A tribunal serves the purpose of serving justice to a member of society who has committed crimes against humanity. Cambodia’s genocide is a distinctive case which takes a whole assembly of members who participated in the genocide. In terms of justice, it is served when the tribunals sentence all of the leaders who carried out the orders of Pol pot as their leader. The question on the floor of many scholarly authors is how we can prosecute these murderers with few evidence besides the testimony of eye witnesses.
One author Preez, Wilhelmus Petrus Du in his book Genocide: The Psychology of Mass Murder talks in depth regarding what these guards were thinking as they stood by and both physically and mentally tortured the estimated two million plus victims. The author, a psychologist of human behavior, presents his findings on the motivation behind Mass Murders. The book that discusses the relationship between genocide and the psychology behind the act. The author seeks to unravel the questions of why people commit the crimes that they do and what is the intent behind their action. It builds on what takes place behind the minds of these leaders. It also puts genocide in an interesting context by framing it as something of the present day and not something of the past.
This portion focuses on where the future of genocide is heading for the world communities. It is extremely important to understand why genocide has happened in the past in order to solve the upcoming dilemmas of the future. The author concludes his thesis by demonstrating that there is a method to this madness that society must look to unfold. I would like to pose the question of the psychology of serving justice and how society should deal with these murderers. The psychology behind forgiving and serving justice would take the idea of tribunals to a new level. By analyzing what truly affects those who took the lives of so many is the important goal and ultimately what punishment serves revenge.
Another recent issue came up with the recent tribunals of the Khmer Rouge leader known as “Duch.” He was a leader who oversaw the main torture prison known as Tuol Sleng. The author Grant Peck of a recent article from the associated press discusses how disabled victims feel about the tribunal. As the article goes on it discusses the hardship of the victims to view the murderer who caused so much harm to their families. The ease comes because this time the victims see “Duch” being persecuted.
The biggest stronghold of the recent arguments being documented by scholarly Authors is the evidence being brought into these trials. For the most part authors focus on the ability to bring evidence into the trial to convict those who are indicated.
Michael P Scharf is the author of “Tainted Provenance: When, If Ever, Should Torture Evidence Be Admissible?” this article also focuses on the evidence being brought into the tribunals in the case of Cambodia. He talks about torture evidence not being allowed into the tribunals to prosecute leaders. This author is just another example of the continuing argument surrounding prosecution. None of these authors push it one step forward and debate whether or not justice is ever served from these tribunals, Only time will tell.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
implications of argument
Do tribunals really work? In the case of Cambodia the tribunals seem to be serving the only glimpse of revenge society and better yet humanity can ask for. After genocide has already occurred there is not much one can do as the lives have already been lost, the hearts have already suffered and the culture has already been destroyed. Analyzing all aspects of genocide and pre-determinants is key to the process of “justice.” Justice can never be more served for the victims of a genocide if future genocides are prevented from ever occurring.
In the case of monstrous leaders, society has seen the worst of leadership through Cambodia’s recent history. A nation at the hands of a brutal destroyer who changed history forever can never forget the events that took place under the Khmer Rouge. Revenge in this scenario is an interesting question to ponder. Cambodian society desperately tries to forget and move on from what took place three decades ago. In fact Cambodia’s history in a sense relies on justice being served and the country moving on to a more prosperous future. Although revenge is a served in these tribunals it is the key for a better Cambodia and one step forward in moving past the history and preventing genocide in the future.
Posing the question of whether or not tribunals serve justice or not is the not the best approach but if often the argument. The fact is that there are not other alternatives. War crime tribunals are the only solution to serve revenge for a genocidal leader.
In the case of monstrous leaders, society has seen the worst of leadership through Cambodia’s recent history. A nation at the hands of a brutal destroyer who changed history forever can never forget the events that took place under the Khmer Rouge. Revenge in this scenario is an interesting question to ponder. Cambodian society desperately tries to forget and move on from what took place three decades ago. In fact Cambodia’s history in a sense relies on justice being served and the country moving on to a more prosperous future. Although revenge is a served in these tribunals it is the key for a better Cambodia and one step forward in moving past the history and preventing genocide in the future.
Posing the question of whether or not tribunals serve justice or not is the not the best approach but if often the argument. The fact is that there are not other alternatives. War crime tribunals are the only solution to serve revenge for a genocidal leader.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
trbunals. justice or revenge?
Stripped
Of The
Right to Live
8359001162
The intent of a monstrous genocidal leader’s psychological outlook on life must be analyzed prior to the justification of killing. Pol Pot traumatized the Cambodia people for decades to follow. Reminisce of the Khmer Rouge still strikes chills in native bones as they remember brutal times where 1 in 4 people died from starvation. Pol Pot stripped the essential rights to life, a civilized food source and took away any hope from a higher being by eliminating religion. Article II of the Genocide convention defines genocide as the intent to destroy either a national, ethical, racial or religious group in whole or in part. Pol Pot was able to exercise their pathological belief which they assembled during their youth due to the marginality of elites in their regime. He bared witness to the pressures of the crisis environment and were enticed to project a solution onto society which would change history forever. The adolescent experiences of Pol Pot induced a sense of paranoia, marginality and hatred which enabled him to use mass autocracies to carry out genocide on a targeted group. Those who commit crimes against humanity are often tried at a tribunal only to allow a small portion closer for the nation of those who have suffered.
Pol Pot created a lower class revolution in hopes of saving his people and revitalizing The Democratic Kampuchea. As Prime Minister Pol Pot’s agrarian ideology resulted in 1.5 to 3 million native Cambodians dead. He was the main architect of the brutal Khmer Rouge which carried out the genocide. In order to understand the root of the Cambodian Genocide one must identify Pol Pot’s influences as an adolescent and compare them to his actions as a leader. These events motivated him to implement a radical public policy to carry out terrorism against his own state; genocide.
