nor a clinical, academic study of the breakdown of Rwanda. It is not a simplistic indictment of the many failures of the UN as a force for peace in the world. It is not a story of heroes and villains, although such a work could easily be written. This book is a cri de coeur for the slaughtered thousands, a tribute to the souls hacked apart by machetes because of their supposed difference from those who sought to hang on to power&. This book is the account of a few humans who were entrusted with the role of helping others taste the fruits of peace. Instead, we watched as the devil took control of paradise on earth and fed on the blood of the people we were supposed to protect (Dallaire, 2004). Painfully, the general describes that not a single country responded to his calls for help and all reinforcements were delayed while people continued to die in Rwanda. He has explicitly held the world community responded in just sitting and watching over the carnage that was destroying hundreds of thousands of human beings. Dallaire has highlighted the happenings that occurred right under the nose of the superpowers and he has asserted that if the same genocide were to happen again the superpowers will behave in a similar manner. The general has been very critical of the manner in which the procedures were undertaken by the UN in stark violation of a humanitarian approach towards a problem that clearly indicated that several lives were at stake. His concern in this regard is evident from the following quote from his book: The future of UNAMIRs participation in implementing the Arusha Peace Agreement was being decided by fifteen men sitting in a backroom beside the Security Council hall in New York, one of whom was a hardline Rwandan extremist. He found himself allied with the Americans, Russians, and Chinese, who all wanted the mission to end. On the morning of April 6, we received the Security Councils Resolution 909, which extended our mandate for six weeks& The report sent the wrong message, and the consequences were truly devastating. It confirmed for all Rwandans-the moderates attempting to hang on to hope and the extremists plotting extermination-that the world didnt give a damn about Rwanda (Dallaire, 2004).

The book reveals the failures of the United Nations in not taking timely action in stopping the genocide. All the writings were on the wall in regard to the happening of such a catastrophe, yet the world community did not act in providing the required security personnel to curb the massacre. Dallaire has provided in his book, details of the proposals he had forwarded to the UN before the start of the genocide and subsequent examination of the proposals by experts has revealed that they would have certainly worked in reducing the number of lost lives. Dallaire had asked for just 5500 troops that were well-armed but he had to have the number cut down from 2000 that he had started with (Dallaire, 2004). The book is a real eye-opener about the effectiveness and working of the United Nations (Sageman, 2004). The world is convinced that what happened in Rwanda could have been averted by the superpowers. They are simply seen as blowing their horns in spreading and talking about the advantages of democracy but are not ready to act as per the moral duties provided for in a democracy. A democratic setup is all about giving freedom to people, protecting them, and encouraging peace throughout the world. It was a pity that the world watched as over 800,000 people lost their lives in a genocide that could have been averted had timely action been taken by entities that go around espousing the cause for peace and human rights. General Dallaire has given a rather emotional touch in writing that, What I have come to realize as the root of it all, however, is the fundamental indifference of the world community to the plight of seven to eight million black Africans in a tiny country that had no strategic or resource value to any world power. An overpopulated little country that turned in on itself and destroyed its people, as the world watched and yet could not manage to find the political will to intervene. Engraved still in my brain is the judgment of a small group of bureaucrats who came to assess the situation in the first weeks of the genocide: We will recommend to our governments not to intervene as the risks are high and all that is here are human (Dallaire, 2004).

Rebuttal Paragraph

General Dallaires narration has not been well received by the United Nations in terming it as more of a personal opinion from an individual perspective. He has not considered the limitations faced by the international organization in terms of the bureaucratic procedures that render several of its functions to be adversely impacted often at the cost of considerable economic losses and human sufferings. Thinking from a realistic perspective and given that the UN has to requisition support from its member countries, the organization too was helpless in the face of minimal support being received from the superpowers. Countries such as the USA, France, and Belgium had withdrawn their forces at the last moment thus rendering the UN forces without any backup and support in terms of logistics and soldiers. The domestic security forces were of no use for General Dallaire and in having ignored the UN advice to leave Rwanda immediately, he was himself responsible for the difficulties that he faced. In being a hard-core defense services officer he should have known that orders of the high command have to be obeyed immediately.

Conclusion

The main purpose of the book was to let the world know of its own callousness and lack of precaution while the horrible and immoral situation developed unabated. Shake Hands with the Devil ought to be viewed from a different angle in being a substantial indictment of the United Nations practice of moving along gently. It is a compelling account of the ignorant attitude adopted by the UN primarily because of its persistence in refusing to establish an intelligence secretariat on the lines as suggested by the Brahmi Report. It is a case study about the failure of western countries in failing to establish rational global strategies and intelligence procedures that are necessary to make the strategies relevant and up to date (Linda, 2003).

Works Cited

Atlee Tom, The Tao of Democracy, Writers Collective, 2003.

Barnett, Michael. Eyewitness to a Genocide: The United Nations and Rwanda. Cornell University Press, 2002.

Dallaire Romeo, Shake Hands with the Devil, Da Capo Press, 2004.

