Under what circumstances is genocide most likely to occur Can Essay

Under what circumstances is genocide most likely to occur Can recognition of these circumstances help us prevent genocidal acts - Essay Example Likewise, the perpetrator’s definition of the group is necessary for establishing a specific intent. It also distinguishes genocide from other heinous crimes or justified acts such as a pre-emptive strike.3 This definition of genocide is significant because it informs of the broader characteristics of genocide and guides theoretical approaches to recognizing the instances in which genocide is most likely to occur and therefore provides a means by which genocide can be predicted and prevented. This paper provides a critical analysis of these theories and argues that history instructs however, that genocide is largely incapable of qualification and as such it is unpredictable and most likely unpreventable. If history is any indication, genocide typically occurs during war. However, it does not occur during all wars. Therefore differentiating what kind of war or what wars are consistent with the propensity to commit genocide is futile. A. Historical Overview of Genocide Mamdaniâ €™s brief history of genocide distinguishes genocide from the systematic killing of an enemy. In 1994 Rwanda, the military and its supporters orchestrated the mass murder by Rwandan Hutu majority of Rwandan Tutsi minority. Non-conforming Hutus were also killed. The difference is, Hutus were killed as enemies, whereas the Tutsi were killed simply because they were Tutsi.4 Mamdani also suggests that â€Å"the genocidal impulse may be as old as organized power† and while â€Å"the impulse to destroy an enemy is ancient, the technology of genocide is constantly evolving†.5 Looked at in this way, it is difficult to predict genocide. If genocide is an impulse in much the same way as the impulse to kill one’s enemies, genocide like any act of violence is difficult to predict and just as difficult to prevent. History bears this out. Genocide is not specific to any particular location, politics, economy, race, ethnicity or gender. While there are specific themes such as ethnicity there are other themes that are far more subtle such as the influence of outsiders. Moreover, genocide has occurred on virtually every continent. The best explanation is that genocide is a result of â€Å"the conjunction of influences and actions widely present in the world.†6 Nsereko informs that, â€Å"the history of human race abounds with episodes of genocide.†7 Historically, genocide has been for the most part conducted during the course of a war. Evidence of this trend goes back to the Bible. In more recent times, the Nazis committed the holocaust executions during the Second World War. Other genocidal acts in the last century occurred in Turkey, Vietnam, Pakistan, Nigeria, Rwanda, Burundi, Iraq, Bosnia Herzegovina and Zaire.8 History also informs that genocide was not prevented by international customary law. Crowe informs that not only is genocide â€Å"as old as history†, but so are norms, standards and laws regulating standards of conduct during conflict.9 In 1943, the Allied Powers adopted a charter establishing the war tribunal for trying the Nazis for their war crimes. Some of the charges included genocide.10 On December 11 1946 the UN’s General Assembly adopted Resolution 96(I) in which genocide was characterized as a crime pursuant to international law. The Resolution also instructed the Economic and Social Council to draft a genocide convention.11 Two years later the UN’