ipl-logo

Summary Of A Problem From Hell: America And The Age Of Genocide

1189 Words5 Pages

Brandon Jones
Professor Boeck
RWS 100
October 17, 2014

Prompt 1: Producing an Account and Evaluating an Argument The United States has a tendency to get involved with conflicts around the world, but this was not the case with the mass killings in Rwanda. In her essay, “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide” Samantha Power goes into detail regarding the spring of 1994 when the Hutus begun killing the Tutsis, murdering men, women, children and the elderly by the masses. The Hutus used the media and Hutu leaders in the government to continue such attacks. The United Nations proceeded to send in peacekeeping support but after the death of several Belgian forces it pulled out leaving Canadian General Romeo Dallaire in charge …show more content…

During the events leading up to the killings in Rwanda the United States government exercised caution in becoming involved. Powers states, “The president could have deployed U.S. troops…” (154) once the killing of thousands of Rwandan citizens had begun regardless of congressional opposition, through the War Powers Act of 1973. Which states, the president has the power to send troops abroad for 60 days without congressional consent, and then after denial has 30 days to bring them back. The author feels that the president should have shown more initiative considering the country’s history of a strong presence and involvement around the world. Aside from sending military troops, the government had plenty of other options. To include, joining the United Nation’s and Dallaires’s forces and forces of other United Nation countries. Many options were at the hands of the leaders of the country yet for once they decided not to get involved. Many reasons for the lack of involvement put the blame on congress and the difficulty of overcoming the opposition in the houses. However, …show more content…

The author expresses that the government used several logical fallacies in order to provide reasons to stay away from Rwanda. Power states, “Most officials… define the decision not to stop the genocide as ethical and moral.” (155) U.S. officials provided a slippery slope that claimed involvement in Rwanda would lead to “…getting involved everywhere.” (155) However, this is a false dichotomy, involvement in one country does not guarantee involvement in another. Power uses this as an example to show how she feels the government wrong and again prove her point that they were avoiding involvement. Officials were grabbing for excuses left and right to stay out of Rwanda. Power goes on writing that humanitarians in America were concerned that involvement in Rwanda would put future relations with the United Nations at risk. Also, the United Nations claimed that there was more to lose by sending help into Rwanda than allowing the proceedings to continue. Why U.S. officials were avoiding the use of the word genocide in Rwanda is still unknown. They seemed to be using it as yet another excuse to stay away. To conclude, Power feels the United States as well as the United Nations could have done more to stop the killings in Rwanda and made vast attempts to avoid using the term “genocide” as an excuse to not get

Show More
Related

What Is The Arguments In Frontline's The Ghosts Of Rwanda

1181 Words | 5 Pages

There are two arguments in Frontline's the "Ghosts of Rwanda. " The genocide was prolonged due to inactivity of the United Nations, including western supporters such as the United States. The inactivity of the United States was from a lack of political or financial interest in Rwanda, and a fear of being involved in a situation which could be similar to the recent tragedies in Mogadishu, Somalia. Each of these points is argued mostly through personal interviews with the diplomats, soldiers, and civilians that were prominent inside and outside of Somalia. The interviews with Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, of the U.N. forces, and Philippe Gaillard, of the Red Cross, act as Logos, Pathos, and Ethos devices in the different acts of the Frontline presentation.

Read More

Effects Of Imperialism In Rwanda

1889 Words | 8 Pages

“An in-depth analysis on effects of Imperialism on Rwanda” Nowadays, European countries such as England, France, Germany, Belgium, and many other countries possess a colossal clout throughout the world. It is an impeccable fact that such countries, indeed, have served as a rudiment pivot and step for the world to be advanced to the point where we are since the Industrial Revolution. Such countries, because of it, without a doubt, have a crucial status globally and become the superpower and commercial hub on our planet. On the back side of their gleaming growth, however, there is an invisible part left behind their luminous development: the Imperialism. The term “Imperialism” refers to a policy of extending a country’s authority and political clout by using its military forces and diplomacy.

Read More

Intervention In Elie Wiesel's Night

750 Words | 3 Pages

Life is unfathomably sacred. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect each other from genocide. Intervention prevents it from the beginning, and the affects of not doing so are consistent with dozens of genocide happenings. When unchecked, genocide spreads unnecessary suffering and loss in bulk. The rest of the world cannot stand by and remain silent, it is absolutely every country's’ responsibility to prevent genocide from occurring.

Read More

Rwanda Genocide Response

635 Words | 3 Pages

The American Government 's Response to The Rwandan Genocide The United States often have an had interest in the political, social and civil crises of other countries in order to benefit themselves. American senior officials hid the truth of the Rwanda Genocide to avoid public moral obligation. The government did not give any financial or political support to the country because Rwanda did not offer minerals or political advantages and stability; the US ' government did not want to be involved in another conflict, even though it has helped other countries in the past.1 But what is truly deeper hidden, are the stories of people like Immacule, a young girl, who, unlike thousands of others, survived the catastrophic genocide in Rwanda.