Melvern Linda, Conspiracy to Murder: The Rwandan Genocide, Verso, New York, 2004, Melvern Linda, A People Betrayed: The role of the West in Rwandas genocide Zed Books, 2000.

Linda Wies & Jones Dame Pauline, Peacekeeping Intelligence: Emerging Concepts for the Future, International Press, 2003.

Sageman Marc, Understanding Terror Networks, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004.

Schell Jonathan, The Unconquerable World, Metropolitan Books, 2003.

The given assessment will primarily focus on the Armenian genocide of the 20th century, where the Ottoman Empire imposed mass-scale oppression and aggression invoked by a small resistance upon the entire Armenian population. The given historical instance was a controversial and intricate one since it was not as widely recognized as it should have been. It is a case of genocide since it matches the precise definition of the UN.

It is important to note that the term genocide needs to have five major elements in order to be recognized as such. According to Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of the United Nations, genocide is a process of killing members of a religious, racial, ethnic, and national group (UN, 2021). It also involves causing severe mental and bodily damage to the members of a group, intentionally imposing conditions of life, which leads to the destruction of the group, transfer of children, and prevention of the latters birth (UN, 2021). The historical events of the Armenian genocide took place in 1915, when the Ottoman Turkish Empire killed at least 1.5 million Armenians (Mangassarian, 2016).

The instance was triggered after the Battle of Sarikamish, where the entire population of Armenia was out under the blame for treason. The majority of the population was destroyed through death marches, and many of these people were old individuals, women, and children.

The majority of the latter two groups were transferred to Muslim families and countries (Alayarian, 2018). One of the main issues of the genocide was the fact that it was not properly recognized immediately, and Turkey is still in denial of the massacre events (Alayarian, 2018). Therefore, the Armenian genocide matches the definition of the crime because a particular group was deliberately killed by imposing conditions of life, which lead to physical destruction. In addition, children were transferred to other Muslim groups, which also showcases the key features of genocide.

I chose the instance of the Armenian genocide because it was widely unrecognized, with Turkey still continuing to do so in the present moment. One should be aware that the case matches almost all definitions of genocide, but only 32 countries recognize the historical events as such, which is why I decided to illuminate the issues by shedding light on the given discussion (Alayarian, 2018). In addition, the Armenian genocide left a major scar on Armenian culture and nation, and its relationship with Turkey is highly complicated due to the latters denial. It has both direct and indirect connections to the readings because the cases of historical massacre and oppression need to be recognized by the descendants of the oppressors.

Until now, the main argument of the Turkish Genocide denial package, which Ankara responded to the accusations, is that the Turks allegedly did not have a premeditated genocide program, they deported the Armenians because of their unreliability in relation to the Ottoman Empire at war (Alayarian, 2018). On the way, every rabble attacked the caravans of deported Armenians, as a result of which accidents occurred, which, according to official Ankara, cannot be equated with genocide.

In conclusion, the Armenian genocide can be categorized as one of the highly prominent instances of such a crime, but the main issues revolve around the lack of recognition from Turkey as well as other nations. The case matches all direct definitions of genocide because the members of the group were killed, deliberately put under harsh conditions, children were transferred to Muslim households, and the procreation process was halted, which scarred the given population irreparably.

References

Alayarian, A. (2018). Consequences of denial: The Armenian Genocide. Routledge.

Mangassarian, S. L. (2016). 100 years of trauma: The Armenian Genocide and intergenerational cultural trauma. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 25(4), 371-381. Web.

UN. (2021). Genocide. United Nations. Web.

Introduction

Indian boarding school experience was one of the most horrifying examples of harmful cultural assimilation. Despite the fact that the primary aim of the schools was to provide ample educational opportunities for Indians, in fact, children and their families were prone to bullying and cultural stigmatization. The use of residential Indian schools served as a tool in the genocide of indigenous culture by forcing children from their homes, forbidding cultural practices, and creating long-term generational trauma amongst families who were victims of forced cultural assimilation attempts.

Cause of Humiliation

The primary aim of creating boarding schools was to help Indians to adapt to the traditional American culture. However, the ideological perspective of the schools was unethical. The elimination of the indigenous culture was one of the main goals which the teachers and school authorities pursued (Lomawaima 23). Moreover, children experience not only mental pressure but also physical. The living conditions in those schools were adverse: the food, clothing, and even facilities conditions were of low quality. Such problems were caused by insufficient governmental financing. Children were forced to reject their roots and culture completely. The cultural assimilation process itself involves no violence, bullying, or stigmatization (Bo 351). However, in the case of Indian boarding schools, assimilation was used as the legal cause justifying humiliation and cultural genocide. Religious disagreements were the primary cause of the humiliation (Lomawaima 20). The schools were predominantly created to impose Christianity on the Indians, being the representatives of the indigenous culture. From the perspective of the authorities, the ingenious population should have been civilized to become decent members of American society.

