While the United Nations, or UN, had noble intentions with their operations, sometimes operations just do not go as planned. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, or UNAMIR, had the goal of entering Rwanda to uphold the Arusha Peace Agreement, a peace agreement signed by the Rwandese parties to restore the peace in the country following the civil war. However, due to an unfortunate chain of events, the UN peacekeeping troops ended up acting as bystanders to one of the greatest atrocities of modern times. From approximately April 1994 to June 1994 the members of Hutus majority slaughtered about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. While the UN troops could not get involved in the fighting they still did not perform to the best of their ability which allowed for this mass murder, along with the displacement of millions of others. This disaster confirms that the UN does not always act correctly, even though they are supposed to assist the entire world. Although a concept of a UN intervention was a worthy idea to address the issues in Rwanda, their inability to do the job correctly, allowed one of the worst atrocities of modern times to occur while attempting to maintain peace in Rwanda.
UNAMIR was established in October 1993 and had the main objective of upholding the Arusha Peace Agreement. The Arusha Peace Agreement was a peace treaty signed by the Rwandese parties after the Rwandan Civil War on August 4th, 1993 (Stearns, 2012, p.14). The initial mandate stated that the UN peacekeeping troops were to assist in ensuring the safety of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and to monitor the cease-fire agreement. The monitoring of the cease-fire included the establishment of a demilitarized zone, relieving soldiers of active duty, ...
... middle of paper ...
...t they viewed the lives of the Rwandans as less important than those in other countries, they put all of their time into the problem in Croatia, and did nothing for Rwanda. This is completely unacceptable; these officials were chosen to keep the peace and to keep the citizens of the entire world in their thoughts when they made decisions. The fact that they let 800,000 people die without doing much shows they completely failed. They did not think of the best interests of everyone and they allowed too many people to die. Thus, even though the UN is supposed to think about and act according to the best possible outcomes for everyone, they do not always do this. The devastation caused by the ineffectiveness of UNAMIR is proof that oversights and poor planning can happen, unfortunately in this instance; almost a million innocent people paid the price for these mistakes.
Farewell to Manzanar Beginning in March of 1942, in the midst of World War II, over 100,000 Japanese-Americans were forcefully removed from their homes and ordered to relocate to several of what the United States has euphemistically labeled “internment camps.” In Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston describes in frightening detail her family’s experience of confinement for three and a half years during the war. In efforts to cope with the mortification and dehumanization and the boredom they were facing, the Wakatsukis and other Japanese-Americans participated in a wide range of activities. The children, before a structured school system was organized, generally played sports or made trouble; some adults worked for extremely meager wages, while others refused and had hobbies, and others involved themselves in more self-destructive activities. The smaller children that were confined to their families seemed to be generally unaware of the hardships they were facing.
Farewell to Manzanar is sociologist and writer Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's first hand account of her interment in the Japanese camps during World War II. Growing up in southern California, she was the youngest of ten children living in a middle-to lower class, but comfortable life style with her large family. In the beginning of her story, she told about how her family was close, but how they drifted apart during and after their internment in the camp. The ironic part of it is that her family spent their entire time together in the same camp. So why did her family drift apart so? What was once the center of the family scene; dinner became concealed with the harsh realities of the camp. This reflects the loss of many of today's family values, and may have even set the bar for southern California's style of living today. Also, in a broader United State's historical theme, their internment reflected the still pungent racism and distrust of foreign identities, even though most of them were native-born US citizens and had never been to Japan.
Fighting a war against the oppression and persecution of a people, how hypocritical of the American government to harass and punish those based on their heritage. Magnifying the already existing dilemma of discrimination, the bombing of Pearl Harbor introduced Japanese-Americans to the harsh and unjust treatment they were forced to confront for a lifetime to come. Wakatsuki Ko, after thirty-five years of residence in the United States, was still prevented by law from becoming an American citizen.
The Wakatsukis are a Japanese family with ten children, the youngest of who is Jeanne; she is the narrator and author of the story. In December 1941, the Wakatsukis are living near Long Beach, California. Mr. and Mrs. Wakatsuki are immigrants; they have come to the United States from Japan, searching for the American Dream. Jeanne's father and brothers man a fishing boat called The Nereid and work for the canneries on the coast. On December 7th, Jeanne stands on shore with the other Wakatsuki females; they all wave good-bye to the Wakatsuki men as they set out to sea. As the women watch the Nereid travel further away, it suddenly turns and heads back to shore. Jeanne and the others are confused about the strange return until a cannery worker on the docks runs toward them; he delivers the news that Japan has just bombed Pearl Harbor in a deadly surprise attack. Jeanne's father is immediately frightened that his ties to Japan will cause him trouble; he goes home and burns the flag he had brought from Hiroshima, as well as all documents that might tie him to Japan. The family then relocates to the home of their eldest son, Woody, who lives on Terminal Island. After two weeks, Ko Wakatsuki, Jeanne's father, is arrested and interrogated. Later the family learns that he has been taken into custody and falsely charged with supplying oil to Japanese submarines offshore.
