Genocide: We Cannot Change People's Way Of Thinking

According to Daniel Goldhagen, genocides are constantly being underestimated, which causes the never ending realities of the past repeating itself. From high officials to ordinary citizens, people often overlook the pattern and causes of these systematic killings. One of these includes the UN, which was created to prevent another World War, and to protect the rights of sovereignty of member states. This organization serves to solve international issues, but has failed and continues to fail to prevent genocides. Even though this group signed in 1948 a UN document, Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which punished and still punishes people guilty of genocide, not one life was ever saved from that declaration. The reason is because most at first want to deny that these extreme situations could happen ever again. Sadly,

Genocide, it is human nature to want power over all and to want control. While this is true is it possible for the world to come together to solve the problem of genocide? Genocide has been happening since as early as 1915 with that being the genocide of Armenians. With this in mind, genocide doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. The person who starts the whole thing has to start it off slowly because he can’t show the signs of it. However, now we know what the signs are so we can now stop it from the beginning and give the person trying to start it some help. With this in mind the question is “Can the world resolve the problem of genocide?” Now, the definition of genocide is collective destruction of an entire human group based on religion or ethnicity. Also, the definition of

Genocide is when mass murders are committed especially when they are committed on a certain religion or race. You’d think that something as big as millions or thousands of people being killed would get a lot of attention or cause many problems but it’s the opposite. People are being killed because of differences that are driving people apart instead of connecting them. They read newspapers hearing about the terrible things going on around them and didn’t care. They looked outside seeing everything around them crumble, still not caring. Then, they were the ones who were being killed and tortured. By then it was too late to care, too late to stop it from happening. An example of this is the Holocaust and the Stolen Generation. The Holocaust and the Stolen Generation are some of the darkest periods of history although, they differed in the perpetrator’s reason behind them, the people who were impacted, and how they ended.

The international community has the obligation of respecting the autonomy of sovereign states. Genocide has occurred all over the place a different time periods throughout history and throughout the world, whatever the case may be it is not right and this can be eliminated. Genocide has been occurring all over the world in different places and time periods. From, Iraq to Canada, and from America to Germany. Involving the United States Government, Christopher Columbus, and Hitler.

Genocide is one of the evillest moral crimes any ruling authority such as a government can commit against its people and it happens more than we think. A general definition of Genocide is the intention to destroy or murder people because of their race, beliefs, or even political and economic status. As we have been taught in this course Raphael Lemkin, created the term ‘Genocide’ 1944. Lemkin combined the ancient Greek word ‘genos’ which means race and the Latin word ‘cide’ which translates to killing. There are many examples of genocide in the world but the most recognizable is that of the Holocaust and how the German powers that be sought and attempted to kill all Jews. A recent example is the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 where the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana caused a violent reaction resulting in mass killings. In efforts to reduce Genocide, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UNCG) was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 and was placed in force in 1951. On July 1, 2002 the International Criminal Court (ICC) came into force. The ICC not only accepted the UNCG’s definition of Genocide but expanded it to include crimes against humanity such as enslavement, deportation, torture, rape, enforced disappearance and apartheid. There have been many organizations created throughout the world to defend and prevent genocide and even communities, religions and even colleges are forming organizations and these are just some examples of how

“I believe the only time we call for intervention is when there is an ongoing genocide” – Bianca Jagger. Looking at the world’s response to the persecution of specific groups of people, the past shows us there is something wrong with how the world views genocide. Of course, any viable human conscience gawks at the news of the most recent minority being wiped out by a ruling power, but this tardy response does nothing to combat the atrocities. Currently, the only response the world implements comes after thousands, or even millions of people have already lost their lives. Truly combating genocide is a battle that must be fought before it ever begins. In partnership with the United States Holocaust Museum, the United States Institute for Peace has developed a program called the Genocide Prevention Task Force. This task force works closely with current government officials to develop a type of plan. A plan that has levels of structure that does more than just respond to future genocide. Spreading the word for prevention though the Genocide Prevention Task Force, will do more to combat genocide than any other approach.

