Abstract The paper reveals that in 1994, more than 750,000 individuals were killed in Rwanda as a result of genocide. In an effort to understand the events of Rwanda, the paper focuses on the eight stages of genocide, as presented by Genocide Watch's president George Stanton. The paper shows how the Rwanda genocide followed each stage precisely. The paper attempts to show that, had the measures outlined in Stanton's stages to combat genocide been followed, the terrible situation could have been avoided.
From the Paper "According to the Genocide Convention, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, genocide is "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group": killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, or inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction to the group, and imposing measures intended to prevent births or forcibly transferring children between groups (United Nations General Assembly, 1948). The Convention also dictates that attempts or conspiracy to commit genocide are punishable. Further, the Convention notes that any individual, whether political or citizen, is punishable for genocide (United Nations General Assembly, 1948)."
Tags: United, Nations, peacekeepers, Genocide, Convention, stages, prevention
Abstract This essay examines and defines genocide in general with the emphasis on Rwanda. The essay analyzes the general causes of genocide and the particular causes of the genocide in Rwanda. It also looks at the various actors that were involved in the genocide: the victims, the perpetrators and the bystanders.The bystanders are especially important, as in the case of Rwanda they were the 'international community'.
From the Paper "The 20th century may be called 'the century of genocide', despite all our technological achievements and strives towards a 'civilized', tolerant and global society. In fact it was in the 20th century that this term 'genocide' came into existence. Never before in the history of humankind were so many people killed or their culture destroyed on the grounds of their descent and ethnic affiliation. The Jews, Bosnians and the Rwandans are only three well-known examples. What compels one group of people to 'suddenly' destroy another group, killing men, women and children without any discrimination?"
Abstract This paper examines the human rights issues surrounding the 1994 genocide of almost one million Tutsis in Rwanda. It looks at how the genocide demonstrates the failure of human rights organizations to respond and also discusses the lack of overall action regarding the genocide.
From the Paper " The genocide that occurred in Rwanda in demonstrates the failure of human rights organizations to act in the face of clear evidence that human rights abuses were about to occur as well as their failure to address .."
Abstract This paper deals with the 1994 genocide perpetrated in Rwanda. Further, the paper discusses the current government's response to same and the ongoing ethnic/racial tensions within the nation. The paper relates the manner in which the government currently is dealing with the issues that caused the genocide and the efficacy of same. While no final conclusions are made -- given that trials are ongoing -- the government appears to be largely giving lip service to the need to unify a historically non unified nation.
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses the topic of the genocide in Rwanda. The writer looks at statistics at details of this massacre. The writer makes use of various sources to show that this was one of the worst cases of human genocide in history.
From the Paper "In 1994 Rwanda was the site of one of the worst cases of genocide in human history. For example, in Rwanda, Ten Years On when talking about the Genocide, Filip Reyntjens states, ...about 1.1 million dead, 2 million refugees abroad, over 1 million internally displaced, tens of thousands of deeply traumatized Genocide survivors, and over half a million 'old caseload' (i.e. Tutsi) refugees returned in a chaotic fashion. When a massacre of this magnitude takes place it is not surprising that everyone began to search for answers."
Abstract The writer of this paper claims that the 1994 Rwandan genocide of 800 000 people was preventable. The paper shows how during the affair, the UN appeared disorganized and lacked any initiative and the author recounts chains of events and also the results of the UN's actions (or inaction).
From the Paper "In 1994, from April 6 until June 14, one of worse and deadliest massacres of the 20th century occurred in Rwanda. These bloody two months, triggered by the mysterious assassination of Rwandan President Habyarimana, resulted in the murders of 800,000 people (approximately 6 people per minute). Despite these outrageous figures, the international community reacted in an extremely slow manner. The huge death toll of this genocide could have been prevented if various countries and international organizations had not allowed personal politics hold them back."
Tags: 25, dallaire, decision, directive, genocide, hutu, nations, peacekeeping, presidential, romeo, rwanda, tutsi, un, unamir, united
Abstract This paper examines the historical context of these two ethnic cleansing genocides that occurred in the late twentieth century. It looks at lessons the world should have learnt from the Holocaust in World War II and analyzes the United Nations' involvement and role in preventing these atrocities.