Saloth Sar who later became known as Pol Pot, never forgot his family roots raised in a poor, rural village in Cambodia. He grew up with the social norm that, “Rich or poor everyone tilled the fields, fished the river, raised children and propitiated the local spirits.”(Kiernan 2002: 9). Pol Pot exercises this ideology as Prime minister for the foundation of the lower class agrarian revolution. “A people’s war is the most effective touchstone for distinguishing genuine from fake revolutionaries…The countryside and the countryside alone can provide the … bases from which the revolutionaries can go forward to final victory.”(Short 2005: 160). Starting at year zero and working from the bottom up will cleanse Cambodia for the better. A people’s revolution that would in turn devastate the group it intended to benefit.
Tribunals are often the way that political leaders accused of war crimes get tried. During these “truth ceremonies” it is extremely difficult times for the families of loved ones who have parished. The question then becomes are these tribunals working, and do they really serve justice? In the post-genocide period society is so distraught of the events which have taken place that there seems to be no outlet for justice. A life sentence, an execution, even a cry for apology acceptance does not bring back the valuable lives which were lost at a murders hands. In the case of Cambodia, one must ponder the question of when is justice served if it ever is? The crimes against humanity were so immense that the trauma is often difficult to overcome even centuries later.
Justice is much deeper of a problem. Genocides leave traces and impact society years after the even has already occurred that there seems to be no sense of solution to fix it. Pol Pot and the brutal Khmer Rouge were in power for around 3 year and have left a mark 10 times as great. Even when these tribunals take place and justice is served, as it has been throughout American history with a legislative system, it does not bring closer to the nation. Cambodia experienced the worst side of humanity the planet has ever seen and continues to suffer to this day. This brings up the question do tribunals really work and are they bringing justice and revenge to the people who need it the most? The answer to this is not whether or not tribunals work because it seems to be the only traditional solution, rather it would come with an alternative. There are no remedies that will reverse the acts that occurred more than 3 decades ago, not monetary, prison sentence or otherwise.
Often times genocides are heavily influenced by colonial powers. They enter the region, dominate and leave drawing political borders through cultural lines. The colonial French changed the infrastructure of Cambodia which opened the doors for foreign businessman. Roads, Railroads and were developed throughout the countries two largest cities of Phnom Penh and Battambang. Pol Pot stood witness to the indigenous rice economy being surpassed by the Chinese and Vietnamese economic boom in the cities creating a sense of marginality for Pol Pot and his Cambodians. As Saloth Sar was discouragement from speaking his native tongue coupled with the political changes taking place in the country, sparked his nationalism. In 1942 he laid witness to protests taking place in Phnom Penh to, “[To] the brutality of the French occupying forces and their presence in Cambodia.” (Koopmans 2005: 15) This was the first time Saloth saw the immense power of the Cambodian people resisting to be dominated culturally, physically and socially.
The Khmer Rouge’s motto stated “To keep you is no benefit, to destroy you is no loss… taunting the civilians by claiming only to need a few million in order to create an agrarian utopia and to completely revitalize Cambodia. (Fletcher 2008: 157). Fear which Pol Pot learned from Mao made his policies extremely effective and allowed genocide to onset the nation. Pol Pot witnessed the impact of communism’s prevalence during his studies in Paris. The Soviet Revolution was urban based while the Chinese Communist party leaves the idea of Marxists city revolution and pushes the masses to the countryside during “The Great March.” China was a huge source of weapons and monetary wealth at the hands of Pol Pots destiny. He would later use the Moaist concept of communism as a means to “save” the Cambodian people.
Pol Pot’s mentality of self reliance which he learned from his youth only worsened the situation by refusing humanitarian aid. Not until the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia had the world population realized what had taken place inside the state. Pol Pot fled with the remainder of his regime towards the Thailand border for shelter until Vietnam withdrew six years later. Pol Pot assassinated the successor to the Khmer Rouge regime for attempting to make peace with the new government along with eleven members of his family. He was later arrested by the Khmer Rouge and sentenced to house arrest where he died.
Leadership can be seen as the root to the pre-determinants of genocide. In the cases Pol Pot his early life experiences added to the list of historical antecedents resulting in genocide. examining each case closely a connection can be made which sparked the paranoia of each to label a certain group a political enemy. Pol Pot had a pathological obsession to execute psychological revenge on ethnic groups within the state as a backlash for the regime downfall
Once a leader psychologically has an auto genocide mindset it can become extremely dangerous. In the case of the Cambodian Genocide, Pol Pot Identified a portion of the states own people and classified them as political enemies. Not only did he identify the upper-middle class as political enemies but his misperception also led to the deaths of 1.5 to 3.0 million people. “Pol Pot never stepped from the path he chose to follow in the 1950’s and never spoke in detail about the price the Cambodian people paid to be subordinate to his vision. (Chandler 1992: 187). It is tragic that one mans hopes to save a nation turned and carried out the exact opposite by destroying a quarter of its population in the form of mass genocide. This case study is exactly what pathological leadership does to a country, society and ultimately to genocide.
One man’s vision cannot being to explain how much the nation of Cambodia suffered and continues to suffer to this day. Is there such a way to take revenge against a man of this caliber. Can humanity ever accept him as millions of innocent people were at the hands of a limitless pathological leader.
