1) Why is it so easy for a group of people to kill another group of people? (The dehumanizing factor common in most if not all Genocides)
2) Global level- (Hesitation of involvement from other countries. Are we (people in general) obligated to help those who are being wronged. When genocides occur, for a variety of reasons, individual people and groups of people hesitate when it comes to righting a wrong. However, is anyone really obligated to get involved or is it just a nice thing to do? The explanations giving for the U.S. and the lack of involvement on their part with getting involved in the genocide issue. The comparison of the abandonment of the victims by the U.S. in most genocide cases.
3) The connection between genocides and Religion. (Biblical phenomenon?)
SOURCES DISCUSSED ON THIS WEBSITE:
BOOKS:
Hart, William. "The Monster Within." EVIL A Primer: A History of a Bad Idea From Beelzebub to Bin Laden.New York: St. Martins Press, 2004. 90-98.
Neiman, Susan. "Homeless".Evil in Modern Thought. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002.238-328.
ARTICLES:
Hardin, Garrett. "Lifeboat Ethics" Morality Matters: Race, Class, and Gender in Applied Ethics. Ed. Jeffrey R. Di Leo. Illinois: McGraw Hill,2002.524-528.
Singer, Peter. "famine, Affluence and Morality". Morality Matters: Race, Class, and Gender in Applied Ethics. Ed. Jeffrey R. Di Leo. Illinois: McGraw Hill,2002.517-523.
Sommers, Fred. "The Holocaust and Moral Philosophy" Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life: Introductory Readings in Ethics. Ed. Christina and Fred Sommers. Canada: Wadsworth,2004.150-155.
LINKS:
Left side of the page
The links on the left side of the page are very useful in researching this topic. The last 3 links give a little bit of background information on some of the genocides that have occurred within the last 10 or twenty years.
THE FIRST LINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LINK. The first link will take you to the book sources that are imporant in understanding the ethical questions that need to be answered.
The Armenian link gives us background of the situation of "Ethnic Cleansing" applied by the Turks. It not only helps us to answer the question of dehumanization, but also helps us to understand why, as in other genocides, people fail to help those in need. It also may be helpful, although not addressed on this website, to look at the thought process of the Turks. The website mentions how some Turks today want people to know their side of the story.
The link to the Rwanda website also helps to answer these questions and also expresses the emotions felt.
The link to the Genocide in Sudan is also useful in examining gneocide and U.S. policy. These three websites have many blatant similarities as far as U.S. Policy and involvement, capturing the mood of events, and showing the dehumanization aspect.