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Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit the Friends of Simon Weisenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies. I think we can all agree that the discussion was entirely thought-provoking and we all share a sense of confusion how it is that events surrounding genocide continue to happen in spite of the lessons learned from the Holocaust.
1. Give an example of genocide that has taken place after the Holocaust (e.g. The rape of Nanking, Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzogovina, Armenia, etc.). Provide a summary of the issue, who was involved and what happened. How was this event similar to the Holocaust? (20 marks - knowledge)
2. Read the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide at this website: http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/genocide-convention.htm. The Convention was adopted in 1948 and yet, many instances of genocide have occurred since. Why do you think this is the case? Can the UN be the only voice in the world taking a stance on this issue? Do other nations of the world need to get involved? Who? What do they need to do? (20 marks - thinking)
3. Respond to something posted by a classmate that particularly struck you. (10 marks - application)
18 comments:
1) The genocide in Bosnia-Hercegovina happened in the 1990s. The Serbian army, under orders from Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, invaded Bosnia with the intent to create an ethnically pure Serbian state. Milosevic had a vision of "Greater Serbia", in which all of the former republics of Yugoslavia would be reunited under one government in Belgrade. Bosnia consists of three major ethnic groups: Serbs, Croats, and Muslims. From 1992-5, the Bosnian Serb forces attempted to "ethnically cleanse" the Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat populations. This was done through deportations and mass murders . One such massacre occurred in the small town of Srebrenica, where approximately 8000 Bosnian Muslims were killed. The irony of this is that Srebrenica was a UN "safe area", where civilians would be protected by UN officials. While this was going on, the international community did very little, and really had no power to do anything. This is one way it is similar to the Holocaust. It wasn't until the massacres in Kosovo that the international community did anything to stop Milosevic's reign of terror. The international community is now trying to bring the perpetrators to justice, long after the deed has been done. Both the Holocaust and the Bosnian genocide were incited by leaders who believed their people were the master race, and saw it as their duty to eradicate the inferior races. The slogan "never again" has been used for both events, yet genocide continues to happen to this day.
2) Genocide continues to happen to this day because no one in a position of power cares enough to do anything about it. With every developed country in the world worrying about the economy or the environment, they don't have time to worry about the mass killing of some random ethnic group in some remote part of the world. They will only send peace-keepers to try and maintain peace in the region. This is a laughable concept since, in cases of genocide, there is usually very little fighting going on. It is one group, usually supported by the government, attempting to exterminate a helpless and "inferior" group. History has shown us that peace-keepers are usually unable, and in some cases unwilling, to protect innocent civilians from harm. Many of these genocides happen in poor African countries, and the developed world just doesn't care enough to do anything. For the most part, the UN seems to be ignoring the genocides going on around the world. For example, the UN recognizes Darfur as a genocide, but is doing nothing to stop it. They will take interest in it when the killing is finished and it is time to put the war criminals on trial. Individual nations need to put more pressure on the UN to get involved. If enough people acknowledge what is happening in places like Darfur, and demand that something be done, the UN will have no choice but to listen. Major countries (i.e. U.S. and Canada) have to get out of dead-end missions in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, and focus on areas of the world that really need international help.
I'll post part 3 later when someone else has posted.
-Martina Vlasic
1)An example of a genocide that really struck the hearts of many was the genocide that occurred in Rwanda which took place on the year 1994 which a mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda's Tutsis by Hutu militia. Over the course of approximately 100 days. April 6th through to mid July, at least 500,000 people were killed. Most estimates indicate a death toll of 800,000 and 1,000,000. Rwandan Civil War, fought between the Hutu regime with support from Francophone nations of Africa, as well as France itself, and rebel Tutsi exiles with support from Uganda. The situation proved too difficult and volatile for the United Nations to handle. This genocide was not exactly similar to the holocaust because most of the killings were not by fire arms must by machetes which were supported by china for a very cheap price. It is very similar to the holocaust because it killed many people from a particular group and many countries did not help both Jews that suffered under Nazi soldiers and even many countries did not help the many Tutsis that were suppressed under that Hutu majority. This is very evident in relation to the Holocaust because after the Holocaust people said this Famous line “NEVER AGAIN” which looked so hopeful to many around the world wondering if this would ever happen again but in the year 2008 we see that these genocide continued to happen and the world is just sitting back and how good is the United Nations if they are scared to get their hands dirty in order to protect the rights and lives of innocent people.
2)I feel that that genocides have still occurs after the Convention was adopted in 1948 because these rules were not enforced by the United Nations I feel that it is not publicly shown to the world that this is unacceptable and that this would not be taken lightly. How good are these punishments that state that all people who participate in genocide will be persecuted if no one enforces it. What is really sad in our world today is that people are too concerned with their own society and think that first about themselves and half to help their own country with their own petty problems before helping nations that are in dire need of help were there are hundreds of thousands of people who were killed for example in Rwanda and it was not even really heard about in the western world until years later. The UN can’t be the only voice because they don’t believe really on violence and nations that are equipped with a military should help them and not allow rebel groups kill people that are trying to help innocent civilians. I believe a country like the USA should get out Iraq right now!!! and go help people that are suffering in Darfur and help those in china and Tibet. I also believe that Canada should also get some kind of military units it is good that we promote peace and make peace in struggling nations but in some cesses there is such minimal peace to promote and that the only way to end the suffering of many is to take a stance and to fight back with force.
3)I agree with martina because she states that the western world is too caught up in their own political and other problems and think of themselves first then any other nations. Which comes down to that the western world simply doesn’t care about what is happening in the East and thinks that what ever is happening in that side of that world doesn’t affect them and not their problem. What i agree most about what she has to say is that USA and Canada half to get out of Iraq and go to countries that actually need help. Another interesting point that she brings up is that individual nations need to put pressure on the UN in order to get these problems solved in our world. Which i believe is excellent but very unlikely especially in Canada because only 59% of Canadians only voted in are last election imagine the percentage of Canadians that will go and stand up to the UN.