Childrens Lives in Indian Boarding Schools

Children were forcibly taken away from their families and separated from relatives and friends. In schools, it was forbidden to speak their native language. The traditional beliefs of indigenous peoples were banned. The schools even regulated the games that children could play. For the slightest disobedience, children were often beaten and subjected to bullying. Teachers in boarding schools often had no professional education. Some historians even highlight the culture-conditioned cases of physical abuse. For example, teachers could cut girls long hair, which symbolized their loyalty to Indian traditions (Robinson 96). The compulsory character of the boarding school in the United States was approved in 1891 (Robinson 103). Children were transferred to the schools from reservation camps.

First, the schools were supposed to provide only education, and students had to return to reservations daily. However, the Christian missionaries later highlighted that the reservations atmosphere could prevent children from assimilating into American culture (Reyhner 62). As a result of such a claim, the schools were restructured into boarding ones. The children were given Anglo names based on the schools rules (Robinson 99). Such action leaves serious psychological damage to the personality. The name of the person is one of the main characterizing features of cultural identity connecting a child with family and friends. According to the data provided by the investigation of this case, many children ran away, committed suicide, or died because of the health-threatening living conditions (Robinson 97). Thus, the children were prone to violent humiliation from the teachers. The conditions Indians were put in could be considered a direct violation of human rights.

Closing of Indian Boarding Schools

The fight for closing the boarding schools was challenging for indigenous people. The turning point in the history of boarding schools became the passing of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, approved by Congress in 1975 (Blakemore, 2021). The law allowed Indian tribes to develop study programs based on the national educational standard. Today, the special body called the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education is devoted to regulating the educational process of Indians (Blakemore, 2021). Therefore, the American government managed to overcome the problem of harmful assimilation, granting the indigenous people rights and freedoms.

Long-Term Consequences

The lives of the children from the Indian boarding schools were harmfully affected by their childhood experiences. Based on the current data and research, adults who were former members of Indian boarding schools have difficulties identifying themselves as members of society (Gregg 24). Some even have psychological disorders or try to find relief through drugs and alcohol. The psychology and self-identification as members of society form during childhood, integrating the culture, parents, and friends. Being isolated from their families and initial traditions, children from Indian boarding schools were mentally traumatized. The mental and physical suffering that they experienced caused many problems in their lives (Gregg 27). Moreover, the families of these children were also under tremendous pressure. Realizing that their children are bullied is traumatizing for parents. The heritage of the Indian cultural identity also was significantly damaged. Indian traditions were prohibited, and, under the fear of punishment, people were forced to abandon their own culture and adhere to the total assimilation with an unfamiliar culture.

Conclusion

The Indian boarding schools are an example of violent cultural assimilation and the harmful consequences of this process. The experienced events left deep psychological trauma in childrens minds. The schools affected childrens lives, forcing them to neglect their culture and traditions. Instead of rational and adequate treatment of the different cultures, the authorities of the schools tried to use violence and humiliation as a tool to eliminate the indigenous culture. The Indian boarding school experiences demonstrate that children should never be separated from their families because it is harmful to their future lives.

Works Cited

Blakemore, Erin. A century of Trauma at U.S. Boarding Schools for Native American Children. National Geographic, 2021.

Bo, Mengmeng. Cultural Assimilation and Hegemony: On the Translation of Human Rights. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, vol. 7, no. 6, 2019, pp. 351-357. doi:10.11648/j.ijll.20190706.24

Gregg, Matthew. The Long-Term Effects of American Indian Boarding Schools. College Journal of Development Economics, vol. 130, 2018, pp. 17-31. doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2017.09.003

Lomawaima, Tsianiana. Indian Boarding Schools, Before and After A Personal Introduction. Journal of American Indian Education, vol. 57, no. 1, 2018, pp. 11-21. doi:10.5749/jamerindieduc.57.1.0011

Reyhner, Jon. American Indian Boarding Schools: What Went Wrong? What Is Going Right? Journal of American Indian Education, vol. 57, no. 1, 2018, pp. 57-78. doi:10.5749/jamerindieduc.57.1.0058

Robinson, Emily. Objects, Documentation, and Identification: Materiality and Memory of American Indian Boarding Schools at the Heard Museum. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 2, 2021, pp. 94-108. doi:10.1080/02773945.2021.1877799

Well, genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. There are many genocides that happen throughout history. The one genocide that seems interesting is the Bosnian Genocide. The Bosnian Genocide happens from 1992 to 1995. The location of this genocide is in the Balkans area in Europe. Many survivors have stories to tell us about what happened in the genocide. Lots of Bosnian citizens were identified as either Orthodox Serb, Catholic Croatians, or Bosnian Muslims. People who have done this genocide think that they are doing the best of their job and making the right decision but they are wrong. Killing is not the answer to solve any type of situation. This can help us in the future to prevent future genocide from happening. The Bosnian Genocide was a true genocide according to UN Resolution 260III A because of the killing, ethnic cleansing, and Bosnian Rape Camps.

The first reason why the Bosnian Genocide happens is killing because of UN Resolution 260III A, we are going to tell why, how, and some testimony of survivors. Killing is a substantial problem to any country who does this and makes a statement to the world. Killing in the sense is eliminating a person from the earth.

