Genocide

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how, although genocide is considered to be one of the greatest crimes against humanity, few countries are actually wiling to become actively involved in stopping it. The paper points out how there have been numerous examples of the UN failing to prevent the death of millions of people throughout the world, such as in Rwanda. The paper explains that the crime of genocide has led to the notion of humanitarian intervention. The paper also shows, however, that the lack of a general consent and political will impedes assistance and contributes towards turning a crisis into a tragedy.

From the Paper:

"Most often, the rightfulness of the political scene is determined in relation to the norms instituted by international law. From this perspective, for most of the 20th century, the UN Charter was the legal basis for decisions taken by democratic countries as it took into consideration the basic "principle of the sovereign equality of all its members". (Schlesinger, 2003, p 296) This automatically determines a refrain for any actions that member states of the UN did not agree upon. After the end of the Cold War however, the new historical context imposed a certain restructuring of international law and thus, the notion of humanitarian intervention became available for justifying any possible political and military reactions to the phenomenon of genocide."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Dec. 9, 1948, 78 U.N.T.S. 277, entered into force Jan. 12, 1951.
• Graybill, Lyn. "Responsible .... by Omission: The United States and Genocide in Rwanda". Seton Hall Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations. Winter/Spring 2002: 86-103.
• Russbach, Oliver. L'ONU contre l'ONU. Le droit international confisque. Paris : La Decouverte, 1994.
• Schlesinger, Stephen. Act of Creation. The Founding of the United Nations. Colorado: Westview, 2003.
• Straus, Scott. "Darfur and the Genocide Debate". Foreign Affairs. Jan.-Feb 2005.

More papers on Genocide:

• Persuasive Essay # 142298 : "Cambodian Genocide"
• Term Paper # 98446 : "Genocide"
• Essay # 85474 : "The Roots of Genocide"
• Essay # 71045 : "Human Rights and Genocide in Rwanda"

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