One may never understand what truly causes an individual to implement destruction of a group as its public policy. By analyzing genocidal leaders from a psychological standpoint brings insight as to what triggered that leader to carry out genocide. War crime tribunals are the common way to convict a murderer and bring justice to society however it does not always work. In relation revenge can never be taken against those who commit the worst crime against humanity, genocide, because a single life does not substitute for all those who were lost. History portrays through the cases of Pol Pot that fear, paranoia and marginality during adolescent stages of life create monstrous murders when given capacity to totally wipe out opposition in violent interactions. The world must look to Raphael Lemkin’s Law and reinforce the meaning of “Never Again” as humanity cannot forget the past and lay witness to another genocide.
Works Cited
Bellaigue, Christopher D. "The Terminated." The New York Times 4 Feb. 2007.
Chandler, David P. Brother Number One : A Political Biography of Pol Pot. First ed. Vol. 1. New York: Perseus Books Group, 1992.
Margolis, Eli J. "Trauma and the Trials of Reconciliation in Cambodia." Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (2007): 153.
Fletcher, Martin. Breaking News : A Stunning and Memorable Account of Reporting from Some of the Most Dangerous Places in the World. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2008.
Kiernan, Ben. The Pol Pot Regime : Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79. New York: Yale UP, 2002.
Koopmans, Andy. Pol Pot ( Heroes and Villains). First ed. Vol. 1. New York: Lucent Books, 2005.
Maguire, Peter H., and Columbia University Press. Facing Death in Cambodia. New York, NY: Edinburgh UP, 2005.
Picq, Laurence. Beyond the Horizon ( Five Years With the Khmer Rouge. Trans. Patricia Norland. First ed. France: Thomas Dunne Book, 1989.
Short, Philip. Pol Pot : Anatomy of a Nightmare. Boston: Henry Holt & Company, 2005.
Of The
Right to Live
8359001162
The intent of a monstrous genocidal leader’s psychological outlook on life must be analyzed prior to the justification of killing. Pol Pot traumatized the Cambodia people for decades to follow. Reminisce of the Khmer Rouge still strikes chills in native bones as they remember brutal times where 1 in 4 people died from starvation. Pol Pot stripped the essential rights to life, a civilized food source and took away any hope from a higher being by eliminating religion. Article II of the Genocide convention defines genocide as the intent to destroy either a national, ethical, racial or religious group in whole or in part. Pol Pot was able to exercise their pathological belief which they assembled during their youth due to the marginality of elites in their regime. He bared witness to the pressures of the crisis environment and were enticed to project a solution onto society which would change history forever. The adolescent experiences of Pol Pot induced a sense of paranoia, marginality and hatred which enabled him to use mass autocracies to carry out genocide on a targeted group. Those who commit crimes against humanity are often tried at a tribunal only to allow a small portion closer for the nation of those who have suffered.
Pol Pot created a lower class revolution in hopes of saving his people and revitalizing The Democratic Kampuchea. As Prime Minister Pol Pot’s agrarian ideology resulted in 1.5 to 3 million native Cambodians dead. He was the main architect of the brutal Khmer Rouge which carried out the genocide. In order to understand the root of the Cambodian Genocide one must identify Pol Pot’s influences as an adolescent and compare them to his actions as a leader. These events motivated him to implement a radical public policy to carry out terrorism against his own state; genocide.
Saloth Sar who later became known as Pol Pot, never forgot his family roots raised in a poor, rural village in Cambodia. He grew up with the social norm that, “Rich or poor everyone tilled the fields, fished the river, raised children and propitiated the local spirits.”(Kiernan 2002: 9). Pol Pot exercises this ideology as Prime minister for the foundation of the lower class agrarian revolution. “A people’s war is the most effective touchstone for distinguishing genuine from fake revolutionaries…The countryside and the countryside alone can provide the … bases from which the revolutionaries can go forward to final victory.”(Short 2005: 160). Starting at year zero and working from the bottom up will cleanse Cambodia for the better. A people’s revolution that would in turn devastate the group it intended to benefit.
Tribunals are often the way that political leaders accused of war crimes get tried. During these “truth ceremonies” it is extremely difficult times for the families of loved ones who have parished. The question then becomes are these tribunals working, and do they really serve justice? In the post-genocide period society is so distraught of the events which have taken place that there seems to be no outlet for justice. A life sentence, an execution, even a cry for apology acceptance does not bring back the valuable lives which were lost at a murders hands. In the case of Cambodia, one must ponder the question of when is justice served if it ever is? The crimes against humanity were so immense that the trauma is often difficult to overcome even centuries later.
Justice is much deeper of a problem. Genocides leave traces and impact society years after the even has already occurred that there seems to be no sense of solution to fix it. Pol Pot and the brutal Khmer Rouge were in power for around 3 year and have left a mark 10 times as great. Even when these tribunals take place and justice is served, as it has been throughout American history with a legislative system, it does not bring closer to the nation. Cambodia experienced the worst side of humanity the planet has ever seen and continues to suffer to this day. This brings up the question do tribunals really work and are they bringing justice and revenge to the people who need it the most? The answer to this is not whether or not tribunals work because it seems to be the only traditional solution, rather it would come with an alternative. There are no remedies that will reverse the acts that occurred more than 3 decades ago, not monetary, prison sentence or otherwise.
Often times genocides are heavily influenced by colonial powers. They enter the region, dominate and leave drawing political borders through cultural lines. The colonial French changed the infrastructure of Cambodia which opened the doors for foreign businessman. Roads, Railroads and were developed throughout the countries two largest cities of Phnom Penh and Battambang. Pol Pot stood witness to the indigenous rice economy being surpassed by the Chinese and Vietnamese economic boom in the cities creating a sense of marginality for Pol Pot and his Cambodians. As Saloth Sar was discouragement from speaking his native tongue coupled with the political changes taking place in the country, sparked his nationalism. In 1942 he laid witness to protests taking place in Phnom Penh to, “[To] the brutality of the French occupying forces and their presence in Cambodia.” (Koopmans 2005: 15) This was the first time Saloth saw the immense power of the Cambodian people resisting to be dominated culturally, physically and socially.