The one man who has done this Bosnian Genocide is Slobodan Milosovic. Slobodan Milosevic had in mine was a Greater Serbia and was a former leader of Serbia and Yugoslavia. Milosovic plan of Greater Serbia is Acts of murder, physical as well as mental torture, worsening of Muslim’s condition of life along with preventing reproduction and transferring children away from their families were all critical components of the Serbian government’s sadistic operation to completely erase the Muslim influence. An estimated 23,000 women, children, and elderly people were put on buses and driven to the Muslim-controlled territory. After the killing, he wanted to change where its one true faith. In the video the “Forgotten Genocide” they talk about that this genocide almost wipe out the Muslims and without the UN Resolution 260III A, these people who did it would get away from this. Over the next several years, Bosnian Serb forces, with the backing of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav army, perpetrated atrocious crimes against Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and Croatian civilians, resulting in the deaths of some 100,000 people (80 percent of them Bosniak) by 1995.

The how comes from the very top of the ranking system and tell the army what to do. These high official get there order from the president and the president tells them what to do. After they are told to do it they start their job and start killing people. This is wrong when a high-rank official is commanding to kill off people that are civilians. Altering knowing how here are some good testimony to help clarify these killing.

From the “Forgotten Genocide” Elmas Abaz a Bosnian survivor he saw a Serb that was driving a truck and saw a woman that her legs were cut off and more. Then after he saw a woman with her legs cut off he saw another woman which was his wife and she was shot in the head. Another survivor is Satko Mujagic he knew a man and what this man did was he broke a person who was only 17 and broke its fingers then after that he called out and later got killed by one of the soldiers. He explains and says they were forced to eat dead animals and forced to drink motor oil. The last survivor is Fikret Alic a survivor from the Concentration Camp and his brother and he says that if he didn’t get into the camp then he would be dead.

Ethical cleansing is the second reason why the Bosnian Genocide took place and because of UN Resolution 260III C to explain why, how, and some testimony of survivors. An ethnical cleansing is the mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society. The ethnical cleansing started when the Yugoslavia collapse in June 1991. When Yugoslavia collapse a lot of nation started to appearing.

The Genocide at Srebrenica was one of the most famous battles out there in the Bosnian Genocide. In July 1995, Serb forces, led by General Ratko Mladic, descended upon the town of Srebrenica and began shelling it. Over in the town of Srebrenica, there was an embassy with Netherland soldier to keep people safe. The forcible separation of Muslim parents and their children was prevalent throughout the entire conflict, even during and after the 1995 fall of Srebrenica where UN deployed Dutch soldiers stood idly by and watched.

How they did Ethnical cleansing is different from the way. They going to try to separate their parents from the children and convert them to what they believe in. To also convert the children and parents to be part of them and not for their culture. They want nothing to do with other religion and culture.

The first survivor is Nusreta Sivac and she explains that these people started with torture, harassment, starvation, and overall killing people by using a different object. Another survivor Mia Karamehic was a 7-year-old kid and shows in video proof that she was taken. The last survivor is a Dutch UN soldier and he explains that many women have to see their child leave because of medical support because of this ethnical cleansing.

Bosnian rape camps are the final reason why the Bosnian Genocide took place and because of UN Resolution 260III B to explain why, how, and some testimony of survivors. A rape camp is where a person is held captive of the purpose of doing a sexual thing. A lot of Muslim women were captured in this genocide. Some of the women were raped or sexually assaulted, while the men and boys who remained behind were killed immediately or bussed to mass killing sites. Estimates of Bosniaks killed by Serb forces at Srebrenica range from around 7,000 to more than 8,000.

These soldiers were following direction to the commanding officer. These higher rank officers wanted them to rape these women and make babies for them in the future. After how these women where rape we had survivors to talk about these rape camps.

The first survivor is Ajna Justić and he was just a child he didn’t know his father because the mother was rape. Over time he looks out for himself and knows the way of life now. The second survivor is Alen Muhic and he knew he was a war baby when his mother got raped. His past still haunts him still today. The last survivor is Lejla Damon and she was adopted by a United Kingdom family. She knew about this raped when the family got her for adoption. She said that “it was the right thing to do to put me up adoption.” If she didn’t listen to her mother she would be still in Bosnia and doing things differently. She also explains that someday she wants to see her parents again but they still can be dead.

Most of Serbians people reject the point that the Bosnian genocide was a thing but, it is a true genocide because of UN Resolution 260III A was a genocide. The one thing that the Bosnian genocide was a true genocide was the number of dead people. The one resulting from the history channel is the deaths of some 100,000 people (80 percent of them Bosniak) by 1995. There is other information about this the Bosnian Genocide and still the Serb are declining it all. The Serb need to stop with this and admit that they did this genocide. The second thing that can call a true genocide is that there are survivors that have lived through this genocide and can speak out about this topic. Even if it is hard for these survivors to speak out because they think that the people might come back to haunt them. The final point that can make this a true genocide is the dead bodies. The dead bodies cannot come from any it had to come from someone. Many of these dead people are family to lots of victim in this genocide. Overall without Survivors, Information, and dead bodies we would have proof and this is a genocide and because of UN Resolution 260III A that this is a true genocide.

