After the Holocaust, Vows of Never Again are Broken Again...

Never Again, the world vowed as it reeled from the horrors which came to light after the Holocaust - never again would we let human actions sink to such a vile depth as that of attempted extermination of an entire people. It was a promise brimming with resolve and unanimity, but a promise which would go on to be broken again and again. In December 1948, the then members of the United Nations General Assembly, without contention, passed the Convention on Genocide. It defined what the crime of genocide entailed and that it was an act to be prevented and its perpetrators punished. It has been 66 years since then and we have not been able to fulfill this promise - shattering its very principles time and time again - in places such as†¦show more content†¦For example, as the events of the Darfur genocide unfolded, member nations pressured the UN to call it a genocide, obligating it to act, yet refused to provide it with the essential military and financial support. As Gà ©rard Prunier, author of Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide explains, this situation came to demonstrate the UNs practical limitations in crises where the heavyweight member states do not want to act. Blaming the UN was easy for those who were responsible for its inaction. The United Nations has and continues to accomplish volumes for humanity, bu t in the face of genocide, the UN is a defunct organization, dependent entirely upon the will of its member nations. Other nations, as humanitarianly inclined as they may be, will always put their interests - whether it be geo-political, economic, military or social - ahead of all other considerations. It is an inescapable fact that many countries are often reluctant to act in a situation which does not directly impact their own welfare and sometimes actively obstruct action by the UN or other forces to satisfy their self-serving purposes. As Lieutenant-General Romà ©o Dallaire, the Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), stated when explaining the reasoning behind the UNs inability to act during the Darfur genocide, ..., its because Sudan is obstructionist, China is complacent, and Canada and the rest of the internationalShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeares Merchant of Venice2271 Words   |  10 Pageslaid down in her fathers will. His will says that everyone who wishes to marry her must choose between a casket of gold, silver or lead. Portia must accept the man who chooses the correct casket. Also, the suitors must take an oath never to marry if they fail in this contest. Half a dozen totally unsuitable young men leave rather than taking their chances. The next candidate up to choose a casket is the prince of Morocco. Back in Venice, Bassanio has approached aRead MoreCxc Past Story4519 Words   |  19 PagesCXC short story award 2007 The CXC short story award 2007 went to this answer. CXC English A paper 2 question: Write a story which includes the words, The phone rang once and stopped. It rang again. This was it now.   Beads of sweat slowly trickled down my face, the numbing feeling of guilt stealthily creeping up my spine. I sat in my western looking living room on the cowboy patterned sofa, shaking from head to toe. The dingy brown, the room had been painted, it seemed nauseating at this moment