Origins of Genocide
1. Genocide is exceedingly pervasive in human history. Genocide is present in the book of Genesis of the bible. (Jones 4) It is also present in Greek culture as “...of historical events such as the Assyrian Empire’s root-and-branch depredations …. and the destruction of Melos by Athens during Peloponnesian War...” (Jones 5) Genocides also take place in Crusades in medieval era. The practical obstacles to understanding this aspect of our past are that historical records are “ambiguous and undependable”. The records can also be written with personal influence/opinions to “praise the writer’s patron… emphasize… own gods and religious beliefs”. (3)
2. One example of genocide in modernity included, but was not limited to the instance in which the Zulu people, led by Shaka Zulu performed “…one of the most ambitious campaigns of expansion and annihilation the region has ever known.” (7) Under Shaka Zulu, his warriors obliterated and destroyed clans of various people in the region. He was at one point targeting all members of the clans, including pets. At another point, however, he used the male figures of the clan to assist him in his expansion while killing woman and children. (7) One example of genocide in antiquity was in the profound book called the …show more content…
The major features, ambiguities, and controversial aspects of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention included: the failure to define “national, ethnical, racial, or religious” groups and the controversial meanings of the “normal understanding of genocide” to the qualifications under Article II. Jones explains that the qualification “Inflicting serious bodily or mental harm” makes doing such without actually killing the person, genocide. (13) These vague understandings convolute controversy and make it more difficult to resolve genocidal issues. Jones also elucidates that, even after the UN states why and who to call, when a genocidal event may present itself, the obligations are as well unclear.
1. Genocide is exceedingly pervasive in human history. Genocide is present in the book of Genesis of the bible. (Jones 4) It is also present in Greek culture as “...of historical events such as the Assyrian Empire’s root-and-branch depredations …. and the destruction of Melos by Athens during Peloponnesian War...” (Jones 5) Genocides also take place in Crusades in medieval era. The practical obstacles to understanding this aspect of our past are that historical records are “ambiguous and undependable”. The records can also be written with personal influence/opinions to “praise the writer’s patron… emphasize… own gods and religious beliefs”. (3)
2. One example of genocide in modernity included, but was not limited to the instance in which the Zulu people, led by Shaka Zulu performed “…one of the most ambitious campaigns of expansion and annihilation the region has ever known.” (7) Under Shaka Zulu, his warriors obliterated and destroyed clans of various people in the region. He was at one point targeting all members of the clans, including pets. At another point, however, he used the male figures of the clan to assist him in his expansion while killing woman and children. (7) One example of genocide in antiquity was in the profound book called the …show more content…
The major features, ambiguities, and controversial aspects of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention included: the failure to define “national, ethnical, racial, or religious” groups and the controversial meanings of the “normal understanding of genocide” to the qualifications under Article II. Jones explains that the qualification “Inflicting serious bodily or mental harm” makes doing such without actually killing the person, genocide. (13) These vague understandings convolute controversy and make it more difficult to resolve genocidal issues. Jones also elucidates that, even after the UN states why and who to call, when a genocidal event may present itself, the obligations are as well unclear.