Myth of Propaganda in the Balkans and Rwanda

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Mass Manipulation and Genocide:

The Myth of Propaganda in the Balkans and Rwanda

War and conquest have been among the most enduring traits of humankind throughout the ages. While we would all like to believe that we are, by nature, a peaceful species, we still understand there are some things worth fighting for, and given the appropriate context, there are some things worth killing for. As reasoning beings, we hope that if violence is the only option it is for a clear and legitimate purpose. That is why it was so confounding to hear of such heinous acts of senseless violence as stories from Germany began to emerge after World War II. The world shuddered as the actions of Hitler’s henchmen attempting to eradicate entire ethnic groups were revealed. It was inconceivable: what could incite such a large group of people towards genocide? What could inspire such hatred, such bloodlust? People were shocked, and for generations most of humanity has taken a hard line approach to acts of genocide: “never again.” But it has happened again. As the world witnessed similar atrocities in the Balkans and Rwanda during the early to mid-1990s, we are again left with a truly flummoxing question: Why?

There are no easy answers to questions of genocide. We can only hope to find common threads that might shed glimmers of light on the darkest corners of human activity, to try to understand what could drive people to such extreme measures. Cleary, in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia the social and political structures set the stage for the ensuing atrocities. The wake of colonialism and communism, respectively, had left these two regions unstable and vulnerable to the agendas of extremist politicians. And as Hitler demonstrated during his jingoisti...

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...tober 1997. Compelling discussion about why the U.S. and international bodies ultimately decided not to interfere with the situation in Rwanda, specifically by means of radio jamming, which, many analysts said, could have averted the atrocity.

Sibomana, Andre, Hope for Rwanda: Conversations with Laure Guilbert and Herve Deguine, London and Sterling, VA: Pluto Press, 1997. A first-hand account of what happened in Rwanda by a highly respected priest. Interesting content, but could use more objective analysis.

Wasburn, Philo C., Broadcasting Propaganda: International Radio Broadcasting and the Construction of Political Reality, Westport, CN and London: Praeger, 1992. A good discussion about the history of radio as used for propaganda. Good information about propaganda in World War II and how the Nazis essentially invented the idea of broadcasting propaganda.

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