From the Paper "Many people who lived through World War II will never forget the sights of thousands of Jewish bodies thrown into mass graves after the Nazi Holocaust. To most people it was unimaginable- the extent of the death and destruction. Winston Churchill called it a "crime that has no name" (www.un.org 2001). Winston Churchill was correct in his observation. Despite the numerous occurrences in history, the word "genocide" as a legal term and an international sanction did not exist until 1951 (www.un.org 2001). It was 1951 that the U.N. made a treaty defining and criminalizing genocide, entitled The Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In the last fifty years, the world has witnessed many horrendous massacres of civilian populations, in Cambodia, Bangladesh, and elsewhere, for which the political will was lacking to organize a war crimes tribunal. Now, the international climate supports the creation of the first two war crimes tribunals since the Nazi's at Nuremburg, those for Rwanda and Kosovo."
Tags: crimes, genocide, kosovo, nations, rwanda, tribunal, united, war
Abstract This essay will explore the Rwandan genocide and argue that the initial, political nature of the motives and logic behind the conflict were exacerbated and perpetuated by ethnic divisions. In this context, this essay will discuss the events of the situations, the parties involved, and the tragic lack of foreign involvement which all contributed to unthinkable conditions of mass murder, which we are only now just beginning to understand.
Abstract This paper analyzes the social and political ideologies of Pol Pot that led to the genocide of nearly 2 million Cambodians between 1975-1978. It looks at Pol Pot's idealized vision of self and the Khmer Rouge aggressive behavior as a product of a multidimensional set of interacting factors.
Abstract This paper identifies the various circumstances that led to the mass genocide of Armenians. The author points out that this act of violence and bloodshed created significant challenges for those that sought to create freedom for many cultures. The paper stresses that those people who suffered from this act at the hands of the Turks will not be forgotten.
From the Paper "In the early 20th Century, many crimes were committed against human beings that created tragic circumstances for these individuals in many different ways. In 1915, over one million Christians were killed as a result of the Ottoman Empire's desire to rid Turkey of Christianity altogether (End Genocide 1). This act of genocide was historically significant, because it signaled the end of Armenian existence as it was known at the time, which was a substantial shift in the population within that region (End Genocide 1). In many ways, the Armenian Genocide serves as a startling reminder of the power of human beings to ultimately destroy each other through acts of murder and violence, all for the sake of religious beliefs. During the early 1900s, there was a wave of violence that spread across many parts of the world, particularly in conjunction with the World Wars."
Abstract This paper focuses on the issue of genocide as proof of the lack of political and practical capacities of the UN in trying to avert mass killings and crimes against humanity. It begins by addressing the issue of genocide from the point of view of international law, by focusing on the history of the notion, the background, and the discussions surrounding this matter. It then takes into consideration the UN's general role in relation to the act of genocide by pointing out several aspects important for a proper description of the actions the organization took and should have taken throughout time. The next part focuses on particular cases of genocide, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. In conclusion, the paper determines several aspects that must be taken into consideration by the UN and the international community at large in order to prevent such cases from happening again, to increase the political and practical response to such situations, as well as to increase the capacity in which the UN deals with the issue of genocide.
Outline:
Introduction
Genocide: Definition, Context, and Legal Aspects
The United Nations and Genocide Case Study: Rwanda
The Kosovo Crisis
Conclusion
From the Paper "The creation of the various organisms destined to trial these crimes have come about only in the light of the international law doctrine that dates back to the time of Hugo Grotius. In this sense, the 17th century personality argues that the issue of sovereignty is an essential component of the attributes of a state and it should stand at the basis of any political, economic, or legal agreement between countries at the international level. This is an important aspect because it justifies the structure of the actual United Nations and of the previous organizations, regardless of their spectrum of activity. It is based on the assumption that the state can and may, yet it is not obliged to engage in international relations. This possibility is given precisely by the exercise of the quality of sovereignty. "
Tags: Rwanda, holocaust, Yugoslavia, Human, Rights
Abstract This paper explores the notion of genocide and offers different historical examples outlining the nature of genocide and how it affects the world and different communities. It specifically analyzes the genocide that took place in Indonesia under Suharto's rule and compares and contrasts Suharto with Hitler. It tries to offer explanations as to why genocide occurs, especially after the Holocaust in World War II.
From the Paper "Indonesia is a country that has suffered through a series of tragic mass killings ever since the rebellion of 1965. Indonesia is made up of several islands that form one nation. The national composition of Indonesia is severely diverse and is made up of people from over 300 ethnic groups who speak over 250 languages that cover 13, 700 islands. With so much instability and almost no national unification, Indonesia is a difficult country to have any authority over. Indonesia gained independence in 1949 from the Dutch East India Company and from that emerged two great political parties: the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian National Party (PNI)."
