Genocide Vs War

War and genocide have historically been closely related and even described as Siamese twins. Genocide can occur without war but war cannot occur without some elements of genocide as the distinction between legitimate war and genocide is not clear. War is defined as an armed conflict between different nations or groups within a nation. Scholars who have studied the relationship between war and genocide have argued that they are one in the same. It is a very convincing argument especially when examining the UN Convention on genocide. The UN Convention defines genocide as “any of the follow acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group” (Jones 13). The wordings of the definition can

In the UNSC’s article 51, individual and collective self-defense can be authorized by the UNSC under the framework of collective security. However, genocide is never justifiable in the eyes of the UN. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature between war and genocide is the disproportionally ability of those involved to fight back. Within war there is a certain level of understanding that those engaging in the conflict will have an ability to engage in battle. However, historically in genocides the effected groups have had little to no ability to proportionately fight against their attackers. On the other hand, Shaw argues that warfare is degenerate in nature. Therefore one can argue that propaganda and the demonization of entire nations during war matched with indiscriminate violence makes acts of war ultimately acts of genocide. This argument is particularly compelling when corresponded with the casualty rates of modern

The Armenian Genocide occurred during the First World War when the Ottoman Empire was experiences the pressures of war from the Triple Entente. In 1915, the ANZAC forces had landed in Gallipoli and the Russian forces were advancing down from the Caucasian fields. During this time, the Ottoman Empire displaced and forced millions of Christian minorities to march through the desert. Historically, it had been Muslims who victims of violence in the area. However, Christian minorities were in a vulnerable position due to the decline of the Ottoman Empire and impending revolutionary violence (Jones 155). In April 1915, the Turkish army launched an assault on the Armenian populations in the city of Van. The Armenians were being depicted as spies for the Russians by propaganda. Mass deportation and massacre occurred with the remaining Armenian population sent out of the of a death march by Kurds. The First World War was the first instance of total war therefore during this conflict it was difficult to distinguish where the war ended and the genocide began. To this day, Turkey has not recognized the Armenian Genocide as a genocidal act. Instead, the government claims that the Armenian lives lots in the desert were casualties of war.
Similarly, during the Second World War, Russian Prisoners of War (POWs) captured by German forces on