The Khmer Rouge’s motto stated “To keep you is no benefit, to destroy you is no loss… taunting the civilians by claiming only to need a few million in order to create an agrarian utopia and to completely revitalize Cambodia. (Fletcher 2008: 157). Fear which Pol Pot learned from Mao made his policies extremely effective and allowed genocide to onset the nation. Pol Pot witnessed the impact of communism’s prevalence during his studies in Paris. The Soviet Revolution was urban based while the Chinese Communist party leaves the idea of Marxists city revolution and pushes the masses to the countryside during “The Great March.” China was a huge source of weapons and monetary wealth at the hands of Pol Pots destiny. He would later use the Moaist concept of communism as a means to “save” the Cambodian people.
Pol Pot’s mentality of self reliance which he learned from his youth only worsened the situation by refusing humanitarian aid. Not until the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia had the world population realized what had taken place inside the state. Pol Pot fled with the remainder of his regime towards the Thailand border for shelter until Vietnam withdrew six years later. Pol Pot assassinated the successor to the Khmer Rouge regime for attempting to make peace with the new government along with eleven members of his family. He was later arrested by the Khmer Rouge and sentenced to house arrest where he died.
Leadership can be seen as the root to the pre-determinants of genocide. In the cases Pol Pot his early life experiences added to the list of historical antecedents resulting in genocide. examining each case closely a connection can be made which sparked the paranoia of each to label a certain group a political enemy. Pol Pot had a pathological obsession to execute psychological revenge on ethnic groups within the state as a backlash for the regime downfall
Once a leader psychologically has an auto genocide mindset it can become extremely dangerous. In the case of the Cambodian Genocide, Pol Pot Identified a portion of the states own people and classified them as political enemies. Not only did he identify the upper-middle class as political enemies but his misperception also led to the deaths of 1.5 to 3.0 million people. “Pol Pot never stepped from the path he chose to follow in the 1950’s and never spoke in detail about the price the Cambodian people paid to be subordinate to his vision. (Chandler 1992: 187). It is tragic that one mans hopes to save a nation turned and carried out the exact opposite by destroying a quarter of its population in the form of mass genocide. This case study is exactly what pathological leadership does to a country, society and ultimately to genocide.
One man’s vision cannot being to explain how much the nation of Cambodia suffered and continues to suffer to this day. Is there such a way to take revenge against a man of this caliber. Can humanity ever accept him as millions of innocent people were at the hands of a limitless pathological leader.
One may never understand what truly causes an individual to implement destruction of a group as its public policy. By analyzing genocidal leaders from a psychological standpoint brings insight as to what triggered that leader to carry out genocide. War crime tribunals are the common way to convict a murderer and bring justice to society however it does not always work. In relation revenge can never be taken against those who commit the worst crime against humanity, genocide, because a single life does not substitute for all those who were lost. History portrays through the cases of Pol Pot that fear, paranoia and marginality during adolescent stages of life create monstrous murders when given capacity to totally wipe out opposition in violent interactions. The world must look to Raphael Lemkin’s Law and reinforce the meaning of “Never Again” as humanity cannot forget the past and lay witness to another genocide.
Works Cited
Bellaigue, Christopher D. "The Terminated." The New York Times 4 Feb. 2007.
Chandler, David P. Brother Number One : A Political Biography of Pol Pot. First ed. Vol. 1. New York: Perseus Books Group, 1992.
Margolis, Eli J. "Trauma and the Trials of Reconciliation in Cambodia." Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (2007): 153.
Fletcher, Martin. Breaking News : A Stunning and Memorable Account of Reporting from Some of the Most Dangerous Places in the World. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2008.
Kiernan, Ben. The Pol Pot Regime : Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79. New York: Yale UP, 2002.
Koopmans, Andy. Pol Pot ( Heroes and Villains). First ed. Vol. 1. New York: Lucent Books, 2005.
Maguire, Peter H., and Columbia University Press. Facing Death in Cambodia. New York, NY: Edinburgh UP, 2005.
Picq, Laurence. Beyond the Horizon ( Five Years With the Khmer Rouge. Trans. Patricia Norland. First ed. France: Thomas Dunne Book, 1989.
Short, Philip. Pol Pot : Anatomy of a Nightmare. Boston: Henry Holt & Company, 2005.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Justice
Are leaders accused of war crimes getting the justice they deserve? Since President Obama closed the prison in Guantanamo Bay after he took on the position of president there has been a lot of talk of who have committed war crimes. Through my research for an earlier project I have focused one aspect on the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian political party which was led by Pol Pot, the vicious genocidal leader. Quite Often it is not only the central lead figure who should be accused of crimes against humanity. To be quite honest the individuals who accompany the ranks surrounding the genocidal leader are as guilty, if not more guilty for allowing it to carry out.
The Khmer rouge was a political party with a vision that spread like wild fire. It was a movement which would change Cambodia's future. Pol Pot can be credited with the absolute power to kill absolutely; genocide portray. But one of his top militants which goes by the name of "dock" was identified hiding in Northern-Cambodia and is up for tribunal trials in the United Kingdom. After so long he can only beg for mercy as he sits in a bullet proof segment of the court waiting for his verdict.
If you watch someone committee a crime and not attempt to prevent the occurrence you are as guilty as the individual who acted. "Dock" is credited for a small share of the war crimes of the entire genocide but none the less is as guilty as the monstrous leader Pol Pot. Three decades later it is quite the opposite; he lies powerless at the hands of mere innocent people determining his future. The jury has a very sensitive job as many victims’ families await the verdict of the man who took their loved ones sentenced to Phnom Penh's notorious Tuol Sleng torture centre.