In the poem, “Jamie” by Elizabeth Brewster, Brewster describes the feeling of people who are isolated and different from the rest of society. Through describing the life of the main character Jamie, who was suddenly deaf when he was sixteen, the author is able to convey the bitterness and the anger of people’s solitude. In the story, Jamie had no friends and lived in the woods alone. This clearly shows Jamie was lonely. He experienced loneliness, bitterness, anger and being a social outcast throughout the poem. The character Jamie could be considered to represent those who no longer have an interest and passion in their life.
United Nations. "Rwanda, genocide, Hutu, Tutsi, mass execution, ethnic cleansing, massacre, human rights, victim remembrance, education, Africa." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. .
Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali once said, "We were not realizing that with just a machete, you can do a genocide." To be candid, nobody anticipated the Rwandan Genocide that occurred in 1994. The genocide in Rwanda was an infamous blood-red blur in modern history where almost a million innocent people were murdered in cold blood. Members of the Tutsi tribe were systematically hacked or beaten to death by members of the Interahamwe, a militia made up of Hutu tribe members. In just 100 days, from April 6, 1994 to mid-July, 20% of Rwanda's population was killed; about 10,000 people a day. Bodies literally were strewn over city streets. Genocide obviously violates almost all articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; however, the article I find most important is Article 3 - the right to life, liberty, and personal security. In just 100 days, one million people were denied the most basic privilege granted to every human – the right to live, simply because they were born to the wrong tribe.
Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant from Turkey, effectively used his extensive technical, leadership and analytical skills to enhance the development of Chobani.
Africa has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.
The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 was not only one of the most remarkable tragedies in Rwanda, but is often recalled as one of the most gruesome massacres in all of history. The Rwandan Genocide was an attack on the Tutsi minority from the Hutu majority, the two major ethnic groups of Rwanda. According to the Survivors Fund (SURF), an estimated eight hundred thousand to one million Tutsis, along with some moderate Hutus, were slaughtered over the course of the one hundred day genocide ("Statistics"). The Huffington Post states, "If we follow the U.N. 's estimate, that means that nearly six men, women and children were murdered every minute of every hour of every day," ("5 Staggering Statistics"). Nevertheless, little assistance was provided for the Tutsis during the Rwandan Genocide. The lack of empathy from other nations during the massacre was remarkable. The entire world watched the genocide play out, yet almost all of the observers turned a blind eye and waited for the United Nations to intervene. Although the Tutsis longed for a savior, the U.N. did not intervene until it was far too late.
The biggest reason the Rwandan genocide was not ended earlier was because the United Nations made a minimal effort to step on there and help the falling country. The job of the UN is to protect the people of the world, stop fighting between countries, and keep the international law. None of that was accomplished during the Rwandan genocide. To prevent future genocides, the United Nations must step in a finish any major killing before it starts.
Words can make a great difference in people and how they face their challenges in lonely and desperate times of their life. An inspiration can be the simplest speech but when said at the right time and in the right place, it can have a massive impact. I experienced this feeling of lonesomeness in my life and with the help of a mentor I was able to put it behind me and most importantly learn a lesson from it, that may have never even crossed my mind. These experiences are the ones that build a person’s character and helps them grow in life. In order to be able to understand other people and build good connections, you have to be able to under-stand and connect with someone about what they are going through, and sometimes give them the help they need.
It was unethical for the UN forces and the rest of the Western nations to disregard the Rwandan genocide. Hotel Rwanda is a film that reveals how the world watched as innocent lives were lost in Rwanda. The genocide escalated due to lack of moral values in the society, especially in the Western community.
UN peacekeepers in Rwanda sent warning of an “Anti-Tutsi extermination” plot, and there were stories in Washington Post & New York Times but President Clinton specifically avoided calling the killings a genocide to avoid U.S involvement. The U.S would have no participation in stopping the Rwandan Genocide.A UN peacekeeping operation was sent to Rwanda in April but they failed to be an benefit and they weren't very well equipped. Quickly medical supplies ran out with no money to restock and other supplies could rarely be
Fifty-one countries established the United Nations also known as the UN on October 24, 1945 with the intentions of preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Over the years the UN has grown in numbers to include 185 countries, thus making the organization and its family of agencies the largest in an effort to promote world stability. Since 1954 the UN and its organizations have received the Nobel Peace Prize on 5 separate occasions. The first in 1954 awarded to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, for its assistance to refugees, and finally in 1988 to the United Nations Peace-keeping Forces, for its peace-keeping operations. As you can see, the United Nations efforts have not gone without notice.