The Crime of Genocide in International Law and Underlying Social Structures of the Crime: Rwanda Case

Abstract

Genocide is a crime which is defined under international law in the twentieth century and could not come about without the ideological, bureaucratic power of a modern state with its sanctions and modern discourses on identities and modern classifications. With a non-modern picture but with modern techniques of governing Rwanda was a place that genocidal killings occurred and is a place of a breaking case for modern theories. Rwanda has modern state characteristics in terms of monopoly of use of violence, giving orders and providing obedience of its people, surveillance, classification and registration of its people, and keeping discourses. Moreover, Rwandan culture that gives great importance to obedience and Rwandan geography that is so suitable to surveillance become additional factors. In that sense, Rwandan governments could influence to daily life of the people even to the smallest details of anyone. All factors provided a suitable base for the crime of genocide.

Keywords

International Law, Genocide, Rwanda, Modern State, Race.

Citation

Çoban, Ebru, “The Crime of Genocide in International Law and Underlying Social Structures of the Crime: Rwanda Case”, International Relations, Volume 5, Issue 17 (Spring 2008), pp. 47-72.

Affiliations

• Ebru Çoban, Dr., Çankaya University, Department of Political Science and International Relations