What is Genocide Genocide is the deliberate and

What is Genocide? ?

Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group ● The term genocide did not exist before 1944. ● US government official Gregory Stanton studied the genocide in Cambodia. Afterwards, while studying genocide in Rwanda he made an important observation. He realized there were patterns in the ways genocide developed in both Rwanda and Cambodia. ● The results of Stanton’s findings were detailed in the 8 Stages of Genocide he presented to the US State Department in 1966. He established these are stages EVERY genocide goes through.

8 Stages of Genocide

Step 1. Classification ● Classification includes categories to distinguish people such as “us and them”: by ethnicity, race religion, or nationality. ● Examples of this include: German, Jew, Hutu, and Tutsi ● Bipolar societies (those with two major ethnic groups) that lack mixed categories like interracial or interreligious categories (like Rwanda or Burundi) are most likely to have genocide.

Ways to Prevent CLASSIFICATION ● Develop Institutions that lessen ethnic or racial divisions, and actively promote tolerance and understanding ● Promotion of a common language helps promote a National Identity ● The search for common ground is vital to early prevention of genocide

Step 2: Symbolization is giving names, symbols, and classifications to groups of people. ● We name people “Jews” or “Gypsies” or distinguish them by color or dress; and apply symbols to the group ● When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of lesser groups; EXAMPLES: The Yellow Star of the Jews during Nazi rule, the blue scarf for people from the Eastern Zone In Khmer Rouge Cambodia.

Ways to prevent SYMBOLIZATION ● Hate symbols can be legally forbidden (swastikas) as can hate speech ● Group markings like gang clothing can be outlawed as well ● Forbidding the symbols and marking above will only work if supported by popular culture and law enforcement

Step 3. Dehumanization To dehumanize means one group denies the humanity of the other group ● Members of the “lower” group are looked down upon and referred to as animals, vermin, insects, or diseases. ● Dehuminization can make people feel murder against members of other groups is justified or appropriate- and is considered acceptable. ● Hate propaganda (beliefs) can be expressed in print, media, and spoken on radio airwaves to portray or paint the victim group in an unflattering nature.

Ways to prevent DEHUMINIZATION ● People need to speak out against what is happening. ● Local and international leaders should condemn the use of hate speech and make it culturally unacceptable ● Leaders who icnite genocide should be banned from international travel and have their finances frozen ● Hate radio stations should be shut down, and hate propaganda banned ● Hate crimes should be promptly punished.

Step 4. Organization The idea behind organization in genocide is that it is well planned, usually by the state: so it appears there is no responsibility or ties to the state/government ● The blame then goes to militia (small organized military group not tied to the government) for organizing these plans- not the government ● Ex (The Janjaweed in Darfur, not he Darfurian Government) ● Terrorist groups or special army groups are trained and armed to conduct genocidal killings.

Ways to stop ORGANIZATION ● Members in these militias should be outlawed ● Their leaders should be denied visas foreign travel ● The U. N. should impose arms embargos on governments and citizens of countries involved in genocidal massacres, and create commissions to investigate violations, as was done in post-genocide Rwanda

Step 5. Polarization occurs when extremists attempt to divide the people and turn them against the minority party. They use several different means to do this, including: ● Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda ● Laws may forbid intermarriage or social interraction ● Extreme terrorists target moderates (those without extreme political views), intimidating and silencing the center. ● Moderates from the perpetrators own group are most able to stop genocideso they are the first arrested/killed

Ways to prevent POLARIZATION ● Security protection for moderate leaders or assistance to human rights groups ● Assests of extremists may be seized, and visas for international travel denied to them ● Coupt d’etat (attempt to overthrow government) by extremists should be opposed by international sanctions.

Step 6. Preparation In the stage of Preparation: Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious identity. This is accomplished by: ● Death lists are drawn up ● Members of victim groups are forced to wear identifying symbols ● Victims property often taken away ● They are segregated (separated) in the ghetto, deported into concentration camps, or confined to a famine struck region and starved

Ways to stop PREPARATION: ● A Genocide Emergency must be declared ● WIth international support and coalition, armed international intervention should be prepared and mobilized ● At minimum, humanitarian assistance should be organized by the U. N. and private relief groups for the rush of refugees who will seek safety.

Step 7. Extermination occurs when a legal mass killing takes place called a genocide. ● This is considered “extermination” to the killers b/c they do not believe their victims to be fully human. ● When supported by the state, armed forces often work with militias to do the killing. ● Sometimes the genocide results in revenge killings by one group against the other, creating a back and forth cycle of (bilateral) genocide.

Ways to prevent EXTERMINATION: ● At this stage- only armed intervention can prevent genocide ● Real safe areas or refugee camps should be established with heavily armed international protection ● For larger interventions, a multi-country force should be authorized by the U. N. to intervene ● If the U. N. is paralyzed, regional alliances must act ● If strong nations will not provide troops to intervene directly, they should airlift equipment, and financial means necessary for regional states to intervene.

Step 8. Denial comes after the genocide has occurred. The perpetrators deny they committed crimes and often blame what happened on the victims. This supports future genocidal massacres. Perpetrators of genocide in this stage will also: ● Dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses ● They block investigations of the crimes, and continue to govern until driven from power by force, when they flee into exile ● There they remain without punishment (impunity), unless they are captured an international court of law tries

Ways to stop DENIAL: ● The response to denial is punishment by an international tribunal or national courts ● There the evidence can be heard, and the perpetrators can be punished ● Tribunals like an International Criminal Court may not deter the worst genocidal killers. But with the political will to arrest and prosecute them, some may be brought to justice.