Failures of humanity
This weekend I attended the Queen’s International Development Conference. It was good. Last night I also went to see Major Brent Beardsley speak about Rwanda and Darfur. It was also good. And now you get to read about my take on things, inspired by, but not based on, his presentation.
The people who committed the atrocities in Rwanda believed, truly believed, that no one was watching, that no one was interested, that no one was willing to stop them, and that because of this, they would not be held accountable. Why? Because no one was watching, no one was interested, and no one was willing to stop them. People in the developed world saw what was happening, said “That’s too bad”, and changed the channel. The only international response that anyone saw was the evacuation of expatriates, the mass exodus of white people. This is what allowed them to plan a genocide, to organise it, to prepare for it, and to execute it. It was easy for them to convince normal, intelligent people that they would get away with it. It was easy for them to convince normal, intelligent people to pick up their machetes and clubs, and to massacre their friends and neighbours on an unprecedented scale.
When there is a failure of humanity this great, the most dangerous thing is for good people to change the channel or turn the page. The genocide would never have happened if the perpetrators believed that they were being watched and would be held accountable for their crimes.
Today we have the chance to redeem ourselves for our failure in Rwanda. It may be too late to prevent the killings in Darfur, but it’s not too late to stop them. What can you do? It can be as simple as telling a friend, family member, or coworker. Getting more elaborate, you can write a short letter to your local MP and Prime Minister to let them know you are concerned about the situation in Darfur. They aren’t going to do anything unless they know that their constituents want them to. Finally, you can get involved with local groups that are doing something, such as Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) or a local chapter of Amnesty International. It’s so easy to get involved and to make a difference, you might wonder why it took you so long to get started.
A short summary of the situation in Darfur can be found here.