Genocide in Non-Western Nations

Historical Context

The historian Ben Kiernan labeled the razing of Carthage (149–46 BCE) as “The First Genocide.” The Crusades raged against “unbelievers,” and on the other side of the world in the 13th century, a million or so Mongolian soldiers led by Genghis Khan surged out of East Asia to lay waste to vast territories, [Page 288]where entire cultures were exterminated. For indigenous peoples, genocide resulted as the expansionist Europeans colonized. The tragedies of Cambodia, Darfur, and Rwanda are examples of genocides within the non-Western world in the 20th century.

Definition of Genocide

Genocide seeks the destruction of the lives of the individuals belonging to targeted groups by eliminating personal security, liberty, health, and dignity. Genocide targets national groups as entities, and the events are perpetrated against individual members of the besieged groups. The objectives of an identified genocide are the destruction of the political and social institutions, culture, language, national feelings, religion, and economic existence of the attacked group.

Trauma Resulting from Genocide

When one's culture has been nearly exterminated, obtaining the support needed to recover from such atrocities is extremely difficult because the social and cultural infrastructures have been damaged, if not decimated. Long-term psychological harm is a result from being hunted, being dehumanized, having neighbors and family members tortured or killed, and being deprived of basic biological needs. People in non-Western countries who survive genocide do not have their familiar cultural routines and experiences available. In most cases, these include religious rituals, foods, and their language to assist in their recovery. In addition, professionals are absent from their culture. Traumatic grief is exacerbated in survivors who experienced various kinds of torture, rape, mutilation, inhumane treatment, and persecution. Children pay the highest price. The cultures that assimilate survivors and provide assistance incur extreme costs, which can often lead to competition for resources in the adoptive cultures.

Prevention

The prevention of genocide requires an understanding of the eight stages of genocide, developed by Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch: classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination, and denial. The stages occur in order, and each stage operates throughout the genocidal process. In areas of the world that are not easily accessed or observed, the identified stages often go unnoticed or overlooked. A full explanation of these stages is provided in the “Genocide” entry in this volume.

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