The lives of many people in this Bosnian Genocide has a told of history. Killing, Ethical Cleansing, and The Bosnian rape camp are the three main point to prove that this is a true genocide. Killing should never be an option in this world. The one true gift to all genocide are the survivors. The survivors have spoken out in an interview with many news cases and tell their story on how the genocide happen. We also have the technology that helped see how this genocide looks throughout the timeline. Even when Milosevic wants a Greater Serbian he shouldn’t have done this genocide. Religion and Culture also kept them alive from the genocide. Many soldiers would force people to be their faith but the culture says otherwise. Also, the rape victims as well have a voice to be heard. The children have a voice because they want to know there past life. All of these families that are living in Bosnian are unhappy that their children are gone or they had to put them up for adoption because to protect them. The Bosnian genocide is still look back through history and hopefully, history does not repeat itself. Many survivors and victims’ always look a world where genocide did not happen at all the world would be more peaceful. Almost every person who has done this genocide has gone to the jail of UN Resolution 260III A. This UN Resolution 260III A server justice and makes survivor happy when they are gone forever. This Bosnian Genocide took many rough turning but we have the history that is still there today. Lots of bodies have not have been discovering and more information about this genocide. Without any of these proof the people who have done this would have escaped and still have lots of genocide today. The Bosnian Genocide made everyone think about what comes to the future. People around the world should not have the same fate that the Bosnian Genocide did to every citizen and to break up families. In conclusion, the Bosnian Genocide was a true genocide because of UN Resolution 260III A and prevent these genocides from happening in the future.

Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld presents opposing perspectives from the killers as they express their thoughts, actions, and motives for turning their friends and neighbors into foes during the Rwandan Genocide. The novel relives the stirring animosity that built up during the mid-20th century between the two main ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Hutus and Tutsis, the preface and the events that occurred during the genocide, and the consequences that the killers were obliged to face due to their anomalous behavior. From the perspectives of the killers, Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak provides various accounts of the Rwandan Genocide through illustrations of the historical setting and the timeframe of the novel, which led to the aberrant behavior and crime that the killers exhibited during the bloodiest 100 days in Rwandan history.

During the 1950s and up till the end of the genocide, Hatzfeld, through countless memoirs, recollects the recurring tension and the deeply rooted hatred amongst the Tutsis and the Hutus between the 1950s and up to the 1990s. Prior to 1959, the Tutsi minority dominated the country based on government even though they were only 10% of the population. However, in 1959, the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi majority government, forming mass havoc and a hostile historical setting throughout this epoch and forcing many frightened Tutsis to flee to neighboring countries. After 1959, the dichotomy between the Hutus and Tutsis grew larger. During this time, “a Hutu could certainly choose a Tutsi friend, hang out and drink with him, but he could never trust him” (Hatzfeld 216). Due to the inequality between the two main groups before 1959, many Hutus felt betrayed and mistreated. Therefore, after 1959, for a Hutu, a Tutsi seemed like a deceiver. They became natural targets of suspicion. To add on, the enormous population played a role in the unconscious segregation. The dense population of Rwanda sprouted hatred as it “flourished in the fields because the plots of land were not large enough for two ethnic groups” (Hatzfeld 217). This lack of land acted as a catalyst for what the future would hold and added to the multitude of reasons the Hutus despised the Tutsis: government, money, and now land. As described by one of the killers, “the Hutu [heard] grown-ups repeating that Tutsis take up too many plots of land, that we cannot fight poverty in this situation, that those are too in the way” (Hatzfeld 218). This indirect propaganda planted seeds in the minds of children, paving the way for insensate hatred towards the Tutsis during the genocide that would later come.

After fleeing to various countries after the Hutus overthrew the government, the Tutsi exiles created a rebel group called the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which invaded Rwanda in 1990 in an attempt to restore power for the Tutsis. This violent invasion created what is now known as the Rwandan Civil War. The farmer as well as the future murderer Alphonse Hitiyaremye aggregated it best: “‘War is a dreadful disorder in which the culprits of genocide can plot incognito’” (Hatzfeld 55). This war, as well as all the other complications, provided the perfect excuse for the Hutus to change their lifestyle. Finally, to catapult ideas into action, on the night of April 6th, 1994, a plane carrying then-President Habyarimana, a Hutu, was struck down, killing him and some others. Believing it was the RPF that killed the president, the Hutu extremists immediately started a well-organized campaign of slaughter. This historical setting, stemming from constant and deep hatred amongst the two ethnic groups, fostered the perfect theater for genocide; a playground that created what is now known as one of the most gruesome and preternatural mass killings in the history of the world.