Nefty Gonzalez
1) I only now about one other genocide after the holocaust and its Rwanda, i know we are watching the film on it but i really have no background info on any other genocide
In Rwanda live two different ethnic groups the Hutu's and the Tootsy's. Originally Rwanda was a Belgium colony, but when Belgium left they left the Tootsy's in charge because t hey looked whiter than the rest and therefore would make as better leaders. In 1994, The Rwandan President's plane was shot down leaving the president killed, this was just before a meeting with Tootsy rebels. The blame went to all Tootsy and accusations began flying stating that all Tootsy were enemy's and orders were given to exterminate them all. This Genocide lasted for 100 days, no one did anything but the signs were all there that a genocide was coming.In the end about 800 000 Tootsy's were exterminated and personally i do not think that the punishment that some of the war criminals throughout the genocide have punished to the full extent, prisoners that committed these atrocities are being let free today and we are expected to believe that it will not happen again. I sometimes feel that there will be another Genocide occurring very soon, am i the only one? Never again is just something we say to ourselves to help us sleep at night , there is no meaning behind it and in oder for society to completely understand how terrible Genocide is and that it should never happen is unfortunately to have to go through it and experience first hand the destruction and chaos it causes.
2) I think that Genocide has continued because its a complicated issue to deal with, some people may think to just go in there and shoot up the " bad guys" but in most of these scenario's that is not the case. The UN seems interested in stopping Genocide but in the end there are rules that limit the UN's power and its peace keepers i.e. only shoot when being shot at. Rwanda used machetes to exterminate the Tootsy's. There are many loop holes and in times of crises i believe that there should be exceptions. Also the world has other problems, im not saying that genocide is something small that wont effect society, im saying that countries like USA is more worried about their economic struggle rather than the extermination of the Tootsy's. There is much neglect on our part and maybe we should start practicing what we preach( freedom rights liberties etc.) The UN is not the only voice taking in action against Genocide, i believe that in the end everyone is taking a stance on the issue, just not to the extent that it should be taken at. No one wants there to be Genocide within their own country, but since Genocide isn't within our own country it makes me wonder will we have to go through a Genocide to get the Government and out society more aware? Every nation needs to get involved, Genocide isn't anything small, it affects many many people and it isn't something that is hard to spot either. The west especially should be doing something about it, we are the most developed nations, the wealthiest, and we all preach equality and human rights so therefore shouldn't we go outside the box and try to resolve other issues not within our own country. The best approach to a Genocide that is taking place is probably going into the country, and conducting a sort of war measures act on the citizens, try and restore peace at first then left all the restrictions, once the population has been calmed down try and find a common ground between the oppressed and the oppressors.
3) i completely agree with Martina when she states that peace keepers are laughable and that these acts are committed in African counties. I also believe that the UN is also obsolete, they allow countries to fight pointless wars, and even though Genocides are terrible crimes, there are war crimes almost just as bad still happening today and the UN is scared to really do anything about it!
1) Well all i can really respond to is Rwanda, because to be honest i don't know a lot about many other genocides other than the holocaust. And i just really found out the exact info of Rwanda and Darfur.
The genocide in Rwanda happened in 1994 and lasted from April-July. Which was exactly 100 days of killing. The majority of the population was the Hutu tribe and the minority was the Tutsi tribe. They were both the same race but apparently were very different and the Hutu thought the Tutsi were the blame for causing the overall issues for Rwanda. they thought of themselves as the better tribe. They also believed they were vermin or 'cockroaches' that should be exterminated from their land. The UN supposedly couldn't intervene because they had to recognize it as a genocide. Mainly because a lot of the kills were by machetes, sticks and grenades. Many countries were 'unaware' of this event or maybe just didn't care enough. But i think it was an estimated 500,000 Tutsis that were killed during those 100 days.
2)i think the reason why the convention didn't really work is because it is more on the fact of convicting the group or nation AFTER they slaughter everyone. so i think it looks more on the punishment of people involved than the prevention. Sure, they are brought to justice but still doesnt bring back the thousands of people back. i think more than the UN need to pitch in with preventing genocide, because from the looks of I don't think 'never again' is working for us. Other countries (or overall continents) need programs to detect plans of genocide. We need to stop it before it happens, not 'jump in' last minute to save the day. Once propaganda starts that should be a sign and should be taken care of right away. Steps like that should be the sounding alarm on an upcoming genocide. Also the Rwanda Genocide was after a civil war and that may be a reason why it happened. Maybe the UN or other countries should be trying to stop useless wars that cause so much trouble. i think maybe another reason why other countries don't get involved is because they see it as 'it's not happening to us so lets turn our head' kind of thing.' countries need to get aware of international issues so we can stop this.
3)i agree with nefty, since the US and Canada is a pretty highly looked up too (even though we all have our faults). we should be setting good examples and not be stuck in our own businesses. i mean, canada did help in Rwanda due to the UN convention borders? (not too sure of what to call it) but maybe we or the US and other big 1st world countries could have been helping more. and not turn a blind eye just because we're unsure or because there was another event catching your attention. No problem is too little to ignore. We should stop this foolishness and get troops out of Iraq.
1) Close to 50 years after the Holocaust, another genocide broke out. In 1994, the Hutu rebels over took the Rwandan government. The Hutu rebels had killed the President of Rwanda and blamed the murder on the Tutsis. “Cutting down the trees” was the phrase used over the radio to start the killing of the Tutsis. This began the mass murder of
1,000,000 citizens. This whole genocide was caused because for the longest time the Belgians had left the minority Tutsis in power (they were the light skinned, slimmer noses, and overall better “race”) and finally the oppressed were slowly beginning to realize they were the majority and could take over the country. The Hutus began killing any Tutsi in sight, did not matter adult, child, or elderly, none were spared. Any where from 800,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsis were killed. The Hutus referred to the Tutsis as “cockroaches” and needed to step on them to kick them out. It seemed that every country shut a blind eye to the country of Rwanda. “Never again” seems a term lightly used, with no real meaning. Nobody even cared that all these people were dying, not even about the young and innocent children. The United Nations played such a small part in the genocide, there is no need for them to even exist if they are just going to stand by and watch. The way that nobody cared about the killing is how similar the Holocaust is to the genocide in Rwanda. The lack of help from the Western world shows that no one cared back then, and they sure as hell don’t care now. For some reason people seem not to care only because it is not happening to them, or in areas around them. Both commanders of each country had the same reasoning; they thought they could eliminate one race so that
the perfect race was still left.