The crimes have already been committed and the only thing which remains are the memories of those who perished. The next question becomes justice... or forgiveness?
Do the families who suffered along with their loved ones forgive the man who carried out such a devastating event. Is justice better served in a prison sentence, and execution or an apology? "Dock" looks to the victim’s families and states, "I ask for your forgiveness. I know that you cannot forgive me, but I ask you to leave me the hope that you might."
Hope can only save a murder to a certain extent. Can the families of those who suffered really forgive and turn the other cheek of the man who made them suffer so severely. So when is justice really served… if it ever is? These questions are at the heart of the push to stop and prevent genocides from happening across the world. All countries, citizens and governing bodies must unite on this one cause because pro-active prevention is the only way to serve justice. Humanity is served justice for each and every live that is saved from the hands of a genocidal leader.
The Khmer rouge was a political party with a vision that spread like wild fire. It was a movement which would change Cambodia's future. Pol Pot can be credited with the absolute power to kill absolutely; genocide portray. But one of his top militants which goes by the name of "dock" was identified hiding in Northern-Cambodia and is up for tribunal trials in the United Kingdom. After so long he can only beg for mercy as he sits in a bullet proof segment of the court waiting for his verdict.
If you watch someone committee a crime and not attempt to prevent the occurrence you are as guilty as the individual who acted. "Dock" is credited for a small share of the war crimes of the entire genocide but none the less is as guilty as the monstrous leader Pol Pot. Three decades later it is quite the opposite; he lies powerless at the hands of mere innocent people determining his future. The jury has a very sensitive job as many victims’ families await the verdict of the man who took their loved ones sentenced to Phnom Penh's notorious Tuol Sleng torture centre.
The crimes have already been committed and the only thing which remains are the memories of those who perished. The next question becomes justice... or forgiveness?
Do the families who suffered along with their loved ones forgive the man who carried out such a devastating event. Is justice better served in a prison sentence, and execution or an apology? "Dock" looks to the victim’s families and states, "I ask for your forgiveness. I know that you cannot forgive me, but I ask you to leave me the hope that you might."
Hope can only save a murder to a certain extent. Can the families of those who suffered really forgive and turn the other cheek of the man who made them suffer so severely. So when is justice really served… if it ever is? These questions are at the heart of the push to stop and prevent genocides from happening across the world. All countries, citizens and governing bodies must unite on this one cause because pro-active prevention is the only way to serve justice. Humanity is served justice for each and every live that is saved from the hands of a genocidal leader.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Topio my Topic
The topio is a valuable tool when doing research. It provides a basis to brainstorm prior to writing any solid form on paper. It gets the mind thinking of ways the paper can mold into but gives the author the freedom to enter any realm relating to the topic. In whole the topio is a fun exercise for writers to expand beyond the original thought process and create brilliant art in text.
There are multiple different categories of a topio. The following is a breakdown in relation to my brainstorming: the different categories allow for a wide range of ideas to flow interconnected of the main topic. By approach the pre-writing phase with a topio it results in similar outcomes to a bubble exercise. Non the less it is a fun exercise which makes the writing process more interactive and adds new elements to simply “writing.” Going beyond the norm is what draws readers to a brilliant writer.
Topic: Genocide. Genocide has been taking place in the world as long as human civilization has lived in a communal setting of a ruler and the ruled. Genocide has left its mark on the history of the world and is a direct result of what happens when leaders have the capacity to carry out their will amongst the “ghminde” (followers) without objection. The concept of a harsh ruler is what legitimizes rulers by striking fear into the hearts of the ruled. There is another dimension to genocide that needs to be revealed relating the psychological profile of the ruler to his or her actions.
Subtopic: Killing to create power. Do leaders kill based on their insecurities of losing legitimacy? Or do leaders chose to kill to feel more powerful? Does psychology and experience in the youth of these leaders really affect the way they rule in the future? In regards to leadership one cannot be thought the essential of becoming a good leader; it is the environmental setting which naturally produces this outcome. However the experiences one draws in the young stages of life do dramatically impact a leaders ability to responsibly govern a country.
The next category to stem my topio from would be value. What is the value of a ruler versus the value of the people he or she commits genocide against. The value of the human life is by far the most important and sacred thing in this universe. The world must try to prevent genocides from taking place in the future. Does the message set forth through mass killings fear the public that they will simply obey the suppressive ruler? The value of obedience seems to come into play. The value of culture that is so often tried to be destroyed via the acts of genocide. A group of people, a sense of pride, an identity targeted.
Contrast is another branch of the expanding topio. Killing is in the natural setting of the universal. Is it simply survival of the fittest? Or does the aspect of value bring human life more than just a small thing in the greater aspect of the universe. Why is genocide so different than other types of murders? What is the differences between the genocides which have already taken place.
Cause and effect aspect of the topio has a lot in common with change. Both dimensions can go hand in hand in relation to the topic of genocide. First off What causes leaders to want to kill. What is the motivation which triggers their psyches’ to snap. This is a great question that psychologists such as Eric Erickson strive to answer. The elements of what causes a leader to use his autonomy to carry out mass murder have been linked strongly to childhood development. Rejection as a child, seclusion and revenge in the adolescent stages often cause those who obtain power to become brutal and overcompensate for past experiences.
The effects of genocide are devastating. It attempts to destroy and whole group of people, its culture, traditions and ways of life. Genocide has the biggest effect of changing the course of history. In the case of the Armenian genocide it has set back the Armenian race hundreds of years as a large majority of the “successful,” educated, top elites were massacred. The Cambodians were also heavily hurt by the vicious hand of Pol Pot. The effects of genocide are too large for the world community to sit back and watch as leaders abuse their power and use it to harm the nation they stand to represent.