The book Machete Season encapsulates the journey from the roots of hostility to the aftermath and the rehabilitation among Rwandans who currently reside in the country. However, what makes the Rwandan Genocide so peculiar is their use of weaponry. Titled Machete Season for a reason, guns were not used to kill nor were concentration camps or gas chambers. When the genocide occurred in 1994, technology had evolved a lot; however, instead of guns, the machete was used. The raw essence of a machete instigated the community of abnormalities that were prevalent. In addition, unlike other wars, neighbors turned into enemies. One killer explains that “the killers did not have to pick out their victims: they knew them personally. Everyone [knew] everything in a village (Hatzfeld 66). Friends became foes. Teammates became opponents. Brotherhood became incompatible. Compared to previous wars, in which armies battled in trenches or through the thought of mutually assured destruction, the Rwandan Genocide took place inside homes, in the fields, on soccer fields, and in grocery stores.

Compared to the Holocaust, what was so interesting about the Rwandan Genocide was the preparation, or lack of, that went into it. The Holocaust is portrayed as an expansive, secretive, and carefully considered operation. However, the Rwandan Genocide was the complete opposite, which makes it hard to understand how this genocide generated so many deaths. Elie, a killer in the genocide, explains that after the death of the president, Hutus came out of their homes and started hacking Tutsis with machetes as “army newspapers [singled] out the Tutsi as the Hutu’s natural enemy who [had] to be definitively destroyed… written in big letters on page one” (Hatzfeld 179). The organization behind the complete burial of a whole population was no confidential matter as it previously was when the Wannsee Conference took place and the ‘final solution’ was proposed. This abnormal behavior of slashing with machetes but without formal permission and its lack of preparation adds to the obscurity of how this mass killing, in only 100 days, was so successful.

Crime flooded the streets as the Hutus constantly hacked the necks, arms, and legs of innocent Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. Hutus became the butchers and the Tutsis became the meat waiting to be cut into pieces. The killings were irrational but, to the Hutus, it slowly became rational. Everyone was vulnerable, even the youngest of the youngest: babies. Saving the babies was not practical. Their job was to kill, not to save. Babies “were whacked against walls and trees or they were cut right away”; in some cases, the Hutus also “burned children with gasoline” (Hatzfeld 131). During this systematic mass killing, no one was safe. Babies that did not even know they were Tutsi were punished for something they had no control over. This aberrant crime translated to the women as well. Women were raped, beaten, held in sexual slavery, sexually mutilated, and eventually killed. Although many events differed from the Holocaust, the Rwandans did institute some of the techniques of the Nazis. A killer named Ignace recollects “the memory of the mine shaft where the Tutsis were smoked alive” and constantly killed fire (Hatzfeld 158). As shown, the use of the machete was only one part of the big plan. The mines used to kill Rwandans in bunches expose the immorality of the operation. No longer did the Hutus see a human being who shared similar thoughts and feelings when viewing a Tutsi. Everything about the slaughter was heteroclite and unconventional; the hunt, the hunters, the prey. Greed and savagery had corrupted the minds of the Hutus.

During the Rwandan Genocide, the cliche ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ became an unfortunate reality. In analogy, the Rwandan table that was once together in one piece had been broken into two as the Hutus felt that the Tutsis were unnecessarily taking up too much space. The genocidal massacre of over 800,000 innocent people in Rwanda more than 25 years ago may be fading in history, but the killers are still alive and with us, and so is the ethical predicament of trying to understand how such perfectly normal people could have committed such abnormal crimes.

Genocide the intentional killing of a large group of people escpically with whoms ethnic group or nation. Genocides are common which make it seem scary as it can occur when racial, political, groups are destroyed. In theory genocides can occur anywhere under the right circumstances. Both genocides were different because the Rwandan was quick and unorganized and the holocaust was arranged in order for most casulties lasting for countless of months. The holocaust and the Rawandan faced the same consequences through the cases of extermination, dehuminiazation, polarization, and denial. In contrast, Rwandan experienced symbolization, organization, and preparation. Rwandan was also planned before as Hutsu were trained prior to killing Tutsi.

Classification a process classifying something because of shared properties or characteristics. Classification was different to both genocides, the holocaust was classifying prisoners in concentration camps with different types of triangeles to show their role some catagories are emigrant, plolitcal, romas, and homosexual. In contrast the Rwandan genocide classified others with two ethnic groups: the hutus were farmers and had broad noses and tutsi were herders their common characterists were tall and thin. Although both genocides classified people under different categories they were determined in different ways. Classification impacted both genocides as it split multiple types of people and groups became more inferior than the other. The difference plays a crucial role because classification is determining how people are killed as a specific group might be favored or hated.

Imagine someone being classified under a certain type of symbol by the way they look or their actions this was called symbolization a method used to label different types of people. The people who were symbolized were the people in genocides the Holocaust and the Rwandan face different types of symbols. For instance, the holocaust used symbols like a star this represented people as Jews also triangles determining differnt types of people. In other words, the Rwandan genocide first were able use note cards to establish ones ethnicity but Belgian authorities decided to use id cards to determine which group Hutsu or Tutsi. Overall, both genocides were similar to organizing people but had different techniques to determine different people. Symbolization affected both groups because it was used to enable categories to different people.

