Transcript The 8 Stages of Genocide

The 8 Stages of
Genocide
According to Gregory H. Stanton
with Genocide Watch
1. Classification
•Distinguish b/w “us & them”
– Ethnicity, race, religion, nationality
– Occurs in all cultures
•Societies w/ no mixed categories have
greater chance of genocide
**Must actively endorse understanding &
tolerance, search for a common ground
2. Symbolization
•Applying names/symbols/colors/dress
to members of grps.
– Yellow star for Jews
– Blue scarf for Eastern Cambodians
•Stages 1 & 2 are almost natural
problem comes when combined w/
hatred
Symbolism cont’d
**Make hate symbols/speech illegal
– Bulgaria refused the yellow star 80% of
Jews went w/o it lost its significance
**BUT…the ban has to be widely
supported
– “Hutu” & “Tutsi” were banned in
Burundi, but code words just replaced
them
3. Dehumanization
•Members of grp. are not seen as human
(rather animals, insects, disease)
– Tutsis were referred to as cockroaches
•Hate propaganda takes over (radios,
posters, news)
– Not protected as free speech under true
democratic constitutions
**Must be put down promptly! (shut down
radio signals)
4. Organization
•ALWAYS organized
– State often uses militias (Janjaweed in
Sudan)
•Used as scapegoats (deny responsibility)
– Well-trained militants can also form mobs
or terrorist grps.
**Militias must be forbidden, leaders
denied rights, arms embargoes enacted
5. Polarization
•Grps. ripped apart by extremists
– Hate propaganda broadcasts separation;
sometimes makes interaxn illegal
– Silences/intimidates moderates
•They stand greatest chance of stopping
genocide, so killed 1st
**Need security for moderates & human
rights grps.
**International sanctions on extremist
coups d’états
6. Preparation
• Victims recognized & separated out
– Death lists, wear symbols
– Moved into certain areas (ghettoes,
camps, poverty stricken region)
** Must declare a Genocide Emergency
prepare international intervention
** Prepare aid for future victims & refugees
7. Extermination
•Mass killings
– Often done by both armed forces &
militia
– Can lead to revenge killings
** Only solution is now fierce armed
intervention
– International responsibility to protect and
provide aid
•More impt. than individual national interests
8. Denial
•Perpetrators cover up graves/evidence
and coerce witnesses
•Deny any crimes took place, blame
victims, hamper investigations
– Sure sign of future genocidal acts
** Must capture and take to national or
internat’l court (Nuremberg, Rwanda)
20th & 21st Century Genocides
•Armenian (1915-1918): by Ottoman
Turks 1.5 mil Armenians, over
800,000 others
•Jewish (1939-1945): by Nazi Germany 
6 mil Jews, 3 mil Poles, 1.25 mil others
•Cambodian (1975-1979): by Khmer
Rouge 1.2 mil Cambodians
20th & 21st Century Genocides
•Bosnia (1992-1995): by Serbs  200,000
Bosnian Muslims
•Rwanda (1994): by Hutu militias  800,000
Tutsis
•Darfur (2003*- ): by Arab govn’t backed
militia  400,000 killed, 1.3 mil displaced
non-Arabs (Fur, Zaghawa, Masalit)
(There are more, esp. by forced famines!!)