There are multiple different categories of a topio. The following is a breakdown in relation to my brainstorming: the different categories allow for a wide range of ideas to flow interconnected of the main topic. By approach the pre-writing phase with a topio it results in similar outcomes to a bubble exercise. Non the less it is a fun exercise which makes the writing process more interactive and adds new elements to simply “writing.” Going beyond the norm is what draws readers to a brilliant writer.
Topic: Genocide. Genocide has been taking place in the world as long as human civilization has lived in a communal setting of a ruler and the ruled. Genocide has left its mark on the history of the world and is a direct result of what happens when leaders have the capacity to carry out their will amongst the “ghminde” (followers) without objection. The concept of a harsh ruler is what legitimizes rulers by striking fear into the hearts of the ruled. There is another dimension to genocide that needs to be revealed relating the psychological profile of the ruler to his or her actions.
Subtopic: Killing to create power. Do leaders kill based on their insecurities of losing legitimacy? Or do leaders chose to kill to feel more powerful? Does psychology and experience in the youth of these leaders really affect the way they rule in the future? In regards to leadership one cannot be thought the essential of becoming a good leader; it is the environmental setting which naturally produces this outcome. However the experiences one draws in the young stages of life do dramatically impact a leaders ability to responsibly govern a country.
The next category to stem my topio from would be value. What is the value of a ruler versus the value of the people he or she commits genocide against. The value of the human life is by far the most important and sacred thing in this universe. The world must try to prevent genocides from taking place in the future. Does the message set forth through mass killings fear the public that they will simply obey the suppressive ruler? The value of obedience seems to come into play. The value of culture that is so often tried to be destroyed via the acts of genocide. A group of people, a sense of pride, an identity targeted.
Contrast is another branch of the expanding topio. Killing is in the natural setting of the universal. Is it simply survival of the fittest? Or does the aspect of value bring human life more than just a small thing in the greater aspect of the universe. Why is genocide so different than other types of murders? What is the differences between the genocides which have already taken place.
Cause and effect aspect of the topio has a lot in common with change. Both dimensions can go hand in hand in relation to the topic of genocide. First off What causes leaders to want to kill. What is the motivation which triggers their psyches’ to snap. This is a great question that psychologists such as Eric Erickson strive to answer. The elements of what causes a leader to use his autonomy to carry out mass murder have been linked strongly to childhood development. Rejection as a child, seclusion and revenge in the adolescent stages often cause those who obtain power to become brutal and overcompensate for past experiences.
The effects of genocide are devastating. It attempts to destroy and whole group of people, its culture, traditions and ways of life. Genocide has the biggest effect of changing the course of history. In the case of the Armenian genocide it has set back the Armenian race hundreds of years as a large majority of the “successful,” educated, top elites were massacred. The Cambodians were also heavily hurt by the vicious hand of Pol Pot. The effects of genocide are too large for the world community to sit back and watch as leaders abuse their power and use it to harm the nation they stand to represent.
Monday, March 9, 2009
My Pageflakes Tour! Paper # 2
Welcome to the tour of my very own pageflakes! As we all know research projects are perhaps the most academic and tough form of writing due to the research that goes into building a thesis. Countless hours can be credited specifically to the “research” aspect of the paper and discovering content to support your topic. All the research typically creates piles and piles of papers which frequently equates into a mess in my past experiences. The discovery phase of the writing process can require a majority of preparatory work but that stack of papers can be simplified via a few web shortcuts such as pageflakes.
Pageflakes is a site which allows you to create a personalized web page based on a compilation of widgets that are aggregated together. These widgets can be used in all sorts of ways such as RSS feeds, web page inserts which allow a mini browser strait on the page, key blog posts or simply a sticky pad! My page flake includes all of my accumulated research such as my annotated bibliography which was created with the help of two other awesome tools (zotero and citeline). Although My page flake encompasses my Diigo soul mate, my bookmarks and an array of useful widgets it is easy to navigate as each category contains a subheading directly above!
Active Searches introduced a whole new medium of web based research for me. My page flake also includes two useful widgets labeled “universal news search,” which is preloaded to genocide and the “universal blog search” pre-set to world leaders. These two flakes can be considered the most useful tools because they are update fresh events to my research pool. The tools provided access to peer related blogs which brought a different light to the research compared to books or scholarly articles. For example using the universal Blog search flake I was able to find an article on "Islam and the West: lines of demarcation", a blog post discussing the different cultural settings of the Middle East ideology. Ideas such as radicalized Islam and war crimes in Darfur stemmed into a plethora of valuable substance for my research. I do see these two little tools adding brilliant material to my research which I would have never been introduced to otherwise!
When web based research tends to get overwhelming the solution is RSS feeds. My page includes multiple RSS feeds, which can be located on the lower left hand column. I found these flakes to be very helpful as multitudes of information is “transmitted” back to one “headquarters," or page. The RSS feeds I incorporated such as AP political news, Obama HQ, and CNN world news all eliminate the multiple tabs open on my browser. Under the RSS subheading I included an assortment from my blog roll, most notably Caterwauld and Coyote discussing genocide on BlogSpot. This is my favorite part of the page because news is constantly refreshing. If the page lacked RSS feeds I might have missed the world protests to Sudan’s President touring Darfur after his arrest warrant by the international tribunal.
Since web based research seems to be a black hole of never-ending websites it is vital to keep access to those that add depth to your research! One interesting website I linked on my page is “This American life,” which is an organization which produces weekly podcast discussing the state of American politics. I included a web flake to the United Human Rights page because what happens amongst a country is not always transparent. Through this website I was able to get more information on Pol Pot and Talaat Pasha, two powerful leaders which committed the ultimate crime against humanity and acted as “genocidaire.” I often related back to the United Human Rights page which aims for genocide prevention across the globe by documenting the events vividly. These sites offer a backdrop for my research and draw a more comprehensive understanding of why leaders act the way they do.