Humans are meant to be doing activities on social media. A process of depriving a person from human activities is called dehumanization. Dehumanization seems rare but can actually be common through genocides. To explain, the holocaust used radio, movies, and schools to despite the Jews. The Nazis also blocked the Jews off all social media. To compare, the Hutsu also used radio television and went to broadcast to hate Tutsi. To analyze, both genocides are similar in propaganda as spreading information through the radio due to the use of propaganda it made everyone believe another group is less inferior. Dehumanization played vital roles to both genocides because it made people believe that this other group were less inferior, rank below them once this was convinced to the public they don’t do anything or act against the “inferior people”. The similarity of both genocides is similar to dehumanizing because it shows how both these genocides wiped the other group.

People organized for a particular purpose, especially to complete a specific goal is called Organization. The Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust were unalike in this catagory but were both organized in a way, such as the Holocaust used concentration camps to organize the different people like the Jews or other prisoners. The Holocaust was also able to create a force called the gestapo and the SS to eliminte the others. To differentiate the Rwandan genocide. The Hutu were trained prior to the genocide with machetes to “protect their village” instead of the plan of protecting it was to wipe out the Tutsi. The Rwandan genocide didn’t fall under the organization stage but was more preperation. Although they are immensely different it impacted both genocides in crucial ways. The Holocaust was first able to use this to sperate the people and can create aditional casulties, the Rwandan genocide was able to take advantage to create confusion to the Tutsi. To conclude, both genocides were able to use organization in different ways.

Polarization is the idea of hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda. For example polarization can be limiting the laws making them more strict. To add on extremists call moderates in their own group as traitors, they would use this to kill them or imprisonment. In similarity, the Rwandan genocide split the groups between Hutus an Tutsi the Hutus claimed the Tutsi were betraying but at the same time they all the same race, live in the same country and just have diffrent jobs. This only occured because of propaganda the radio was used to explain certain Tutsi were betraying. To contrast, the people were basically brainwashed of anti-semetic propaganda that was an idea to spread through Europe to idengenous people of facist and antisemetic ideas. So this was taken to an advantage to show the Jews betrayed everyone and were seen as a threat to Germany. To compare, both genocides used propaganda as a way to spread information to others persuading them about information. Polarization also played a vital role in genocides as it was used to explain people “betraying” others, this gave a reason to kill or imprison and a way to brainwash the public. In a way a genocide revolved all around this one stage.

Being prepared is essential for anything to be accomplished, everyone does it all the time in genocides the inferior might want to be prepared for maximum casualties. The holocaust and Rwandan genocide was diffrent in the way they prepared for their killings. To introduce, the Rwandan genocide the paramilitary gangs were used and trained to kill the Tutsi before the genocide. The Hutus prior to the genocide were already planning to kill the Tutsi which shows how they prepared for a genocide and the planning they had. To contrast, the Holocaust used segragation on gehttos and others were forced into concentration camps or deported into famine contries to starve. The Nazis would already have a plan for the people to exterminate them, this comes similar as they were prepared but the way they did it was different the Rwandan was straightforward to kill. Contrast the Holocaust took longer but got more casulties. This was important to each genocide because it allowed for orginization and became prepared for mass amount of killings.

When thinking of extermination people often think bugs being exterminated with chemicals such as gas this was horrific to think people were treated like bugs and were gassed to death. This was seen through the Holocaust and the Nazis brought into a “shower” as they thought they were going to get cleaned but end up getting gassed till dead. Another way the Nazis exterminated the Jews was lining them up and shooting them. This shows the holocaust was more organized and used different ways to kill Jews. To compare, the Rwandan genocide only lasted for a few days so Hutus used machetes and guns to exterminate the Tutsi going to everyhouse killing about eight thosand a day. This shows the Rwandan genocide wasn’t as organized and was more of a mass shooting or killing. To conclude, without extermination a genocide won’t be classified as one, the similarity shows extermination was similar to both genocides in mass killings.

Denial where someone claims something untrue. After a genocide ends the people tend to cover it up and claim that a killing never occured. Research indicates, the Nazis claims there was no killing of the Jews and it was caused by starvation, migration, or disease. The Nazis claiming this was messed up after all they did to the Jews gassing them and experiments. To compare, the Rwandan genocide a UN official states that there was no genocide of the Tutsi. The UN official named Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh quoted “the genocide releated more on plotics of surealism rather than the truth”. This seems as if he would have never experienced the genocide, as why would a genocide be about politics after they wanted to exterminate they other kind they had in Rwanda. Denial are similar in both genocides as they both deny a genocide or mass killing.

Genocides have impacted the world in vast ways that came to think after the Holcaust after how tragic it was it wouldn’t happen again, but the genocides keep happening till this day. Genocide make people wonder will we have another tragic genocide that compares to the Holocaust we need to think of solutions to prevent these from happening. Countries need to be more aware whether or not if it’s going to happen. Some options we can do to prevent genocides from happening are: to prevent ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity the result of genocide prevention is that we create national peace and stability. So we don’t face the similar stages the Rwandan genocide faced with holocaust such as extermination, dehuminaization, polarization, and denial but faced different consequences like symbolization, organization, and preperation. To conclude Gregory Stanton was correct in his theory that most genocides fall under the 8 stages.