2) I think that genocides will continue to go on in the future. As much as we can try to prevent it, some how it will always lead to that. There is no way to change all the minds of the evil people of the world. It is something that can never be fixed, as much as we want to change it. It is the continuous circle; the oppressed become the oppressors and so on. The UN is not the only voice that can take a stance on this issue, every country has the ability to, but seems they are just too lazy to do so. It seems that our countries are involved, but Rwanda and now Darfur is happening now and NOTHING is being done. So much for being involved. The Western world should be ashamed that they are not doing anything to help those in need. The countries that need to be helping out more are ALL of them! Every single nation needs to do their part in helping out these countries and at least trying to prevent another genocide from braking out. Countries need to be more aware; I believe the next genocide about to happen will probably be in the Middle East. And most likely fought by the Palestinians vs. the Israelis. Having the UN troops from different countries try to make peace in Israel and Palestine should prevent this.
1. There are many genocides that occured after the holocaust. The mass murder of millions of innocent people continously happens even after such a terrible experience like the holocaust was experienced by many people and it was said to "never again" happen. Rwanda is an example of another genocide which took place after the holocaust. During april to July of 1994 the Hutu's took over Rwanda. Two differnt black groups ; the Hutus and Tutsis, both from same ethnic background jsut differnt in skin tone and facial features lived in Rwanda at this time. There was tension, hatred and strong racism between both ethnice groups and Hutus took revenge of the Tutsis becuase of their power. The Hutus killed innocent Tutsis with mecides and let families and innocent children suffer for no reason. Unfortunatelly, this horrible heart breaking event is similar to the holocaust becuase it was a mass murder of innocent people. Just the way the Jews were innocenlty killed by the Germans , Tutsis were seen as cocroaches to the hutus and served no purpose in this world.
--number 2 is coming right up
1.) The Rape of Nanking occurred during World War II, when Japan invaded China in 1937-1938. The massacre lasted 6 weeks. Approximately 300,000 people were brutally slaughtered. Women, were gang raped, tortured, mutilated, and eventually killed. The men were used as bayonet practice and were burned or buried alive. One Japanese soldier said, "It would be all right if we only raped them. I shouldn't say all right. But we always stabbed and killed them. Because dead bodies don't talk ... Perhaps when we were raping her, we looked at her as a woman, but when we killed her, we just thought of her as something like a pig." (Chang, The Rape of Nanking, pp. 49-50). A German Nazi business named John Rabe set up a “Nanking Safety Zone” and saved thousands of lives (which I find ironic, because he was a Nazi and he might have killed Jews during the Holocaust). The rapes were filmed as souvenirs. The soldiers also took the Chinese citizens as prisoners and robbed them. This event was similar to the Holocaust because many innocent civilians were killed. This was an atrocity that occurred because of cultural differences.
2.) Genocide is still happening today because the situation has not been taken as seriously as it should be. Rules have not been enforced properly, therefore people tend to do what they feel is right. Some places are unaware of The Convention so the people living there do not really know what genocide is and what the punishments are. No, the UN shouldn’t be the only voice in the world taking a stance on this issue because the UN does not rule the world. We are all part of this world together; we are supposed to take care of it because obviously, it is our home. Even though we do not know everyone in this world, we should care for those living very far away anyway. Every nation in the world should get involved. War and hate crimes aren’t issues that should be taken lightly by the world, because as I said before, we are all part of it. The nations of this world should unite to protect each other and prevent situations such as genocide. The nations of the world should teach each other about peace and learn to co-exist in harmony. People should just get together and smoke some weed, sing songs about peace and love, and everybody would be happy! =)
3.) I agree with Nefty. It is true that countries are selfish and decide to worry about their own well-being before anyone else. Why are there wars for peace? Peace and war do not go together, so we shouldn’t have to fight for peace. It just doesn’t make sense. I also agree on what Nefty said about how the Americans should get out of Iraq, because really, they’re just taking up space and wasting air. They are killing civilians for nothing; I think they have no reason to be there.
Taniaaaaaaaaa.
sorry i had to post seperately
2.Till this very day genocide is evident all around the worls. in the most simple ways a reflection of genocideis thought through evry crime committed. From a shooting that happens on a daily basis genocide is the main factor and awarness but unfortunatelly continues to occur. Many genocides have occured since the UN has stated this in 1948 becuase it's the rulers of the governemnt and countries who make decisions. Although the UN is trying very hard to end all problems it will be nearly impossible for them to solve everything becuase it comes down to the horrible decisions made by the government and its rulers. It's sad to say that the government of each individual country has their priorites messed up becuase things which arent nearly as important have a stronger putpose to the country. Mass murders arent usually thought through by a government becuase no ruler wants to think of the worst that can happen and this is why problems happen even more on a daily basis. The UN is a wonderful voice for countries but unfortunately it wont be enough to completely end all genocides and make "never again" become a reality. I believe that nations need to have a stance in this horrible issue becuase it can never be solved wholly by the effort and willingness of the UN.
3.I agree with what Maria send in her answer to number 2. We can all try our best to end all genocides but we cant change the evil minds and thoughts of these crazy people that are living in our world around us. She makes a good point when she said that the opressors become the opressed and its jsut a vicious circle.
