Rwanda 1994 vs Gaza 2014: Samantha Power And The Age Of Genocide;
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
“Be ashamed to
die until you have won some victory for humanity.”
Horace MannJuly
28, 2014 "ICH"
- In
her acclaimed book “A Problem From Hell; America and
the Age of Genocide” (2003), Samantha Power, current
American Ambassador to the United Nations, sharply
criticized the United States deliberate inaction and
its failure to prevent a genocide in Rwanda where up
to one million lives were lost.
As she explains it, Washington simply was not
interested in stopping the death toll.
The thinking in Washington was:
“Look, if something happens in Rwanda-Burundi,
we don’t care. Take it off the list. It’s not-
U.S. national interest is not involved and,” you
know, “we can’t put all these silly humanitarian
issues on lists like important problems like the
Middle East and North Korea and so on.”
Washington
had full knowledge of the potential for genocide.
In an April 11
memo prepared for Frank Wisner (undersecretary of
defense for policy), it was pointed out “unless both
sides [Hutu and Tutsi] can be convinced to return to
the peace process, a massive (hundreds of thousands
of deaths) bloodbath will ensue.” (Power 2003,
p354).
In the face
of media reports of the escalating death toll,
Washington remained resolute not to stop the
killings. As dead bodies piled up, Washington’s
imperative became the avoidance of the term
genocide. The concern was that if the ‘G ‘word was
used and the Clinton administration did nothing,
what would be the effect on the November
congressional elections.
Power explains
the term genocide: ‘Raphael Lemkin was looking for
an all encompassing word that would describe the
assaults on all aspects of nationhood – physical,
biological, political, social, cultural, economic
and religious. He wanted to connote not only
full-scale extermination but also other means of
destruction: mass deportation, the lowering of
birthrate by separating men from women, economic
exploitation, progressive starvation, and the
suppression of the intelligentsia who served as
national leaders.’
Power
successfully describes in detail the horrific 1994
genocide in Rwanda and condemnation of America’s
inaction. One million lives too late, in November
1994, UNSC Resolution 955 set up the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to judge those
responsible for the massive genocide and crimes
against humanity.
Twenty years
after Rwanda, the Genocide in Gaza is ignored.
Samantha Power has either lost all memory, or she
has lost all humanity –but without a doubt, she is
completely void of integrity, and complicit in the
crimes against Palestinians.
Two decades
later, again, prior to November elections, the US is
careful to avoid the “G” word. As
Israeli law makers call for genocide and
indiscriminate killing of Palestinians under siege,
and with calls of rape of Palestinian women, the
massacre continues with the full backing, arming and
and funding by the United States.
America has
once again exercised its political clout in favor of
the perpetrators of crimes against humanity; its
voice the lone one to vote against a call to
investigation by UN Human Rights Council into the
Israeli offensive’s violations of international
laws. As the population of Gaza is left without
food, clean water, and medicine, and as the
annihilation of Palestinians continues, Power and
her bosses give their full support to Israel’s
continued crimes against humanity and genocide.
Hypocrisy has
never shown such an ugly, shameless face as that of
America’s ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power– in
this age of genocide.
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
is an independent researcher and writer with a focus
on the role of lobby groups in influencing U.S.
foreign policy.
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
“Be ashamed to
die until you have won some victory for humanity.”
Horace Mann
28, 2014 "ICH"
- In
her acclaimed book “A Problem From Hell; America and
the Age of Genocide” (2003), Samantha Power, current
American Ambassador to the United Nations, sharply
criticized the United States deliberate inaction and
its failure to prevent a genocide in Rwanda where up
to one million lives were lost.
As she explains it, Washington simply was not
interested in stopping the death toll.
The thinking in Washington was:
“Look, if something happens in Rwanda-Burundi,
we don’t care. Take it off the list. It’s not-
U.S. national interest is not involved and,” you
know, “we can’t put all these silly humanitarian
issues on lists like important problems like the
Middle East and North Korea and so on.”
Washington
had full knowledge of the potential for genocide.
In an April 11
memo prepared for Frank Wisner (undersecretary of
defense for policy), it was pointed out “unless both
sides [Hutu and Tutsi] can be convinced to return to
the peace process, a massive (hundreds of thousands
of deaths) bloodbath will ensue.” (Power 2003,
p354).
In the face
of media reports of the escalating death toll,
Washington remained resolute not to stop the
killings. As dead bodies piled up, Washington’s
imperative became the avoidance of the term
genocide. The concern was that if the ‘G ‘word was
used and the Clinton administration did nothing,
what would be the effect on the November
congressional elections.
Power explains
the term genocide: ‘Raphael Lemkin was looking for
an all encompassing word that would describe the
assaults on all aspects of nationhood – physical,
biological, political, social, cultural, economic
and religious. He wanted to connote not only
full-scale extermination but also other means of
destruction: mass deportation, the lowering of
birthrate by separating men from women, economic
exploitation, progressive starvation, and the
suppression of the intelligentsia who served as
national leaders.’
Power
successfully describes in detail the horrific 1994
genocide in Rwanda and condemnation of America’s
inaction. One million lives too late, in November
1994, UNSC Resolution 955 set up the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to judge those
responsible for the massive genocide and crimes
against humanity.
Twenty years
after Rwanda, the Genocide in Gaza is ignored.
Samantha Power has either lost all memory, or she
has lost all humanity –but without a doubt, she is
completely void of integrity, and complicit in the
crimes against Palestinians.
Two decades
later, again, prior to November elections, the US is
careful to avoid the “G” word. As
Israeli law makers call for genocide and
indiscriminate killing of Palestinians under siege,
and with calls of rape of Palestinian women, the
massacre continues with the full backing, arming and
and funding by the United States.
America has
once again exercised its political clout in favor of
the perpetrators of crimes against humanity; its
voice the lone one to vote against a call to
investigation by UN Human Rights Council into the
Israeli offensive’s violations of international
laws. As the population of Gaza is left without
food, clean water, and medicine, and as the
annihilation of Palestinians continues, Power and
her bosses give their full support to Israel’s
continued crimes against humanity and genocide.
Hypocrisy has
never shown such an ugly, shameless face as that of
America’s ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power– in
this age of genocide.
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
is an independent researcher and writer with a focus
on the role of lobby groups in influencing U.S.
foreign policy.
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