Preventing Genocides Through Early Intervention, Essay Example

History shows that the occurrence of mass murder of people is rarely a surprise event. In most cases, the signs are visible in the form of simmering differences that degenerate into armed conflicts. However, despite prior knowledge of the possibility of the commission of crimes against human by governments or militia groups, the international community often drags its feet in taking preventive actions. More often, as it were, the international community such as the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations and “suddenly-charitable” western nations come in to clear the corpses and take care of the survivors; long after the deed has been committed. The Rwanda genocide is the best example of the consequences of waiting too long to intervene in conflicts that could easily develop into humanitarian crises. Accordingly, this paper argues that there is need for the international community to act on early signs in order to avert seemingly harmless conflicts from deteriorating into genocidal situations.

Speaking of the Rwanda genocide, Professor Elie Wiesel observes in the foreword to Don Cheadle and Paul Prendergast’s book, Not on Our Watch, that the 800 000 who were massacred mercilessly by the Hutu Interahamwe militia could have been saved if the international community had intervened in time. Western leaders, whose influence could have averted the massacre, knew of the impending crisis, and were aware of the perpetrators’ intentions and the victims’ vulnerability. Yet, they did nothing, and to the shame of the civilized world, “hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children were abandoned and slaughtered” (qtd in Cheadle and Prendergast 15). Veteran journalist Edward Girardet echoes similar sentiments regarding the international community’s inaction on the Rwanda conflict before it degenerated into full-scale murder. He states in John Heidenrich’s How to Prevent Genocide: a Guide for Policy Makers, Scholars, and the concerned Citizen, that “There was no question of a lack of early warning; there always is in situations such as these, whether in the form of journalist, human rights, or relief agency reports” (Heidenrich 73). In this light, it is the reluctance of the international community to act in time that often allows genocides to happen.

During the Holocaust, the world was aware of Hitler’s murderous mission against the German Jewish community. The signs were clear and loud: the blaming of the Jewish community for economic problems in the same manner that the Hutus blamed the Tutsis for Rwanda’s mess, and the anti-Semitic campaign whose primary aim was to sow anti-Jewish attitudes among Germans. And yet, the world watched and waited as Hitler stocked Auschwitz with gas chambers and prepared for the murder of six million Jews. The leaders of the world, shocked by the sheer madness and ashamed of their negligence, pledged never to let it happen again. However, barely half a century later, they let it happen; two million in Cambodia in 1970, and 800 000 in Rwanda in 1994. By the turn of the century, Darfur in southern Sudan was on fire, and they could not acknowledge a genocidal crisis was in the making. As Cheadle and Prendergast observes, swift action is what is needed to avert genocides and similar actions of mass murder. In their words, “the decisions we need to make to protect those who are suffering are clear, and the sooner we decide, the more lives will be saved” (Cheadle and Prendergast 2007). It is necessary, therefore, for those nations in apposition to intervene either militarily or diplomatically to step in early and save innocent people from mercies of the lords of war.

The role of the media in inciting genocides can never be overestimated (Lovgren 2004). Most recently, the 2008 post-election violence in Kenya was partly blamed on the hate-campaign launched by a local radio station, and the involved presenter is currently faced with charges in the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Similarly, the Rwanda genocide was fueled by anti-Tutsi messages, whose purpose was to incite Hutus into a revenge-mission uprising against the Tutsis (Cheadle and Prendergast 2007). In this regard, it is necessary to guard against the abuse of the media either by states or militia groups to incite communities against their opponents. Towards this end, the intelligence community can play a big role in detecting the use of media broadcasts to send coded messages. Such actions would contribute to what Cheadle and Prendergast term as “covert action” against genocide.

Lastly, it seems that only western powers have the military and economic capabilities to prevent war crimes against humanity. The recent action of the NATO allies in Libya demonstrates the capability of Western powers to prevent war crises. Although it was not the Nazi or Hutu-type tribal-cleansing campaign, there is no doubt that the Libyan situation could have easily degenerated into a mass killing of people, especially after Gaddafi’s promise to create a flood of blood if that is what it could take him to prevent “western imperialist” from ruling his country indirectly. The NATO intervention saved many lives, which demonstrates how timely intervention measures could have changed the outcome of Auschwitz, Cambodia or Rwanda. The problem, however, is that when it is a third-world crisis, it is initially dismissed as one of the many, and common-place tribal wrangling that characterize yet-to mature third world democracies. Even more serious, is the attitude in the West that regards third world citizens as inferiors, and somehow, only natural that they should be involved in some war or conflict. Terry George, the director of the film Hotel Rwanda, notes that this negative Western attitude more or less hinders timely intervention. He states that the explanation for the lack of timely international action simple; “African lives are not seen as valuable as the lives of Europeans or Americans” (qtd in Lovgren 2004). Thus, there is need to view Africans and other third-world citizens as people who suffer and experience pain due to war and its consequences.

Works Cited

Cheadle, Don, and Prendergast, Paul. Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. New York: Hyperion, 2007.

Heidenrich, John. How to prevent genocide: a Guide for Policymakers, Scholars, and the concerned Citizen. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001.

Lovgren, Stefan. “Hotel Rwanda” Portrays Hero Who Fought Genocide. National Geographic News. 9 Dec, 2004. 01 March, 2012< http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1209_041209_hotel_rwanda.html