1) After the massive genocide that took place in the Holocaust, another massive genocide took place. This disturbing and hurtful genocide took place in Rwanda. Beginning on April 6, 1994, and for the next hundred days, up to 800,000 Tutsis were killed by Hutu militia using clubs and machetes, with as many as 10,000 killed each day. Rwanda is known as one of the smallest countries in Central Africa. It has approximately seven million people and is comprised of two main groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi. Even though the Tutsi were a minority, they still managed to dominate Hutu peasants for decades. This was especially during the time that Rwanda was under Belgian colonial rule. The Hutus were getting sick and tired of this so on April 6, 1994, President Habyarimana's plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile as it approached Kigali airport. The Hutus used the killing to blame the Tutsis and that is how the genocide started. By April 21 1994 JUST IN TWO WEEKS, approximately a quarter of a million Tutsis and moderate Hutu were slaughtered. "The dead of Rwanda accumulated at nearly three times the rate of Jewish dead during the Holocaust." (Philip Gourevitch, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda [Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998], p. 3.) That to me is disgusting. The genocide in Rwanda is very similar to the genocide in the Holocaust. It is similar because both of these genocide’s were planned ahead. If the people didn’t plan the genocide, it definatly would not have happened. The people who started the slaughter of million must have sat down for long periods of time, discussing with other killers on how the genocide is to be planned. It is unfortunate that their plans worked. Also, in both genocides, there was pure hatred and people were separated into groups. The devil was part of both these genocides which is the number one similarity.
2) The Convention was adopted in 1948 and yet, many instances of genocide have occurred since. I feel that genocide still happens today because of three reasons. The first is that many people are not aware of what is going on in the world/ or they are pretending that they don’t know what is going on. They are “living in a bubble”. The second reason why there is genocide today in my opinion, is because countries are always worrying about their own problems, that they don’t have time to worry about other countries. This is ESPECIALLY if the country is non-developed. The most countries will do is send people to do peacekeeping but honestly what will that do? Many of the peace keepers get killed and the people committing the crimes are in majority compared to the peacekeepers so how can they stop the genocide? It’s seems impossible to me in all honesty. I really feel bad for the peace keepers because they can only help stop the genocide but not stop it completely. The reason is because they are outnumbered and many countries around the world are un-willing to send their people to do peace keeping in other countries. Lastly, the world is unfortunately racist. If a country with white people were in a troubled state and a country with black people were in a troubled state at the same time, which group of people would be chosen first! THE WHITES OF COURSE! It is unfortunately a sad reality. It is a sad reality not only because it is racist, but because the wars that are going on are in countries with “coloured” people and I think that is part of the reason why countries don’t help. The past is COMING BACK AGAIN, in my opinion when it comes to war and genocide.
3) I agree with Nefty and Martina on everything except Martina’s statement on the UN. “For the most part, the UN seems to be ignoring the genocides going on around the world.” That is not true at all. They are definatly putting an effort to help stop the genocide but look at how small of a group they are! How can you say they are not trying because they do try and many people are just not recognizing that. I mean they can do better but like I said before, they are a minority so what more can they do, honestly? It is up to the government in various countries to stop the genocide because a group of people just can’t. It’s unfortunate that developed countries are not helping out as much as they can because if they did, I am sure genocide would be stopped permanently.
1. At Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center For Holocaust Studies, the leaders there showed us different views and detailed information on genocide, the Holocaust and Rwanda. Gathering all the information given by them to me, genocide is the systematic wreckage of ethnic, racial, and religious group. After the Holocaust occurred, there has been other genocides that arised such as Rwanda. Rwanda itself is a small country which its population was about 10.1 million people. Rwanda Genocide took place during April-July in 1994. There were two different tribes; one was named the Hutu's and the other was named the Tutsi's. Both of these tribes were the same race however they both had a large impact on eachother which made them different. The Hutu's always put the blame on the Tutsi's on any problem that occurred in Rwanda. They classified themselves as the cockroaches of their country because they thought they were the ones ruling Rwanda. This genocide lasted approximately 100 days and during those 100 days about 500, 000 tutsi's died because of the Hutu's. The Rwanda Genocide is similar to the holocaust because in both situations, particular groups were killed. Other citizens were selfish and did not care about the suffering Jews nor did they care about the Tutsi's.
2. I believe that Genocide continuously may occur as long as it takes because citizens do not realize the reality in life and is taking everything as a big joke. One may think that something big needs to happen in order for people to realize that it is not a joke however Genocides such as the Holocaust and Rwanda are extreme problems that are happening around the world however no one is yet to make a strong effort and making a difference in the world. People consider Genocide as getting rid of all the bad people away from their country so that it can be a better place however this is not always true. The rules should be enforced more and people should not have to follow in any one else’s footstep they should have a mind of them selves. The UN is trying to resolve the problems towards these situations however it is almost impossible because in the end, the government are the decision makers. These problems are occurring daily yet the government does not realize most of it because they think of themselves. They put their own priorities first then others. The UN is a powerful leader for countries in the world but due to the stronger leaders in the world, it will not be enough to end the genocides. The famous quote ‘never again’ will never happen and become real if no one puts efforts in these problems.
3. I agree with Nefty when he says that people are selfish because it is so true they only think of themselves and if their is a problem they need to handle, they will run and accomplish to resolve it. Genocide will not stop if people keep acting the way they are now.
1. You know what I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the next genocide that will be in the history books is the genocide of the Palestinians in modern day Israel.
After WWII and the holocaust the UN felt sorry for the Jews. They wanted to give the Jews and homeland. In the end they opted to give them
Palestine /Israel. This was unjust to the Palestinians people who wanted to form their own Independent country of Palestine.
This lead to wars,riots, and violence on the streets. Acts of terrorism from both side. How could one call it it war if one side is issued with American tanks and another throwing rocks?
Twelve year old shot, bus bombings and etc.
But what's worse it you'd think that Israel and the Jews would See that they to have started on a genocide mission fueled on pure hatred and stubbornness.
1. Classification- Jews, and Arab(Palestinians)
2.Symbolization- All Arabs are terrorists.
3. Dehumanization- Gaza strip and west bank has A concrete security fence all along the border and checkpoints monitoring the Palestinians in their own country.
4.Organization- No doubt that military troops and official which shot their guns and fired their weapons and the support of the state. It's a well known fact that Israel political leaders don't get along to kindly with palestians to put it nice.
5. Polarization- the west bank and Gaza strips are no free land for the Palestinian people, they more like refugee camps. Any Palestinian that wants to go to Israel must have a document/papers from the Israeli government to get to jersuleam or out of the area, and they must return in a certain time frame. Each Arab person is also stopped searched for weapons and accepted while if you hold a Jewish passport they wave you right though.