If you take a look at the right column of my page flake you see a web page link to my annotated bibliography. The formation of my bibliography was done with the help two tools I recommend for any individual doing research, Zotero and Citeline. Underneath the annotated bibliography a viewer will find two Fun flakes to add character to my research. In that section include a World clock flake to track the time in countries around the world as genocide news surfaces. I also added a sticky note tablet as well so the viewers of my page cast are able to write useful notes on my page. What is really cool about this sticky pad is that if the viewer is also a member of pageflakes they can drag the sticky tab onto their page with all of their notes still intact. Very cool feature if you’re surfing for depth to your research through other pageflakes on your topic!
Last but not least my page includes a dedicated section for the individual who shares the same bookmarks and interests, my diigo soul mate. This tribute portion of the page includes an RSS feed to her bookmark page as well as a web flake linked to the blog post on my soul mate. My blog is also displayed in the page flake beneath the soul mate section as a reference for viewers that are interested in the topics I have open for discussion. This will allow readers to follow my blog and hopefully include it in their own research!
Research can often seem overwhelming and difficult to manage. With sites such as pageflakes a user is able to reduce expected complications in the research process significantly. Web sources are not the best substance for research papers however the web does offer an enormous foundation of information. When using Pageflakes it is like looking at the thirty different content sources conglomerated into one making the process a lot of fun!
Pageflakes is a site which allows you to create a personalized web page based on a compilation of widgets that are aggregated together. These widgets can be used in all sorts of ways such as RSS feeds, web page inserts which allow a mini browser strait on the page, key blog posts or simply a sticky pad! My page flake includes all of my accumulated research such as my annotated bibliography which was created with the help of two other awesome tools (zotero and citeline). Although My page flake encompasses my Diigo soul mate, my bookmarks and an array of useful widgets it is easy to navigate as each category contains a subheading directly above!
Active Searches introduced a whole new medium of web based research for me. My page flake also includes two useful widgets labeled “universal news search,” which is preloaded to genocide and the “universal blog search” pre-set to world leaders. These two flakes can be considered the most useful tools because they are update fresh events to my research pool. The tools provided access to peer related blogs which brought a different light to the research compared to books or scholarly articles. For example using the universal Blog search flake I was able to find an article on "Islam and the West: lines of demarcation", a blog post discussing the different cultural settings of the Middle East ideology. Ideas such as radicalized Islam and war crimes in Darfur stemmed into a plethora of valuable substance for my research. I do see these two little tools adding brilliant material to my research which I would have never been introduced to otherwise!
When web based research tends to get overwhelming the solution is RSS feeds. My page includes multiple RSS feeds, which can be located on the lower left hand column. I found these flakes to be very helpful as multitudes of information is “transmitted” back to one “headquarters," or page. The RSS feeds I incorporated such as AP political news, Obama HQ, and CNN world news all eliminate the multiple tabs open on my browser. Under the RSS subheading I included an assortment from my blog roll, most notably Caterwauld and Coyote discussing genocide on BlogSpot. This is my favorite part of the page because news is constantly refreshing. If the page lacked RSS feeds I might have missed the world protests to Sudan’s President touring Darfur after his arrest warrant by the international tribunal.
Since web based research seems to be a black hole of never-ending websites it is vital to keep access to those that add depth to your research! One interesting website I linked on my page is “This American life,” which is an organization which produces weekly podcast discussing the state of American politics. I included a web flake to the United Human Rights page because what happens amongst a country is not always transparent. Through this website I was able to get more information on Pol Pot and Talaat Pasha, two powerful leaders which committed the ultimate crime against humanity and acted as “genocidaire.” I often related back to the United Human Rights page which aims for genocide prevention across the globe by documenting the events vividly. These sites offer a backdrop for my research and draw a more comprehensive understanding of why leaders act the way they do.
If you take a look at the right column of my page flake you see a web page link to my annotated bibliography. The formation of my bibliography was done with the help two tools I recommend for any individual doing research, Zotero and Citeline. Underneath the annotated bibliography a viewer will find two Fun flakes to add character to my research. In that section include a World clock flake to track the time in countries around the world as genocide news surfaces. I also added a sticky note tablet as well so the viewers of my page cast are able to write useful notes on my page. What is really cool about this sticky pad is that if the viewer is also a member of pageflakes they can drag the sticky tab onto their page with all of their notes still intact. Very cool feature if you’re surfing for depth to your research through other pageflakes on your topic!
Last but not least my page includes a dedicated section for the individual who shares the same bookmarks and interests, my diigo soul mate. This tribute portion of the page includes an RSS feed to her bookmark page as well as a web flake linked to the blog post on my soul mate. My blog is also displayed in the page flake beneath the soul mate section as a reference for viewers that are interested in the topics I have open for discussion. This will allow readers to follow my blog and hopefully include it in their own research!
Research can often seem overwhelming and difficult to manage. With sites such as pageflakes a user is able to reduce expected complications in the research process significantly. Web sources are not the best substance for research papers however the web does offer an enormous foundation of information. When using Pageflakes it is like looking at the thirty different content sources conglomerated into one making the process a lot of fun!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
tour!
Research projects are perhaps the most academic form of writing. However the research that goes into building the thesis of the paper is often overlooked. Countless hours can be credited specifically to the “research” aspect of the paper in terms of finding facts to back up your topic statements. Hours upon hours of research creates piles and piles of papers which frequently turns into a mess in my experiences. Although research papers require a majority of preparatory work it can be exciting and that stack of papers can be simplified via a few web shortcuts such as pageflakes..
