Title: Why Genocide? - TheHumanist.com
Headings: Why Genocide?
Why Genocide?
Content: It is, in a sense, a conspiracy of the weak against the strong for the benefit of all. And it has proven itself extremely effective. The key to ending modern outbreaks of mass murder and genocide, then, is to first realize that these practices do normally benefit those who use them. Second, the world community needs to become so structured that these benefits are clearly outweighed by new liabilities. In other words, humanity has to consciously decide that mass murder and genocide are unacceptable and then vigorously and consistently act in ways that discourage their practice as well as lead to their elimination. Toward this end, there are numerous peaceful courses of action that have been developed in recent years. One has been the World Court and the International Criminal Court, which have brought leading perpetrators of such crimes to justice and hence served as a deterrent against future actions of this type. The case of Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia shows that even a head of state can be brought by his own country to the bar of international justice. There are also economic sanctions. And, however feeble it may seem at times, the power of the media or organizations like Amnesty International to mobilize international opinion against such atrocities has created enough pressure in certain instances to bring about amelioration or change.