...A Summary of the Rwandan Genocide Rwanda: A Brief History of the Country Rwanda’s population of more than 7 million people is divided into three ethnic groups: the Hutu (who made up roughly 85% of the population), the Tutsi (14%) and the Twa (1%). Prior to the colonial era, Tutsis generally occupied the higher strata in the social system and the Hutus the lower. However, social mobility was possible, a Hutu who acquired a large number of cattle or other wealth could be assimilated into the Tutsi group and impoverished Tutsi would be regarded as Hutu. A clan system also functioned, with the Tutsi clan known as the Nyinginya being the most powerful. Throughout the 1800s, the Nyingiya expanded their influence by conquest and by offering protection in return for tribute. Ethnic Conflict Begins The former colonial power, Germany, lost possession of Rwanda during the First World War and the territory was then placed under Belgian administration. In the late 1950’s during the great wave of decolonization, tensions increased in Rwanda. The Hutu political movement, which stood to gain from majority rule, was gaining momentum while segments of the Tutsi establishment resisted democratization and the loss of their acquired privileges. In November 1959, a violent incident sparked a Hutu uprising in which hundreds of Tutsi were killed and thousands displaced and forced to flee to neighboring countries. This marked the start of the so- called ‘Hutu Peasant Revolution’ or ‘social revolution’...
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...Rwandan Genocide: Reasons for the non-intervention by the United States. ´´ In their greatest hour of need, the world failed the people of Rwanda.´´ - Kofi Annan RESIT By: Amber Vos S2380285 Lecturer: Miss Justine Jones Group 3 Word Count: 2639 Table of Content Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The legacy of Somalia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Lack of National Support . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The role of the media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Introduction On April the 6th 1994, the Hutu population of Rwanda attacked the Tutsi minority. In the short period of hundred days approximately 800,000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsi’s, were killed. Even the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide which was...
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...|HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION | |INTRODUCTION | Humanitarian intervention poses a hard test for any international society built on principles of sovereignty, non-intervention, and the non-use of force. Immediately after the Holocaust, the society of states established laws prohibiting genocide, forbidding the mistreatment of civilians, and recognizing basic human rights. These humanitarian principles often conflict with principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. Sovereign states are expected to act as guardians of their citizens’ security, but what happens if states behave as criminals towards their own people, treating sovereignty as a licence to kill? Should tyrannical states be recognized as legitimate members of international society and accorded the protection afforded by the non-intervention principle? Or, should states forfeit their sovereign rights and be exposed to legitimate intervention if they actively abuse or fail to protect their citizens? Related to this, what responsibilities do other states or institutions have to enforce human rights norms against governments that massively violate them? Armed humanitarian intervention was not a legitimate practice during the cold war because states placed more...
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...Humanitarian intervention is a label that has been employed to describe economic to military intervention. The main types of intervention include military, diplomatic, developmental and economic sanction. Mill’s (1859) stated that "There seems to be no little need that the whole doctrine of non-interference with foreign nations should be reconsidered, if it can be said to have as yet been considered as a really moral question at all... To go to war for an idea, if the war is aggressive, not defensive, is as criminal as to go to war for territory or revenue; for it is as little justifiable to force our ideas on other people, as to compel them to submit to our will in any other respect”. This essay will demonstrate how humanitarian intervention efforts are not reaching the goals that are needed to properly aid the disadvantaged nations in developing nations. Economic humanitarian intervention emerged at the end of the Second World War. Historically, it is apparent that foreign aid was used explicitly to prevent the expansion of communism during the Cold War, and not solely to help those in need. It can be argued that humanitarian intervention has done more harm than good to the nations. Northern/ Western countries have enriched themselves from their unequal relation with Southern either under colonialism or under the trading system, which has the Southern nations paying more towards their ongoing debt and receiving an irrelevant amount of foreign aid to help assist these nations...
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...Rwandan Genocide I. Background of the Case Though there is a stunning progress in the present Republic of Rwanda which is located in African continent surrounded by Uganda, Tanzania, Zaire and Burundi, the bloody rampage happened during the mid-1990s will never be effaced with the passage of time. The two well-known races – the Tutsi which is only 14% and the Hutu which made up of 85% of the total population – have seethed with hatred towards one another since ancient past. The tension hit the boiling point when Belgium came to colonize the country after Germany in the Post-World War I. Since Tutsis were given advantages over Hutus, several revolts and conflicts continuously happened in the country. The tension has even been aggravated when...
