Since time immemorial, humankind has shown unmatched resilience and determination. Indeed, the story of humanity is inundated with joyous moments of hard-earned success. Nevertheless, there are numerous moments that human beings have tainted their history. Human beings have caused needless bloodshed that could have been averted easily. To guarantee that humanity does not repeat its previous mistakes, it is incumbent that we revisit the dark spots in our history. Although humankind has tried multiple times to erase the past, it is evident that it is impossible. Despite the existence of numerous social evils that lead to loss of lives, genocide takes center stage. Genocide is one of the blemishes that have bedeviled humanity for decades. Genocide is the mass killing of people based on the difference in racial, religious and political backgrounds. Perpetrators of this heinous crime do not discriminate from an individuals gender, age, race or political affiliations. Young children, men, women and the elderly face the same fate during the genocide. Ironically, 100% of genocide victims are usually noncombatants. They are people who are incapable of taking arms against their killers. In the paper, the genocide phenomenon is analyzed in detail by taking into account or drawing insights from the following perspectives; structural, cultural and rational choice perspective. People kill for various reasons such as greed for power and impunity. Others, on the other hand, elect to kill willingly without any coercion.
Over the last 150 years, tens of millions of children, women, and men have fallen victims to genocide. Millions more have been maimed, displaced and raped. Some of the world’s countries that have experienced genocide include South Sudan, Bosnia, Armenia, Cambodia, and Rwanda. Additionally, there is the Holocaust in which Adolf Hitler gassed millions of German Jews. Most genocides are usually politically, racially or culturally instigated. Over the years, the term genocide has been misused by politicians and human rights for the own self-interested without any regards for the victims. For a given action or killings to be termed as genocide, they have to deliberate, planned and calculated by a group be it the government, religious group or leaders to exterminate a given group of people for political, religious, cultural or racial reasons.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Genocide remains a contentious issue since scholars have been unable to come to a universal agreement as to the reasons why a person would kill a fellow human being. Furthermore, they have failed to distinguish genocide from other forms of mass violence. It is therefore evident that an interactive approach to satisfactorily answer the question, why do people kill? Rational choice, culture, and organizational structures have been a leading cause f the killings in the world. For instance, the Hutus took advantage of the existing regzulatory structures during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 to massacre the Tutsis. The Armenian genocide mirrors the Rwandan genocide since the motivating factors in both scenarios are the same.
The Rwandan genocide erupted after the president, a Hutu, died in a plane crash shortly after departing from the nation's capital Kigali. The Hutus who happened to be the majority soon took arms and massacred the hapless Tutsis in their thousands. The perpetrators were not only backed military but also issued with weapons and ammunition. Moreover, a significant number of the Hutus were serving in the military at the time played a vital role in the killings.
The Rwandan genocide can also be explained regarding rational choice. The sensible choice theory states that people always make informed and logical decisions. These choices provide individuals with the highest satisfaction given the opportunities presented, and the options are still in their interest. Rational judgment is, therefore, a decision pewithr a person's values. The logical choice is based on the assumption that in a free society, a sensible person will always act to optimally improve their position concerning the decisions available for them to make.
Some years back, it was generally believed that genocidal killings were primarily carried out by sadists. This assumption is naïve since it is the same individuals that are responsible for the countless horrific murder. During genocides, neighbors turn against each other, irrespective of their peaceful co-existence over the years. Indeed, Rwandan elites and a vast majority of the Hutu population willingly took part in self-interested calculations to decide to exterminate, maim, torture and rape thousands of Rwanda Batusi to their advantage. As stated earlier, mass killings are only classified as genocide when people voluntarily take part in the killing spree. The Hutu were never coerced to take part in the murder. To clearly explain the phenomenon of mass participation in genocidal killings, it is incumbent that the history of Tutsi and Hutu in Rwanda.
Rwanda Case Scenario and the Motivating Factors behind the Killings
The study of the two communities is integral to the study of the Rwandan genocide and the motivating factors behind the killings. It is worth noting that during the colonial period, the Belgian colonizers elevated the Tutsi minority and often used them not only to oppress but also control the Hutu majority. As the country approached independence, the Hutu started pushing for fundamental changes and a stake in the government. To avoid opposition, the colonial government awarded them with critical positions in the government with the hope of stopping them from agitating for self-rule.
After, gaining independence, the Hutu took charge of the government. This set stage for the marginalization of the Tutsi and ushered in an era of mass killings. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Tutsi fled to the neighboring Uganda and Burundi that was heavily dominated by the Tutsi. Rwanda experienced economic depression in the 70’s and 80’s, and this led to the fall of the country’s major exports, coffee and Tin. Poverty levels in the state soared, and the citizens became more radicalized. In 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which was majorly dominated by Tutsis who had fled to Uganda invaded the country from the North. By the time the rebels were defeated, over 600, 000 people had lost their lives. In 1993, the government signed the Arusha accord to end the conflicts. Instead of stopping the disputes, the agreement only made the situation worse. The radical Hutu could not fathom the idea of sharing power with the Hutu.
By 1994, the rivalry between the two communities was at its all-time high. The Hutu used the assassination of the president to kill the Tutsi who they had been engaged in the struggle for power. It is evident that mass hostility, political mobilizations, and security dilemma set the stage for the mass killings. The primary reasons for the murder were the need to revenge the assassination of the president and the need to cling to power. Additionally, the Hutu salvaged the opportunity to retaliate against the Hutu who had oppressed them during the colonial era. The Hutu, therefore, acted in the manner they thought had the potential of improving their situation.
On a cultural perspective, genocide is defined as the systematic removal of values, language and other elements that make one group of people distinct from another group. For instance, the primary motivating factor during the Holocaust was cultural supremacy. The Nazi’s firmly believed they were culturally and racially superior to the Jews. Indeed, Hitlers desire to destroy the Jewish culture led to deaths of six million Jews. Religion also plays a pivotal role in the killings since some cultures place little value on human life. From the Rwandan genocide, it is evident that the Hutus believed it was their duty to eliminate the Tutsi. Before the killing spree, the Hutu had always warned members of their community against intermarrying with the Tutsi. The Hutus killed and displaced the Tutsi with the sole of intentions of destroying their cultural beliefs. The Hutu undertook ethnic cleansing to ensure that they remain the sole occupants of Rwanda to make it a Hutu republic. Their collaborators were thrilled by the unfolding events and soon joined in the bandwagon. They desired to alter the status quo and return to their previous cultures. They believed that the colonialists had corrupted the Abatutsi.
Conclusion
Several factors motivate people to kill. While some kill because they deem themselves to be culturally superior to their victims, some kill because existing structures favor them. Indeed, a vast majority of killers partake in the killings willingly without any coercion.