Preparation- Due to American "aid" of military weapons the Israeli can move unto Palestine at any time that they choose in which the Palestine have no power to stop
Now I'm not quite sure f the execution of a mass scale. But there has already been Israel denials and justifications behind the whole ordeal. The Jews have already done a 180 turn, a full Karl Marx view of history of the oppressed becoming the opressers. They done everything that nazi Germany has done to them slowly cutting them off from their own country and slowly cutting them out of the world. The Jewish known how hard it is for world attention when you have no country. In this regard i think they are taking advantage of that fact and also taking advantage of their big brother the US of A.
2. I believe that the reason why genocide happens again it that no one cares. My case in point would be the Usa in this short cartoon
Watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03oAbzQmTdg
watch
It's that people, are so blinded by their own problems that if the situation doesn't smack them right in face they do nothing about it. "I wish we could prepare, and not always have to react". I remember this quote from a book i was reading a while ago. In seems in politics that it's the always the thing to do react. We react to the genocide just as we reacted to 9/11.
With horror, with shock, with questions.
So I respond that genocide will stop when people, and governments are more self concoius of what they do, and more active UN. I would like to See the UN peace keepers fully stocked with all the materials they need.
I would love to see countries abiding by the rules of the UN as well, unlike some other country's where their word is above the law...
3. I agree with Nefty that the western world puts so little interest in these matters when it is needed, instead of bicker on who said what. And also individual nations need to put pressure on the UN in order to get these problems solved in our world. You know if more middle powers challanged the views of the UN, there would be a ripple effect, in which that the Un would watch and then clean up the after math that it was there when the roots started to take into effect and it started to fest. that's WHAT I WOULD LIKE FOR THE UN TO DO PREVENTION as well as support for these countries.
Or perhaps I'm too idealistic.
canada doesn't have enough man power for that.
But it would sure help if the US stopped poking into everyone's business.....
and that countries would look for the greater good than lining their own pockets.
Hope you enjoyed lil' hitler.
-n.Paesano
1. Starting with the concept of genocide, it is a mass murder of many people for the reason that leaders of rebel groups often rise above their oppressors and become the new oppressor. An example of this is the genocide is Cambodia, where the communist leader of Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot reigned. Basically this man known as Pol Pot was studying as a normal university student until he had turned his focus on Marxism, thus joining a communist group in 1953. At this time Cambodia came under power of a monarchy as Pol Pot became leader of the “Cambodia Communist Party”, and resided into the jungle to flee from the government. At that time they gave themselves the name Khmer Rouge (Red Cambodians) and waged a rebellion movement with the monarchy government. As 1970 rolled around the monarchy government was shafted by the U.S. army, thus the monarchy government decided to join with their rankings. However the United States invaded Cambodia to rebel against the Vietnamese army. At this point in time the remaining Vietnamese troops allied themselves with Pol Pot thus at 1975 took over Cambodia. Throughout his reign, he focused on a communism that involved was more or less slavery until they drop dead from disease, and lack of energy to work. The people had to follow Pol Pot’s rules despite how extreme, and his military inaction which was similar to the dictator of Nazi Germany. These extremists are similar for the reason that they wanted to better their country despite causing genocide in order to achieve their goals. For Pol Pot he had the idea of Marxism; however his views for equality were mixed up because he had stripped them of their rights, and benefits for work were slim to none. With Nazi Germany, Hitler caused genocide to rid of the Jewish people who lived in their country, so they used them as tool for destruction and experimentation. Despite the intention to kill off many of the country’s inhabitants, these two leaders were successful with the idea of using them to their own satisfaction despite to their downfall when they were taken down by nations who could not be bystanders anymore such as America, etc. In the end of Pol Pot’s campaign of killing two million of his people, he had died of a heart attack in 1998, before he faced his trial for the lives he had taken during his campaign for a peasant communism.
2. Despite the intentions that the United Nations does promise, they can not fully enact upon this promise. The reason is simple; every society looks after themselves to a certain point until the country is one meter away from another society being taken over. The United Nations was the upgrade in replacement of the League of Nations. Even though their names are different, including some of their roles, their goal of keeping the peace is never enacted. One example to consider is Rwanda or Cambodia. In both nations they carry the problem of attaining peace so the United Nations accompanies them yet when massive death tolls around the soldiers, these blue men in soldiers clothing do nothing but just help the injured. I am sorry, but why are these soldiers there in the first place if they can maintain the peace after the country’s president is assassinated or a communist group has taken over the nation? It does not make sense because the United Nations to me seems to be a mixture of bystanders who can not do anything unless rebels fire at them. Personally the United Nation is an ideal for humanity to consider however, no one follows their policy thus leaving them unattended. If a nation has a supportive conservative government with a powerful army, send them to nations who are in dire need, instead of leaving them to their own destruction. If help is not given when the people are dying each time we download un-necessary material, all I see is the faded words of the suffering “Never Again”. Those words will never show a real meaning because genocide seems to be our human flaw, only to kill and be another follower of people such as Hitler, Pol Pot, etc.
3. I believe that everyone has a saying in the world, yet people have the habit to blame one person for all their mistakes. With Nefty speaking out about a better role model to help countries in need, we need to enact out. Besides the fact that Canada tends to enjoy being the peacekeeping nation along with the United Nations, there will be a time where we have attend to other business or crisis within our own country. Consider the facts that countries who have wealth have tried to help countries such as Sudan, Rwanda yet when we turn away for one second to our own accord, another war begins. Nations have to realize that United Nations or other helping countries can not send aid all the time, they developing nations have learn when to draw the line to make peace. Canada and the United States have shown their peace keeping many times, so I say its time the other countries stop being bystanders and prevent themselves from causing future genocides. Take the advice from the Holocaust survivors and other survivors from Cambodia or Rwanda, prevent the chaos, help the people, and finally create peace. Even though these words mention represent the ideas from the article given by the United Nations, the truth is that genocide will repeat, we just have to be ready to reduce the damage. As Marxists would say the “oppressed will become the oppressor”. In conclusion stop the cycle, repeating history only brings the endless suffering of humanity, so prepare society to be a better neighbour than an enemy.