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...In the case of Somalia, it is evident that without a well-planned military operation to assist humanitarian efforts, those efforts will all be in vain. However, Operation Restore Hope and Gothic Serpent were both an absolute disaster in my opinion because both operations lacked Somali involvement, the U.S. troops where ill prepared to hunt down Aidid. U.S. involvement in Somalia, especially the massive amount of civilian casualties, only further contributed to the country's chaotic descent collective violence. Perhaps if the U.N. Security Council had put forward a plan for limited military operations involving a coalition of nations (such as was done in the Gulf War) along with more dedicated humanitarian efforts, then maybe there could have...
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...The Rwandan genocide seems to be the forgotten civil war that the world does not talk about. The conflict between the Tutsis and Hutus dates back centuries and has escalated until it reached a boiling point in 1994 when the hundred-day genocide was planned and executed by the Hutus onto the Tutsis. It was an utter disregard for human right by the world when no one responded to this atrocity and even abandon and proposals to assist. On December 10th, 1945 the United Nations (UN) approved the Universal Declaration of Human Right (UDHR) following the atrocities of World War II. The UDHR was to ensure that such atrocities would never happen again, and just a short forty-nine years later the UN pulls peacekeepers out of Rwanda because of the genocide that was in direct violation of...
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...country offering countless opportunities, and handling a lot of decisional power. In fact, because of many military interventions in other countries, like Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. has the commonly accepted reputation of being the “world’s policeman”. However, is the task of policing the globe as not profitable as it looks? What is it that really pushes the U.S. to intervene? This research argues that nothing comes without a price, or better that the U.S. acts in other countries’ affairs in order to achieve very tangible profits. Even though the declared reason of intervention is often that of protecting human rights, or saving innocent lives, there might be something “more valuable” to it. For instance, the presence of natural resources, like oil, on other countries’ soil, might be the real reason behind U.S. military decisions. The research question opposes the cases of Rwanda and Iraq. Both countries faced a very serious humanitarian situation, however we see U.S. intervention in Iraq, but not in Rwanda. Research Question “Why would a democracy like the U.S, where respect for human rights has long been a central component of foreign policy, intervene in a country like Iraq, where human rights have been violated, and genocide against the Kurds has been committed, but not do the same elsewhere, like in Rwanda that has seen one of the most ferocious genocides in history? What is it that pushed the U.S to take proactive steps towards...
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...Summative Essay Is human intervention an ideological cover for the pursuit of other objectives? We all know what genocide is. We also heard of Holocaust and its Anne Frank diary. Such inhumane killings should not repeat in the modern history due to its immorality, and that is why we saw humanitarian interventions in Rwanda and Somalia in 1990s. However, it is questionable of what was the real purpose. I believe that humanitarian cause is necessary but not an adequate condition for any act of intervention, which can be shown by case studies. In order, I will discuss the meaning of intervention and its presumed ideologies. I will also list out the possible diplomatic objectives hid behind these actions and their significance compared to the original motives. Intervention and its ideologies: Failure from core objectives Interventions are defined as a use of threats or forces upon another nation to prevent or end violations of human rights occurred within its territory, ‘without the permission of the state within whose territory force is applied’ (Holzgrefe and Keohane, 2003: 18), implying an inevitable breach of sovereignty. We also have the non-violent resolutions such as humanitarian aids and economic sanctions, but the main focus here is on intervention involving armaments. Interventions are rooted from its core ideology: to save people. It is a ‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P) individuals from being deprived from basic needs, including food, shelter...
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...American Passivity: Rwanda Genocide Genocide is a crime on a different scale to all other crimes against humanity, and it implies an intention to completely exterminate the chosen group; genocide is therefore the greatest of the crimes against humankind. The massacres that transpired in Rwanda less than four years ago possess every quality attributed to the ramifications of genocide. There, in the clearest case of genocide since Hitler, a vast slaughter occurred which claimed the lives of more that 800,000 Rwandans. This genocide is probably the greatest and gravest crime against humanity in the second half of the twentieth-century; and no group whether foreign or indigenous executed enough force to prevent this from occurring. The United States stood by and watched the horrific events unfold. The Clinton administration, facing what was the clearest case of genocide in 50 years, responded by downplaying the crisis diplomatically and impeding effective intervention by U.N. forces to stop the killing. A great crime against humanity did exist through the individual tortures, rapes, and slaughters of the Rwandans; but, hidden in all of the turmoil and rage, was the crime of passivity and evasion in the United States’ response towards all of the crimes and suffering. One million Rwandan civilians were left for dead, but that could have been significantly reduced with the initial intervention and aide of the U.S. government. Rwanda has been subjected to a number of historical...