This paper discusses the controversy denied by the Australian Government, that genocidal events were carried out by the British settler's treatment of the original Aboriginal inhabitants and, to some degree, how this continues today.
Abstract This paper explains that, although the Australian government signed the international United Nations Genocide Convention Bill in 1948 and ratified it in 1951, none of its provisions have been implemented into federal law. The author argues that Australia was guilty of at least three, possibly four, acts of genocide: (1) The private genocide, the physical killing committed by the settlers and rogue police officers of the nineteenth century, (2) transferring children from one group to another with the express intention that they cease being Aboriginal, (3) attempting to achieve the biological disappearance of those deemed 'half-caste' Aborigines and (4) actions to protect Aborigines in fact caused them serious bodily or mental harm. This paper contends that Australia continues to oppress its indigenous population through its conscious disregard of its responsibility to international law and refusal to accept that this nation was founded on a long standing history of suppression and genocide.
From the Paper "Government policy and practice underwent an ideological shift late in the 19th century, based on the popular concept of Social Darwinism and the belief that Aborigines were soon to become extinct. The implementation of 'protection' legislation that had been gaining momentum during the mid 19th century shifted focus from protection segregation, relocating Aborigines to reserves and missions, to forced assimilation under the excuse of "saving a dying race." The ultimate message of the Aborigines Protection Act 1886 in Victoria was that 'full-blood' Aborigines would die out and 'half-castes' would eventually blend seamlessly into 'civilized' society, bringing 'finality to the Aboriginal problem' and leaving white Australia to eventually forget that there were ever any Aborigines in Australia."
Tags: law, half-caste, suppression, un, relocating
Abstract This paper discusses the Armenian genocide that occurred at the hands of the Ottoman Empire from the start of the First World War. The paper describes the background of Armenian life and politics under the Ottoman rule. It then discusses the factors leading up to the genocide and how it was carried out by the Turks. The paper concludes by discussing the aftermath of the genocide and the subsequent denial by the Turks.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Background
The Armenian People and the Coming of the Ottomans
Prelude to Disaster
Armenian Life and Politics under Ottoman Rule
Genocide A Taste of Things to Come: The Hamidian Massacres
The Great Slaughter
Aftermath
The Agony of Turkish Denial
From the Paper "It is now more than ninety years since the slaughter came to an end. Hundreds of thousands of Armenian men, women, and children suffered and died cruel and needless deaths at the hands of the Turks. The jingoistic authorities of World War One Turkey used military disaster as an excuse to exterminate an entire people. The state that remained after the final collapse of the Ottoman Empire, in the 1920s, was overwhelmingly Muslim and Turkish. Its new rulers did everything possible to extirpate memories of the past, to cause its citizens to believe that they had acted rightly, and steadfastly, in creating a new and purified Turkey that was stronger and better than the old multi-ethnic, multi-religious empire of the sultans. Today, children in Turkish schools are not taught about the Armenian Genocide... well, at least not in those terms. The massacre of one and a half million innocent souls is glossed over, washed free of its character as a global first in the "science" of ethnic cleansing."
Abstract The paper analyzes Elie Wiesel's Holocaust recollections in his book "Night" with the goal of pinpointing the sociological realities that tend to breed genocide. The paper poses three central preconditions of genocide; the technological means of genocide, the role of propaganda and the role of extreme nationalism. The paper shows how Wiesel substantiates these preconditions of genocide in his book.
Outline:
Propaganda
The Mobilization of Technology
Nationalism
Never Again?
Conclusion
From the Paper "It would not be an exaggeration to write that Elie Wiesel's Night occupies a special place in the anthology of holocaust autobiographies. Of late, this short work has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts, and has skyrocketed to the top of numerous newspapers' bestselling lists. This paper, however, does not aim to delve into a literary analysis of the book--its inimitable style, its conciseness of language, and its mesmerizing refusal to lend itself to a clearly recognizable literary genre. This book, for all its concern with language and memory, is an autobiography that is grounded deeply in time and place--Poland of the Second World War. Wiesel's book, then, must be read as an autobiography of a Jewish man's appalling journey through that broken period. Consequently, it is up to the reader to make what he/she will of the work and to derive its sociological significance."