Read More

Ultranationalism In The Rwandan Genocide

777 Words | 4 Pages

Source III, the interview with Romeo Dallaire, shows how the United States did nothing to keep the peace in Rwanda during a time of mass killings. The nationalism shown in this source is how the United States would only help keep the peace in Rwanda if it was in their own self interest. This shows ultranationalist views as well. They believe they are superior to a small African nation and they do not need to spend money and risk their own lives to help another nation. Romeo Dallaire mentions that the United States cannot consider themselves the world policemen if they do not help everyone, especially in extremely bad times like the Rwandan Genocide.

Read More

Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families By Stephen Gourevitch

594 Words | 3 Pages

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch is a book written about the grotesque genocide that happened in Rwanda in the 1990s. It’s written from the perspective of a man who traveled to the country with every intention of documenting the story the way it was happening exactly, relaying every detail, every message and experience from within it’s boarders. His account gives a chilling view into the horrors experienced within Rwanda between two ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi, and helps bring to light the reasons behind it and perhaps gives us a better view into ways to prevent such an act from happening again. This book gives a detailed story of the pain and suffering that started when

Read More

An Ordinary Man Analysis

1339 Words | 6 Pages

However, Paul Rusesabagina teaches us that one must never underestimate the power of being well intentioned and kindhearted. It would have been easy for him to escape the hotel with his family and leave those thousands unknown Rwandans behind. The author explains, “ A sad truth of human nature is that it is hard to care for the people when they are abstractions, hard to care when it is not you or somebody close to you” (235). That is why one of the most valuable lessons one can take from reading An Ordinary Man is that one should always try one’s best to put ethnical, racial and economical differences aside to do what is our power to lend a hand. The author explains: “We cannot change the past, but we can improve the future with the limited tools and words that we have been given”(230).

Read More

Holocaust Vs Rwanda Genocide Essay

837 Words | 4 Pages

As years may have progressed history has always been a repetition with random new events and highlights of life that many will never forget. The Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda are two of the most profound situations to ever happen in history. We may say these two events can never have anything in common but those that dealt with these historical events personally could say otherwise. If we sat down to discuss these events we will all be able to recognize that they have many things in common even though both situations were experienced in two different parts of the world.

Read More

Film Analysis: Hotel Rwanda Genocide

896 Words | 4 Pages

Communications were sent by cable, e-mail, and secure telephone from the US embassy in Kigali informing the State Department about General Dallaire’s premonitions months before April 6. However, President Clinton had ordered US forces to withdraw form Somalia after General Aideed’s militia killed eighteen Army Rangers (Genocide Watch). During this time, President Clinton had just signed Presidential Decision Directive 25, which the same policy makers had drafted, limiting US involvement in UN peacekeeping operations. But it specifically allowed such intervention in cases of “genocide.” They therefore resisted the “cognitive dissonance” of reports of impending genocide in Rwanda, which should have created at least a moral duty to intervene.

Read More

Genocide Vs War

1178 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

Article 8 Of The UDHR Was Formed In Wake Of Hitler's Germany

1205 Words | 5 Pages

Lastly, since the case of Rwanda the UN has created more preventive measures. Another treaty was enacted in 2004 to prevent genocide and

Read More

Informative Essay On Rwanda Genocide

656 Words | 3 Pages

The Rwandan genocide was a mass murder of thousands of Tutsi people by the Hutu people, they were viciously killed and scared out of their country, partly due to the rumor that a Tutsi man ordered the death of the Rwandan President. To begin, from April to July 1994, members of the Hutu ethnic group in the East-Central African nation murdered 800,000 men, women, and children from the Tutsi ethnic group. During this period Hutu civilians were forced by military soldier and police officers to kill their neighbors, friends, and family (“10 facts About the Rwandan Genocide-Borgen”). Radio stations encouraged ordinary civilians to take part in the killings (“10 facts About the Rwandan Genocide-Borgen”).

Read More

Genocide And The Global Village Chapter Summary

1000 Words | 4 Pages

Genocide and the Global Village by Kenneth J. Campbell Upfront Campbell is honest about his motives for writing the book, he is against genocide and he is partial towards the victims and against the perpetrators . As outlined in his introduction the book is a result of years of research and study of contemporary genocide. His goal for the book is to address the problems encountered when trying to stop genocide and try to come to an understanding on why there is insufficient political will to employ military force in order to stop and prevent genocide. Quite a few questions are raised in Campbell’s introduction, as a build up for the book, but his arguments are centered on debates inside the US military force and has often little to do with

Read More

Negative Effects Of Globalization: The Rwanda Genocide

848 Words | 4 Pages

The genocide was an after affect of the scramble for Africa by European countries who help no regard for the people who already lived their. In the scramble for Africa many European countries raced to make claims on land in Africa that was already lived on by natives, they mistreated the natives and killed and enslaved many of them. This was prevalent in Rwanda when the belgians imperialized the land. The belgians sent the Hutus who were the majority of the population into slavery and lead to mass deaths of their people. But they lead the land through another ethnic group the tutsis who made up about 15% of the population compared to the 85% population of Hutus.

Read More

Genocide Convention Research Paper

1481 Words | 6 Pages

In this paper, I will argue that the genocide convention can be an adequate tool to prevent

Read More

More about Summary Of A Problem From Hell: America And The Age Of Genocide

Related Topics

Open Document