Genocide+A+n+Everlasting+Killer+by+Alex+Donovan

Alex Donovan Composition G Mr. Bouton 05-06-09  Genocide: An Everlasting Killer Since the Holocaust, one of the most well known genocides in history that occurred between 1939 and 1945, the world has witnessed approximately twenty other genocides around the globe. The world today is faced with this ongoing humanitarian disaster, only each time, the mass destruction of a group of people and dislocation of thousands exists in different areas around the world. In the past, Rwanda has suffered tremendous downfalls from the mass murders and dislocation of its people, along with the similar events that occurred in Bosnia in the early 1990’s; however, most prominent in today’s society are the constant news reports discussing the genocidal events in Darfur, an area of Sudan in Africa. The question then becomes, why has genocide continued in today’s world, having full awareness of the consequences it can have? There is no excuse. It is the duty of the people of the world, with the guidance and leadership from the United States and the United Nations, to end what can be known as the worst problem facing the global society today. As stated in an editorial in 2008, “It is hard to contemplate man’s capacity for inhumanity without feeling despair and paralysis” (NY Times). This quote seems to come from the genocides that have existed in the past over various parts of the globe. In 1994, Rwanda was hit with a genocide that would end up killing 800,000 to one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus, coming close to eighty percent of Rwanda’s population (Springer 124). During the same time, Bosnia also suffered as 200,000 victims fell under the tragedies of murder, hunger, and dislocation during the first five years of the 1990’s. Though not as great a blast to the country, Bosnia certainly felt the same degrading events that Rwanda suffered four times as much. “Genocide is the systematic mass killing of a particular group of unarmed people” (Springer 11), but it goes beyond that definition. These “unarmed people” are dying from various causes that can come about during a genocide, whether it be starvation, disease, or murder, all of which exist in a world vaguely known in the United States. It is Darfur that has begun to return the problems caused by genocide to the global stage. The genocide in Darfur has been ongoing since 2003, and has continued to make headlines as “the region of Sudan is in flames” (Shattuck). The armies armed forces and local militia of Darfur have, in their eyes, successfully driven out a “a million and a half people from their homes,” going on to hold them in concentration camps with no access to food, water, or shelter necessary for survival (Shattuck). It does not always come down to the mass murders and mass killings of genocide, but also the different effects it has on those people who survive through it all. These men and women leave behind the lives they have built up for themselves over the years. The dislocation that occurs within the region of Sudan adds on top of the continuous destruction genocide causes. The population of Darfur does not necessarily have to die or be killed to suffer, as starvation and dislocation soon become what attacks the Sudanese people. Though in 2006, a peace agreement was signed between one of the three rebel groups and the Sudanese government, it could only be recognized as a “first step in a long process that still needed forceful international commitment and intervention” (Springer 13). This intervention is not that of the half-hearted media, or continuous recognition by celebrities, but an absolute awareness of the atrocities facing the globe on this level. Many people in the world are calling for a policy to prevent genocide, and in many cases, the best bet would be to listen. The United States can be known as the paternalistic savior for much of the world, and combined with the United Nations, may be exactly what is needed to stop and prevent genocide today and in the future. The continuous pattern of genocide has existed because of the lack of quick aggression on the subject. Today, some of the population may just ask for someone to log onto the Save Darfur website and write a postcard to President Obama, or previous President Bush, to address the mass casualties and victims of the horrible occurrences in Darfur. This attempt, though thoughtful, needs to be taken into account by those in government positions. As addressed in an article from the Boston globe in 2004, certain guidelines were set out as a route to advancing progress in the attempts to end genocide. The first is the necessary action to put aside domestic politics because Darfur is an issue that “reaches across a broad range of constituencies, including religious, human rights, humanitarian, medical, and legal communities,” all of which are advocating for an international response (Shattuck). The necessary international response may come through greater media coverage, but more prominently by the second guideline toward a policy to prevent genocide: the need for visits to Darfur. With visits from the United States’ Secretary of State, a resolution including stronger sanctions can be made “against the Sudanese leaders if they fail to carry out their commitment to disarm militias” and a “multinational military force” that will secure the population of Darfur access to the humanitarian relief that its government has blocked can be produced. Finally, as it has been said, the United States takes on the role as a paternalistic savior, and through this opportunity, it can once again reestablish its role as a defender of human rights within the world. American credibility has sunk after our intervening in Iraq, and by refusing to look the other way as genocide sweeps through Darfur, the United States can serve as a great relief for the suffering people of the region. Genocide in our global community has continued for far too long. There is no excuse for why the struggles that the populations of Bosnia, Rwanda, and other places in the world have faced have continued their path of humanitarian disaster up till today. Today, Darfur, which continues to suffer from the mass killings and moving of its people, can serve as the first step in which the world takes a strong stance to reject the idea of allowing genocide to continue in the future. As Gregory Stanton stated: To prevent genocide, the most racist of crimes, the United Nations must enlist the whole human race. We will need an international movement to end genocide that has the size and moral force of the anti-slavery movement (Springer 99). With such a hard-hitting comparison, there becomes no possibility to ignore one of the greatest problems facing our universal society. I want to call our government to action. I want to call the people of the world to action. It is the time to end the humanitarian disaster facing our world. Works Cited Hand, Deirdre. "Genocide? Still very alive in Today's World." __CollegiateTimes.com - Virginia Tech, Blacksburg & New River Valley News__. 05 May 2009 . "A Policy For Preventing Genocide." __The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia__. 05 May 2009 . Shattuck, John. "US Can Help End Darfur Genocide." __Common Dreams | News & Views__. 05 May 2009 . Springer, Jane. __Genocide (Groundwork Guides)__. New York: Groundwood Books, 2006.