By: John Schokman
1) Probably one of the current genocide right now, Genocide in Darfur. The conflict began early in 2003 after a rebel group began attacking government targets. Two groups are involved, the armed conflict is composed mainly of the Sudanese military and the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited mostly from the Arab. Millions have fled their destroyed villages, with some two million in camps near Darfur's main towns. The Janjaweed patrol outside the camps and the men were killed and the women were raped. Many civilians have suffered and died from the atrocities of the Janjaweed. UN officials say they believe the figure is now about 300,000 deaths. The slogan has been used for this genocide, as like the Holocaust. The ironic thing is the genocide is still going on in Darfur. Many people are being massacred and this can be related to the Holocaust.
2) I think that genocides will continue to go on in the future. Its basic human nature, people only care about themselves. For instance there has really been no media towards the Genocide in Darfur. You could ask people about it and they will tell you they don't even know where that is. That is the type of awareness people have these days. People don't care, the society is not interested in it. Major countries like USA or Canada try to help developing countries but at the end of the day, they are focused on their own problems. UN cannot only be the main voice that prevents conflicts, its unacceptable. But realistically the way society is going, things are getting worse. Developed countries are going through economic crisis. Those countries obviously are going to be more focused on those problems. I wish i could say they is a solution, but there isn't. Our world is flawed heavily and history really does repeat its self. The slogan "Never Again" does not meet its meaning pertaining to Genocides. The world will never really learn.
3) I agree with John with what he is saying. Like i previously stated, Genocides are part of human nature. They will continue to happen. And even though its difficult to say, they are probably going to become worse. Not in the sense of deaths but the awareness people will take on to it. People will stop caring, Thousands of people will be dying in developing countries and no one will care. Like John said history will always repeat itself. However if that cycle can be stopped than Genocide can be stopped as well.
1. The Rwanda (sorry miss I picked this one because I feel that the people understood the system therefore making it impossible for the UN to act verifying that it was PLANNED)
The Genocide in Rwanda took place between April and July of 1994 earning the name “100 days of genocide.” Now what had happened was that Rwanda was a colony of Belgium and Rwanda then gained its independence in 1962. In Rwanda there were two ethnic groups the Hutu (majority) and the Tutsi (minority). The Belgians choose the Tutsi to be the “intermediaries” between who governed and who was governed. This was because landowners would relate to the people who looked “like they did” hence justifying why the Tutsi was chosen over the Hutu. As a result this portrayed the Tutsi to be “aristocrats” and the Hutu to be “peasants” therefore creating tension between the two ethnic groups and the Tutsis were excluded from high school and universities (1973). In 1993 a cease fire was created but the Hutus opposed any Tutsi involvement. The spark of the genocide was that on April 6, 1994, Rwanda’s President’s plane was shot down and he died. Tutsis were blamed for killing the president and through radio or word of mouth the Hutu were told to kill the Tutsi. First it was all the Anti-Hutu power Hutus who were killed first then it was Tutsi wives or husbands. What struck me in this particular genocide was that cover up was not an issue, no one kept the effects of this genocide a secret and there was no denial that it had ever occurred. Also what seemed to make me confused was that the UN(UNAMIR) watched as people were killed with guns, machetes, clubs, grenades or from being beaten. “We have no mandate to intervene” was what the UN used to “justify” why they could not do anything. The killing was done by the Interhamwe which was a civilian death squad. Also what seemed to make me question was the fact that the state was providing state power… PLANNED?? The victims of the Rwanda Genocide were Tutsi men, women children even babies, … Whip out the “cockroaches” from the beginning…make sense killing the children right no one to continue the Tutsi race. 800, 000 Tutsi Rwandans were killed in 100 days.
This event is similar to the Holocaust because just like how they Germans blamed the Jews for the debt they had to pay back due to the war; the Hutu blamed the Tutsi for the years of their oppression and the death of the president. The Hutu are a modern example of the Nazi regime that Hitler had control of. The Interhamwe went about killing the Tutsi civilians just like how the Nazi went about killing the Jews. Also this reflects the Holocaust because in the Holocaust the Jews were identified by their religion and given the Star of David as how the Tutsi had a stamp in their ID card to say what they were. The Rwanda genocide also replicates that Hitler got control of Germany because they were in a state of what I would call “Political Uncertainty” and he easily got power just like how the Hutu claimed “power” when Belgium left power to the MINORITY, who has more influence? NEVER AGAIN….sure…
2. With the concept of genocide, the reality is that the powerful people of our world could care less why because it is not affecting them directly. Now from what I understand is that Genocide was given the slogan NEVER AGAIN after the Holocaust, how well did that go? It is very clear to see that genocide always takes a back seat why… the economy is crashing, the environment needs to be protected… don’t get me wrong these are noble causes but why save a world if there won’t be people to live in it, does it make any sense? The idea of worrying about a mass killing of people half way around the world does not seem to be a pressing matter. Then the issue of if we take action will it harm us in the long run meaning will my trading ties be lost, will I lose income. What upsets me is that in times like these political powers only think of what they will loose or gain rather than helping for the cause of helping. So they come up with the brilliant plan of “PEACE KEEPERS” to keep “PEACE” that way it looks like were actually doing something when we are actually doing nothing to help because what are the peace keepers really doing. How can one keep peace if there is none? The concept is so laughable. Honestly my opinion is that the UN is there for a show, a façade, a cover up to say “hey we know what’s going on don’t worry” but yet still they are not doing anything. It is apparent that the UN is sent in but really they don’t do anything to help the situation. We have these great laws presented on the matter and there is a fancy definition of what genocide is yet does that solve the issue? Once again the never again was said and yet it still occurs over and over. I think the focus point is that as powerful countries we are AFRAID to take action so we sit back and wait for the lives of many innocent people have died to go in and say “STOP FIGHTING we are here!” Developed countries need to stop worrying about their money supply because hello they are already developed and step in to the countries that need help. Canada and the Us need to stop supplying aid and money to a dead end situation wars and start looking to the countries where there is civil unrest. They need to gain a back bone and step in and take a risk to help those who cannot help themselves. Start sending propaganda saying that what is happening is wrong and advertise different avenues to handle things. Also send in a force to be reckoned with, I am not saying violence is a key but just arrive and make a statement that we are here to put an end to what is going on. The main thing these countries that are able to help need to do is to CARE!!
