Mass genocides have taken place during the Holocaust, the Killing Fields, and Rwanda and many other tragic events. Why all of the death one might ask? Well the answer to that is simple. All of these genocides have occurred due to the failure of the international community. The quote "history always repeats itself" has upheld it's honesty. The fact that the international community continues to turn a blind eye to the matter, leads to the conclusion that genocide in the future is inevitable. .
In 1942, during the Second World War, the United Nations was set-up to settle crises peacefully. However, this attempt was proved to be futile when in 1975, the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia. Over a course of time, the KR slaughtered 2 million Cambodians. Did the United Nations stop this genocide? No, "the killing fields of Cambodia were shut down by the Vietnamese The U.N. would have never approved of that intervention" according to Robert Walzer, co-author of The New Killing Fields: Massacre and the Politics of Intervention. One might argue that the U.N. was not equipped to prevent such a disaster. What happens when the threats of genocide come at their fingertips? History can answer that question, nothing happens. "In August 1993, a U.N. investigator warned of the threat of ethnic killings in Rwanda"(Shalom 48). These threats were ignored due to the lack of interest of the world powers. Robert Dole once said, "I don't think we (United Sates) have any national interest here (Rwanda). I hope we don't get involved there." (Shalom 50).
Genocides have occurred more recently than the incident in Rwanda. Ethnic killings have been present in East Timor, and currently in Sudan. In 1999, East Timor held an election for independence from Indonesia, when the majority voted for independence opponents went wild. Thousands were forced to flee from their homes, and countless are killed. Did the international community help East Timor? Not until recently in 2002 when East Timor won its independence that was chosen back in 1999.
