10 Stages of Genocide
Polarization
Extremists drive the groups apart (propaganda) Laws may forbid intermarriage or social interaction Emergency laws or decrees that grants them total power Targeted groups are disarmed Security protection for moderate leaders or assistance to human rights groups
Denial
Final stage that lasts throughout and always follows genocide Try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses Deny that they committed any crimes Block investigations of crimes Some may be brought to justice
Extermination
Mass killing legally called "genocide" Don't believe their victims to be fully human Revenge killings by groups against each other Dead bodies are dismembered Only rapid and overwhelming armed intervention can stop it Safe areas or refugee escape corridors should be established
Stages
1. Classification 2. Symbolization 3. Discrimination 4. Dehumanization 5. Organization 6. Polarization 7. Preparation 8. Persecution 9. Extermination 10. Denial
Classification
All cultures have categories to distinguish people into "us and them" by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality Common in bipolar societies Search for common ground to prevent it
Discrimination
Deny the rights of other groups Civil rights, voting rights, or even citizenship Individuals should have the right to sue if their rights are violated
Symbolization
Gives names or other symbols to classifications Combined with hatred Denial of this can be powerful (make it illegal)
Preparation
National or perpetrator group leaders plan the "Final Solution" Euphemisms to cloak their intentions Build armies, buy weapons, and train their troops and militias "If we don't kill them, they will kill us" Creating fear of the other group Arms embargoes and commissions to enforce them
Dehumanization
One group denies the humanity of the other Overcomes the moral human revulsion against murder "We are better off without them" Make the use of hate speech culturally unacceptable
Organization
Usually organized by the state using militias Sometimes informal or decentralized (terrorists) Mass rapes of women Secret police to spy on, arrest, torture, and murder suspects Outlaw membership in these militias
Persecution
Victims are identified and separated because of their ethnic or religious identity Death lists Property is often expropriated Segregated, deported, or confined Deliberately deprived of resources Prevent procreation Genocide Emergency must be declared