3. There is one thing that John stated that kind of confused me… John stated that
“Consider the facts that countries who have wealth have tried to help countries such as Sudan, Rwanda yet when we turn away for one second to our own accord, another war begins. Nations have to realize that United Nations or other helping countries can not send aid all the time, they developing nations have learn when to draw the line to make peace. Canada and the United States have shown their peace keeping many times, so I say its time the other countries stop being bystanders and prevent themselves from causing future genocides.”; now I understand where you are coming from but yet if we don’t do something who will and what if no one does. Developing countries will learn how to “deal” through example and we need to provide that example where they can learn from. If we are not present who are they going to learn from? Nick is right when he stated that Canada does not have enough “will power” to take action and why it is because we are the US’s puppet. Whatever they do we do as well… The big concept to grasp is how do we create prevention for this not to happen again and actually bring meaning to NEVER AGAIN. Yes there are laws but they are only good if they are enforced. All there needs to be is one major collaboration of countries aimed to make this concept of genocide disappear and watch how the value of human life would increase. Awareness is key but ignorance is also a factor because people fall in to the “I did not know” category. Where do we want to fall in? For me I want to see action and prevention emphasized. NEVER AGAIN… Do we decide?
1)The mass murder of ethnically Albanians in Kosovo, Serbia is an example of a genocide that took place after the Holocaust. In September 1987 Slobodan Milosevic took control of the Serbian Communist Party. The authoritarian Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic made Kosovo the cornerstone of his rise to power. As the Yugoslav federation disintegrated, Milosevic saw the opportunity to take control by inflaming nationalist sentiments, and eventually by "ethnically cleansing" territories where Serbs constituted a majority or a large minority, such as Kosovo. With these ideas in mind, this man oppressed those who were not ethnically Serbian, specifically in Kosovo. By 1997 the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) arose after many years of oppression. The fact was that Kosovo is like a province in Serbia that is mainly populated by ethnically Albanians, and a minority of Serbians. Kosovo is Serbia's "holy land" (Orthodox Chrisitan) whereas most of Serbia is Muslim. This religious difference was possibly the cause of most conflict in Kosovo. The Milosevic regime seized the opportunity of the KLA, and began to plan for an epic act of genocide and population transfer that would extinguish ethnic-Albanian culture in Kosovo once and for all. In 1998 the outbreak of genocide had occurred. The outbreak of mass killings in 1998 included a substantial number of women, elderly, and child victims in Kosovo. There were hundreds of refugees from Kosovo who fled to Western Europe and North America, however there were many thousands of them murdered as well, there isn't an exact estimate as to how many. In my opinion this event was similar to the holocaust for two main reasons. Firstly, it was a genocide. It was a mass murder of a group of people from two countries, Jews(Germany) and kosovars (Serbia) that weren't ethnically the same background as the countries dictator/authoritarian...Hitler(German)/milosevic(Serbian). Secondly, this event was similar to the holocaust because it was lead by a dictator like leader that wanted to get rid of those ethnically in pure in his country, just as Hitler. Both Hitler and Milosovec wanted to "cleanse" their counties of those impure. It was the military, state sponsored that committed the atrocious acts of murdering thousands of Kosovars, just as the Nazi's in Germany. In both cases, the measures were designed to allow the regular military to maintain something of a "hands-off" approach to the worst of the atrocities, while still ensuring that the crimes were carried out.
2)I think that many of the leaders of genocidal countries that have been in rule for the genocides that took place after the Holocaust are evil, inhumane, and don;t care for foreign policy or that of the UN. Moreso, they see the UN as being neutral and not getting involved until the very end of war/genocide so they take advantage of the UN pretty much. This article means nothing to the sick leaders of those countries. They hide the face of genocide to the outside world until it is to late for anyone to get involved. Later, they act as if genocide never happened. That is a main reason why they don't pay attention to the UNs Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. They have it all planned, hiding what is occurring to the outside world. I believe that the UN shouldn't be the only voice in the outside world. They are there for peace keeping, however when there is genocide, other countries must act to stop the wrongful killings of mass number of innocent civilians. The UN is a bit delayed in my opinion, and when countries of the UN see what is being committed in international affairs, they should act using military force to stop it. Also those countries that do not have a voice in the UN should get involved as well. Like those countries that have undergone genocide, since they know what it feels like. There is to much pain and suffering hen it come to genocide and countries should raise their voice to this issue. They must talk to the world leaders in order to bring awareness and action into these criminal acts. Just by bringing awareness, a c country is doing a lot for another because this means people know what is going on in international affairs and can do something about it, mainly westerners who care but don't act immediately to stop genocide from occurring... Never again!
3)I have to mention that NEfty brings up some valid points on the UN. I have to agree with his ideas entirely. First off, it is true that in order to have a law, or prevention of criminal acts such as the article from the UN, these punishments must be enforced, not just that but also immediately in order to stop the genocides that are occurring years after years, decades after decades. Also I have to agree with him and his fact that he mentioned that our society is to concerned with themselves. This is really true, and i have to say, unfortunately for most of the people around us too. Everyone is to concerned with their own well being and are selfish. We are too selfish that we don't even care about our neighbor, imagine people living thousand of miles away! Also, he talks about the Rwanda genocide not being heard abut to years later in the US. This goes to show his opinion that news about our mother country is more important, as petty as it might be. It's not just, there are people getting slaughtered in foreign countries while were interested in a new Hollywood movie release. Its so unfortunate how our society has unfolded, and the values we lack. Where has the selflessness gone, and the love for the other? It seems like genocide is going to become something regular if we don't try harder to get involved and stop what is happening around us in a global scale.