In what way should people interpret how the process of genocide works when coming across a statement from Adolf Hitler (1939) saying, “My pact with the Poles was merely conceived of as a gaining of time. As for the rest gentleman, the fate of Russia will be exactly the same as I am now going through with the case of Poland. After Stalin’s death…we will break the Soviet Union. Then there will begin the dawn of the German rule of the earth” ("Poland Will Be Depopulated and Settled with Germans” document). Judging by the content of that statement, one may interpret that genocide works as a process to break down another country. To some extent, that is correct but one must learn that this process encompasses strategies in order to achieve the downfall of a country. For one thing, to understand how genocide works, one needs to know what that term means. Genocide is an intentional physical or cultural act of eliminating the population of a specific national, ethnical, racial or religious group (Kiernan). Moving forward, the process of genocide works as a cycle of manipulation and elimination to intentionally remove a certain group of people. This cycle of manipulation was applied towards targeted groups and those who enforced the platform of genocide. Influence was a force intended to manipulate how people think, as well as obedience. Targeted groups were influenced to believe their harsh conditions would eventually come to an end by obeying any given instruction. Also, those who

There is a point in human life when we reach a strong level of selfishness, which influence our decision making. Even if we are raised to be helpful, respectful, and compassionate to others, that view can change once we get older. Human beings encounter many social organizations, which leave a mark on our views, manners, and approaches.

The atrocity of genocide can no longer coexist with humans. The United States needs to lead the charge in stopping genocide worldwide. With the support of the UN genocide on earth can completely be destroyed as a problem.

Genocide cannot be prevented because countries are in financial trouble and are not able to help. Countries could already be in political conflict, and in other wars, so that they are unable to get involved. Many countries and organizations have their own religious beliefs today. Many people,and groups are willing to kill other people and torture them if they do not join their religion, and convert. Genocide is unpreventable because of financial concerns, political reasons, and religious reasons. Genocide is still happening today in parts of the world like Rwanda, and Syria.

Genocide is a very complex item to address. But to deeply and successfully address such a topic, it is a must to look deeper than the actions that have been displayed. But to understand the motives of genocide, one must know the correct definition of genocide. “Genocide,” a term used to describe violence against members of a national, ethnical, racial or religious group with the intent to destroy the entire group…” (What is...). Now fully understanding what genocide is, it will be easier to understand what motivates individuals in the past, present, and future to attempt genocide. A lot of questions have been made on what the motivation is of genocide. It is actually quite simple when thought about. The most common motivations are convenience, revenge, simple fear, and fear of pollution. Although there have been many different genocides in the world, it seems as if the motives in sequential order are convenience, revenge, fear of pollution, and simple fear. There are a large number of people who would like to say that mass genocides are okay. They would like to say that the killing of numerous amounts of people helps keep the world safe from over population and also helps keep people afraid of their superiors. Although using genocide as a solution is a very harsh choice of action, it has helped keep populations of races down, and has also shown civilians what the power of their government is. The purpose

“Bipolar societies that lack mixed categories, such as Rwanda and Burundi , are the most likely to have genocide. The main preventive measure at this early stage is to develop universalistic institutions that transcend ethnic or racial divisions, that actively promote tolerance and understanding, and that promote classifications that transcend the divisions “ (Alex Alvarez). Very often big countries need to help small countries to prevent danger of genocide. “It is time to recognize that the international responsibility to protect transcends the narrow interests of individual nation states. If strong nations will not provide troops to intervene directly,they should provide the airlift equipment and financial means necessary for regional states to intervene” (H.

Before the class began this semester, I was unaware of all the genocide cases and their concepts that constitute what a genocide truly is that have occurred within the world’s existence. The UN Convention defines the term genocide (rape and killing) into five specific categories of the terminology. Out of the five elements described, the first, second, and fourth elements are the categories that I mostly saw demonstrated throughout the studies that we discussed within the class. These elements proclaim that genocide means the killing, causing of serious bodily or mental harm, and the imposing of measures intended to prevent births, all within the specific targeted group. These demonstrate the main attributing factors that not only occur within a genocide as it is undergoing, but also the notions behind why the genocide occurred to begin with.

Genocide, a dire event, has been recurring time and time again throughout history. In the past, there was the Holocaust, where Hitler exterminated over six million Jews based on his anti-semitic views. Elie Wiesel, a Jewish author, has become a very influential man in educating the world of the true events of the Holocaust due to his involvement in the disaster. Presently, a genocide is occurring in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, in which according to Cheryl Goldmark, “a systematic slaughter of non-Arab residents at the the hands of Arab militiamen called Janjaweed” has been taking place since 2003. (1) Not only is genocide a tragic historical event, it also continuously occurs today.

In 2003, 300,000 deaths were ignored by the U.N. as well as the whole world in general. Everyone, including the United States, failed to intervene as the government-lead Janjaweed slaughtered, raped, and tortured innocent Darfurians. We like to believe that our government and the world in general would act against this, but that’s all it is, a hope. Within the United States, there have been several organizations and operations to provide foreign aid for the victims of these acts, but very rarely are they led by our governmental leaders. Although this is true, is it really our current government’s fault?