Genocide Past and Current - 1451 Words

In the past 150 years, tens of millions of men, women and children have lost their lives to ethnic cleansing or genocide. Although the definition is often scrutinized, according to Merriam Webster, Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political or cultural group. The most notable event associated with the term is the Holocaust. Stated by Judah Gribets, Edward Greenstein and Regina Stein, nearly six million Jews fell victim to genocide during the years of the Holocaust. Of This number, one million were children who were unable to take care of themselves. Peoples hopes and dreams for the future were stripped from them, and many families were ripped apart. Many of these people were tortured or raped†¦show more content†¦Hearing about genocide was nothing new to many people, but because of the new upbringing of the internet and availability of news broadcasts, the entire world was able to see it for the first time. It was always well known that the Rwandan population is very one-sided. The majority of the people living there are Sunni Muslims or Hutus whereas the minority consists of Shia Muslims, or Tutsi. According to Sarah Hymowitz and Amelia Parker, Tutsi are said to be of higher class because they are more white, and the Hutus are common people of middle class. Although the distrust and hatred between the two groups of people was always slightly present, nobody had any clue about what would be the outcome. Following the establishment of the Hutu led government in 1961, the oppression of the Tutsi followed not far behind. Although many Tutsi fled in fear of imprisonment into neighboring Uganda, those of the Tutsi who were still in Rwanda (probably due to family or marriage ties) were seen as lesser beings by the new Hutu Government. At the time, and for two decades it seemed like the situation was under control. When the Rwandan Patiotic front (RPF) was formed in 1985, tensions escalated. The RPF was a group of Tutsi exile s who demanded that they be granted the right to return to their homeland and end the long period of discrimination against the Tutsi. The RPF rebels invaded Rwanda in October 1990, re-igniting Tutsi hatred throughout Rwanda. It was this act of Tutsi aggression,Show MoreRelatedCombating The Genocide Prevention Task Force Essay1416 Words   |  6 PagesCombating Future Genocide â€Å"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 responseRead MorePol Pot, The Khmer Rouge, and Cambodian Genocide Essay1143 Words   |  5 PagesKampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge, took control of Cambodia on April 17, 1975, which lasted until January 1979. For their three-year, eight-month, and twenty-one day rule of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge committed some of the most heinous crimes in current history. The main leader who orchestrated these crimes was a man named Pol Pot. In 1962, Pol Pot had become the coordinator of the Cambodian Commun ist Party. The Prince of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, did not approve of the Party and forced Pol PotRead MoreThe Effects Of The Guatemalan Genocide Of A Minority Group1449 Words   |  6 Pagesthe effects of the Guatemalan genocide of a minority group called the mayans that resulted in the death and displacement of thousands, and how mining companies took advantage of this violence. I will also analyze civil wars in general and how even without war there is no peace in Guatemala. The extracurricular activity I attended for this report on peace studies was Dr. Catherine Nolin’s public lecture called â€Å"Transnational Ruptures in a Time of Impunity: Genocide, Mining and Migration†. Dr. NolinRead MoreCommon Causes of War and Genocide Essay example1271 Words   |  6 PagesGenocide, or the systematic destruction of a race or tribe is an all too common phenomenon in our planet’s history and even more so in Africa. Genocide and war share many common causes such as desperation brought on by a declining economy. Experts on the Central African Republic believe that current events point to a possible repeat of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, in which over one million people were killed. Many think that U.N. involvement is necessary to stop the escalating violence in the CentralRead MoreRwandan Genocide1017 Words   |  5 PagesEgypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world. Read MoreRe Writing History And Rwandan Identity Through The Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre Essay1473 Words   |  6 PagesRe-writing History and Rwandan Identity Through the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre In April 2004, the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre opened to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. Peacefully overlooking the city of Kigali, the Centre seeks to be a place of remembrance and honor for survivors as well as a step towards creating Rwanda’s post-genocide identity. Rwanda has sought to find its place politically, socially, and in memory through this westernized approach to remembranceRead MoreThe Explicit Oppression, And Societal Disadvantages Experienced1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe explicit oppression, and societal disadvantages experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in the United States are those that are a product of past racism and discriminatory practices based on prejudice towards the collective minority groups. Although many of the explicit discriminatory practices based on race are frowned upon in the U.S. today, that does not suggest that they do not still exist. The racism of contemporary times has only shifted form and is u sed against minorities in the formRead MoreNationalism And Its Impact On Society1379 Words   |  6 Pagestowards the current approach governments are taking to promote nationalism. In order to create patriotism in a country, often times the government will look past previous wrongdoings. We should embrace the perspectives reflected in the source fully and hold people accountable for international crimes. However, many organizations are in place that successfully hold these people accountable time and time again. A crime should always be duly punished no matter the amount of time separating the past and presentRead MoreClimate Change : Global Warming1303 Words   |  6 Pageshistorically. As it retrospective model. The majority of the world believes that the first world countries are the ones that engaged in wrongful behavior as they have contributed the most to global warming. It does not take into consideration of the current developing countries who are emitting vast amounts of gases into the air. In this paper, the different identity problems will be introduced and will be connected to the Bosnia-Serbia conflict. Additionally, the causation problem will be related toRead MoreThe Conflict in Darfur and United States Involvement877 Words   |  4 PagesThe conflict in Darfur refers to the fighting that is happening in the western region of Sudan known as Darfur. These fights have been taking place since 2003 and have continued to today. Similarities can be made to the Rwandan Genocide; there is a government funded and armed militia that is not officially supported by the government that is killing a local population. The citizens of the region of Darfur that are being killed are not Arabic, like the majority of the rest of Sudan is, however, they