1) Unfortunately, there have been numerous genocide occurrences following the Holocaust. The one in which I am most informed about, and therefore so disturbed by, is the Rwanda genocide. This mass killing occurred in April 1994, over what is estimated to be 100 days. When the Belgium power left the Rwandan nation, there was a civil war out-break between the two Rwandan tribes of existence; the “Hutu’s” and the “Tutsi’s.” The distinction between tribes was based mostly on physical appearance (i.e. lighter skin, slimmer noses, etc.); making those who appeared this way Tutsi- and were considered by the Belgium’s to be the “better race.” However, this physical appearance was possessed by only few Rwandan’s, as the traditional Hutu appearance (wide nose, dark skin) was much more common.
As a result, when the Belgium’s left, they commanded the Tutsi’s, being the “better race,” to take power. When the Tutsi president in command was assassinated by the Hutu’s, their majority existence allowed them to place the blame of his death on the Tutsi’s; whom were of minority existence and therefore more weak despite Belgium’s wishes, as they were no longer present. This then became the excuse of the Hutu’s rebellion, and their majority rule allowed them to torture and kill an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsi individuals, whom they referred to as “cockroaches.” Age, gender, status, wealth, nor innocence of an individual mattered- if they were Tutsi, they were immediately killed without question.
This event holds much similarity to the Holocaust- as no one was spared. If an individual was of that certain distinction; they were killed. Despite the similarity of circumstances of one’s death in both instances, they both also hold much similarity because they both were not immediately stopped by surrounding nations or authorities. In the Holocaust, as in Rwanda, outside nations held much knowledge of what was occurring, and failed to do anything about it. Surrounding authorities and citizen’s were, in both situations, basically brainwashed to believe that the killings of the innocent people were justifiable, and people actually acknowledged these victimized groups as not being human. In both situations, despite the difference in time, as society vowed to never let such genocide occur following the holocaust, we once again allowed ourselves to hold back from interference. Given, there was the presence of the United Nations in Rwanda, and outside countries were therefore providing some sort of support to those victimized- including entrance into other countries. However, they were simply acting as by-standards, helping those in need rather than stopping those who were creating the need. The entire country should have been evacuated as soon as it began, and Hutu leaders should have been immediately taken into custody. Both Rwanda and the Holocaust genocide occurred because of a need to eliminate an “inhuman” race. A concept that seems so completely ridiculous was once again ignored by the rest of the world. Our response was simply a band-aid solution, as we once again failed to stop the problem. Despite that it lasted days rather than years, this genocide was still 100 days to long, and the rest of the world is once again at fault.
2) Sadly, Genocide has continued to occur following this convention. As our world exists today, it will continue to occur in the future. I believe the main cause of this continuing is due to the more developed, powerful countries’ main concern being on money, maintaining power, and economic strength. Therefore, these countries all share the same blindness and lack of care for the smaller, more underdeveloped countries experiencing hardships. The idea of the need that these countries are in seems completely unimportant to Western governments, in comparison to them competing for money, power, military strength, and world rule. It seems we have become so lost as a society in our materialistic lives, that we fail to see what really is important. Clearly, we live by the concept that if something does not reach far enough to have any affect on our lives, we will simply not reach that far to interfere. As the Rwandan genocide had absolutely no impacts on any of our lives, it only made sense to ignore it. Our actions, especially that of such western governments can no better be described as then completely embarrassing, heartless and forever selfish!
The existence of the United Nations is evidently very meaningful. Their assistance and aid to those in need is very useful and therefore appreciated. However, their lack of power and authority to actually stop what is occurring requires the need of those who hold such power and authority to do so. The UN cannot be the only group to take action on such problems, not only because it is unfair, but also because they cannot even come close to stopping such problems. Our government and individual ignorance as citizens of a developed country can be seen through our brushing off such issues in other countries, as we send our UN affiliates and forget about the rest. Sadly, we are all probably fully aware that this is not the answer. Therefore, when such issues such as genocide occur- not to mention endless other issues, it is up to the developed, powerful countries, beginning with the Western world in particular, to go in and stop what is occurring. If we strive for such power, wealth and authority, we should put it to use in such times of need. As soon as such times of conflict begin to occur, the immediate reaction by such countries should be to come together to invade, evacuate, prosecute those at fault, and attempt to rebuild what ends up being an even more problematic, poor, and conflicted society in those countries. If we had done this from the start, or at least started at some point to do so, the world would be improving day-by-day. Unfortunately, if such selfishness occurs within the wealthy, developed countries of existence, we will continue to see multiple occurrences of genocide, and it will only get worse. The only way to stop it is by helping such countries who are in times of need, even despite outbreaks of civil war and genocide, but simply because of their economic downfalls and high crime society. We need to remove the focus of improvement from ourselves, and place it on those who seriously need the improvements for a change. Until our overall priority, values and outlook changes, nothing else will.
3) When Andrea said; “It is a sad reality not only because it is racist, but because the wars that are going on are in countries with “coloured” people and I think that is part of the reason why countries don’t help. The past is COMING BACK AGAIN,” this struck me very much because it seems so true. Sadly, it is completely evident through all that is occurring, and all that has occurred that those who are victimized, in conflict, and in war, are colored. I, however, am not completely sure if that is the reasoning for the lack of help and interference by other countries, but it seems as though that is the most obvious reason. Through the lack of help and interference by such developed countries; most of which are not ruled or populated by those of color, it becomes obvious of their carelessness towards such ethnic people in times of need. As much as we vow to make change, we have only continued the pattern. Our blatant disregard for anyone other than ourselves, being in such a developed country, has been the cause of much talk and no action. I was very much bothered, but in strong agreement, with Andrea’s idea of the past coming back. We learn in history that the victimized have always been ethnic minority groups, and still it continues, and has re-occurred multiple times, which leads any individual with common sense to see that we simply do not value these people enough to help them. We have become so accustomed to it, that it has almost become the norm. Our de-humanization of such groups, or failure to stop it, has brought the past back, sadly.
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