For many years, Rwanda dealt with an ongoing battle between the Tutsis and Hutus, but one major problem that was faced by the Hutus was their reluctance to share any power with the Tutsis. They wanted to be dominant and would not settle for anything less. Another conflict was the assassination of President Habyarimana of Rwanda. All ongoing conflicts led to the painful genocide that killed nearly eight hundred thousand people (Philip 1). The genocide had been impending and continued for a long time. During the genocide all ten stages; classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial occurred (Stanton 1). It left people very damaged mentally and physically. The genocide occurred in the country of Rwanda in 1994. The decades of Tutsi oppression of Hutus, and the assassination of President Habyarimana led to the genocide in Rwanda.

CAUSES

The decades of Tutsi oppression of the Hutus led to one of the most famous genocides. In Rwanda, during 1994 about eighty five percent of the population were Hutus, the rest were Tutsis. However, “when Belgium granted Rwanda’s independence in July 1962 the roles flipped, and Tutsis began to dominate over the Hutus. The Hutus thought this was unacceptable and began taking action and exterminating the Tutsis” (History).

Even years after Rwanda’s independence, ethnical violence was still occurring. On April 6, 1994, President Habyarimana was on a plane that was shot down right over the city of Kigali. The President was killed during this hateful attack which left no survivors. Still to this day, the culprits have not been conclusively determined, but it is believed to have been an act of the Hutus (History). The tensions continued to rise and within the next three months 800,000 people had been killed. Hutus began to flee Rwanda and began to crowd into refugee camps and nearby countries. Many plans to stop the genocide were fabricated, but by the time they were put into action, the genocide was already over.

IMPACTS

The 1994 Genocide in Rwanda left impacts on the country’s people, economy, and all its surroundings. It affected everyone and everything differently, leaving permanent scars on people’s minds, souls, and bodies. The physical, emotional, and mental conditions changed tremendously. Two of the major impacts after the Rwanda Genocide in 1994 were deforestation and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Deforestation left more of an environmental impact rather than a personal impact. After the genocide in 1994, deforestation caused the land to be regularly destroyed to make more land available for the relocation of refugees and displaced persons. It had one of the highest land demands and left about 11.5% of people without a home, landless, or displaced (Environmental Causes and Impacts).

Another impact of the genocide was PTSD. PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a condition where your body and mind have a difficult time recovering from an event that you either witnessed or experienced. PTSD was unfortunately very common during the time and very directly impacted the people. More than a quarter of the people who survived the Rwandan genocide were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (Environmental Causes and Impacts). PTSD effects everyday lives by taking over the mind and body completely. It makes it very hard to process and function properly. It can cause suicidal thoughts or tendencies and is something that is uncontrollable. The reason that is was very common was because of the multiple deaths and murders that were witnessed. People had to watch even their own family members get beaten, abused, or even killed.

AFTERMATH

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was different than any other. It was impending and happened quickly and abruptly, like a spark, rather than taking several years to strike. The violence killed seventy five percent of the population leaving Rwanda in one of the highest industrial scales. The communities were destroyed and many people were left permanently scarred because of the horror they had witnessed or lived through. Neighboring countries met and discussed ways that they could help, “Many troops were sent in and after a few months it was finally enough to put a halt to the killings” (Gourevitch). It has now been about 25 years since the genocide and the struggle from repercussions is evident. Violence continued for decades leaving people displaced, hurt, and heavily impacted. Many meetings have taken place to discuss how it is a priority and critical to ensure another genocide happens “Never again” (Brand). More time has been invested in preventing conflicts and efforts targeting violence. More focus has been put on programs addressing the issues, institutions, and anti-violence societies. Foreign policies have been made and stricter security was added. The people and governments have been working hard on the change that “needed to happen” and will help prevent another genocide from occurring. The genocide was a very harsh and heartbreaking time. Before, during, and after the genocide people were left scared and broken. It impacted the people and the world tremendously and unfortunately will leave a permanent imprint in all the people affected by it.

Works cited

1. Brand, Mike. ‘What Have We Learned.’ The Nation, 17 Apr. 2019, www.thenation.com/article/rwanda-genocide-prevention/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2019.
2. Gavin, Phillip. ‘Rwanda 1994 800,000 Deaths.’ The History Place, 1999, www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/rwanda.htm. Accessed 17 Sept. 2019.
3. Gourevitch, Philip, narrator. Rwanda: The World Reacts.
4. Munien, Suveshnee. ‘Environmental Causes and Impacts of the Genocide in Rwanda.’ Accord, 26 Oct. 2010, www.accord.org.za/ajcr-issues/%ef%bf%bcenvironmental-causes-and-impacts-of-the-genocide-in-rwanda/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2019.
5. ‘Rwandan Genocide.’ HISTORY, A&E Television Networks, 14 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/africa/rwandan-genocide. Accessed 10 Oct. 2019.
6. Stanton, Gregory H. ‘The Ten Stages of Genocide.’ Classification Symbolization Discrimination Dehumanization Organization Polarization Preparation Persecution Extermination Denial, 2013. Originally published in Genocide Watch, 2013.