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...Abstract: Humanitarian crises and international politics goes hand in hand. One can cause the other, while the only way to fix the other is to rely on politics. This paper will highlight the cause of genocide, violent massacres and crisis, how to solve them, and key roles politicians and nations must take up wholeheartedly in order to make a difference. Personal and political reconciliation must occur in the parties involved ever want to have a mutual co existence. Humanitarian Crisis and Reconciliation To understand the impact of humanitarian crises and how international politics play a role, a common definition of such crises must be understood. In his book “Humanitarian Crises and the International Politics of Selectivity” Martin Binder defines a humanitarian crisis as a “large scale human suffering resulting from the violation or the destruction of the physical integrity of a large number of people” (pg. 332). There are quite a few causes of these events that include natural disasters-earthquakes floods, winds, landslides, avalanches, cyclones, tsunamis, locust infestations, drought, volcanic eruptions, changes in weather or tidal patterns. Human factors include political corruption, embargoes or blockades, lack of planning or foresight, and not to mention demographic and geographic characteristics like population density. Of the major causes, the majority of them come from natural disasters but the one cause that can arguably be the most...
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...de-colonisation is the principle that people or nations have a right of self-determination . The newly decolonised states considered an intervention rule to be contrary to the right of self-determination as it would give powerful states the authority to interfere in their affairs...
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...Global Community Failure to Eradicate Genocide Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Abstract When it comes to global criminology, the subject is fatal in the sense of reprisals accustomed to it. In any case, international criminal activities are largely based geopolitical factors rather than the genuine purpose of ending human to human barbarism. This paper will attempt to prove that ‘global community’ commitment to end genocide events is categorically challenged by lack of sufficient devotion to ‘the pledge’ to eradicate the vice. The paper is structured into three main parts and one secondary part. The background will attempt to examine the scholarly effort attempting to relate the basis of global community pledge and the general act of genocide. A further sub category of this part will introduce the role played by United Nations in minimizing genocide. The second section will be substantial in analyzing past genocide events; courtesy of three relevant examples, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Rwanda. In this section, the document will examine the various roles played by United Nations in fueling the genocide. The third section will examine 21 century events, and how United Nations has chosen a back player in preventing the occurrences of these genocides. The secondary section will attempt to examine the role played by International Criminal Court and how it has been challenged in limiting genocide events. Background Research has attempted relate the end of the holocaust and the emergence...
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...International Foreign Policy Nineteen forty-five was thought to be a turning point as the Second World War came to a close. In addition, over fifty-one countries committed themselves to maintaining international peace across the globe, all with the hope of preventing future genocide. Almost forty-seven years after taking this pledge, the world turned their backs on the country of Rwanda, while Hutu extremists slaughtered almost a million Tutsis. George and Keir Pearson wrote the movie Hotel Rwanda to help expose the injustices felt by the people of Rwanda during this time. It is through the use of Colonel Oliver’s role within the movie that the lack of humanitarian intervention in the Rwandan genocide is shown. His actions as a liaison officer for the UN, as well as his unbiased views, make Colonel Oliver the perfect character to unearth the reasons behind the international community’s inaction towards the Rwandan massacre. Early on in the movie, it is noted that Canadian officer Colonel Oliver is acting on behalf of the wishes of the United Nations. This is initially appreciated in a scene with a journalist. In response to her inquiry as to whether or not the UN planned on stopping the Rwandan bloodshed, the Colonel replied, “We're here as peacekeepers, not as peacemakers. My orders are not to intervene”. This statement shows the United Nations resistance to the use of firearms shortly after the massacre in Somalia took place. The failure of the UN seen in Somalia was accounted...
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...By Gregory H. Stanton, President, Genocide Watch Classification Symbolization Dehumanization Organization Polarization Preparation Extermination Denial Genocide is a process that develops in eight stages that are predictable but not inexorable. At each stage, preventive measures can stop it. The process is not linear. Logically, later stages must be preceded by earlier stages. But all stages continue to operate throughout the process. 1. CLASSIFICATION: All cultures have categories to distinguish people into “us and them” by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality: German and Jew, Hutu and Tutsi. 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. The Catholic church could have played this role in Rwanda, had it not been riven by the same ethnic cleavages as Rwandan society. Promotion of a common language in countries like Tanzania has also promoted transcendent national identity. This search for common ground is vital to early prevention of genocide. 2. SYMBOLIZATION: We give names or other symbols to the classifications. We name people “Jews” or “Gypsies”, or distinguish them by colors or dress; and apply the symbols to members of groups. Classification and symbolization...
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