Page flakes is a site which allows you to create a personalized web page based on a compilation of widgets. These widgets can be used in all sorts of ways such as RSS feeds, web page inserts which allow a mini browser strait on the page ( awesome) or simply a sticky pad. My page flake includes all of my research work such as my annotated bibliography created with the help of two other awesome tools (zotero and citeline), my diigo soul mate and useful blogs supporting my thesis.
My page flake also includes two useful widgets under the active searches flake. The Universal news search which is preloaded to politics and genocide and the universal blog search which is set to world leaders. These two flakes are continuously updated and bring fresh events to my research. This tool can be considered the most useful because it adds new research to the list. Being able to find blogs related to my topic is always a great source to utilize and to add peer related depth to my research. This provided a foundation for information that added a different light to the research from books or scholarly articles. For example using the universal Blog search flake I was able to find an article on Islam and the West: lines of demarcation which was an blog post discussing the different cultural settings of the middle east and perhaps the rest of the world against western civilization. Ideas such as radicalized Islam and accusations of war crimes in Darfur add substance to my research. I do see these two little tools to add amazing insight for my research which might end up being easier than I predicted.
My page flake includes multiple RSS feeds, which can be located on the lower left hand column. These flakes I found to be very helpful due to the multitudes of information being “relayed” back to my page flakes. There are many times where research tends to get out of control which surfing the web for relevant information. The RSS feeds that my page incorporates such as AP political news, Obama HQ, NY as well as LA times and CNN world news all eliminate my browser having 10 tabs open. In the RSS section I also included some from my blog roll such as Caterwauld and Coyote blogs which add insight on politics and world leaders via blogspot. This is my favorite part of the page flakes and possibly the resarech because news is constantly being updated. IF I had not included my RSS feeds I wouldn’t be updated on Rush Limbaugh making a mockery of himself as he tries to bash President Obama or Sudans President touring Dafur after his ordered arrest by the international tribunal.
Some interesting websites that I included on the page are This American life, which offers helpful weekly pod casts regarding the political discussion and the state of American politics. I also added the flake of the Democracy Now pod cast, which relates well to the link of this American life. Both pod casts offer backdrop for my research and add a comprehensive understanding of leaders and American foreign policy. What happens from within the country itself is not often revealed but can be seen through the actions of President Obama and his interaction with World Leaders. I also included a web flake to United Human Rights page on Pol Pot and the Cambodian Genocide. In the process of compiling research on world leaders who turn against their own people such as Pol Pot and Talaat Pasha I often related back to the United Human Rights page which did a fabulous job documenting the events and aim at prevention across the globe to genocide.
If you take a look at the right column of my page flake you see a web page link to my annotated bibliography. This bibliography was done with the help of Zotero and Citeline and very useful for my bibliography. Underneath the annotated bibliography a viewer will find two Fun flakes to add character to my research. In that section are included a World clock flake so I can see the time in countries around the world as news pops up. I also have a sticky note tablet as well for the public to be able to add useful notes from my page. What is really cool about this sticky pad is that if the viewer is also a member of page flakes they can copy that notepad onto their page with all of their notes still in tact. Very cool if adding some depth to your research from other relevant page flakes on your topic!
Last but not least my page includes a section dedicated to my diigo soul mate and it to be somewhat of a dedication section for the individual who shares the same bookmarks and interests as I do. This tribute portion of the page includes an RSS feed to her bookmark page as well as a web flake linked to my blog post on my soul mate. My blog is also linked to the page flakes beneath the Soul mate section as a reference for views that are interested in the topics I often have up for discussion. This will allow readers to follow my blog and stay in touch my blog hopefully will someday be included in someone’s research!
Research can often seem overwhelming and difficult to manage. With sites such as page flakes a user such as me have done is able to reduce expected complications significantly.
Web sources of information are not the best substance for research papers however the web does offer an enormous foundation for relevant information. I mean when using Page flakes it is like looking at the thirty different web pages compiled into one… what can be simpler than that!
Page flakes is a site which allows you to create a personalized web page based on a compilation of widgets. These widgets can be used in all sorts of ways such as RSS feeds, web page inserts which allow a mini browser strait on the page ( awesome) or simply a sticky pad. My page flake includes all of my research work such as my annotated bibliography created with the help of two other awesome tools (zotero and citeline), my diigo soul mate and useful blogs supporting my thesis.
My page flake also includes two useful widgets under the active searches flake. The Universal news search which is preloaded to politics and genocide and the universal blog search which is set to world leaders. These two flakes are continuously updated and bring fresh events to my research. This tool can be considered the most useful because it adds new research to the list. Being able to find blogs related to my topic is always a great source to utilize and to add peer related depth to my research. This provided a foundation for information that added a different light to the research from books or scholarly articles. For example using the universal Blog search flake I was able to find an article on Islam and the West: lines of demarcation which was an blog post discussing the different cultural settings of the middle east and perhaps the rest of the world against western civilization. Ideas such as radicalized Islam and accusations of war crimes in Darfur add substance to my research. I do see these two little tools to add amazing insight for my research which might end up being easier than I predicted.
My page flake includes multiple RSS feeds, which can be located on the lower left hand column. These flakes I found to be very helpful due to the multitudes of information being “relayed” back to my page flakes. There are many times where research tends to get out of control which surfing the web for relevant information. The RSS feeds that my page incorporates such as AP political news, Obama HQ, NY as well as LA times and CNN world news all eliminate my browser having 10 tabs open. In the RSS section I also included some from my blog roll such as Caterwauld and Coyote blogs which add insight on politics and world leaders via blogspot. This is my favorite part of the page flakes and possibly the resarech because news is constantly being updated. IF I had not included my RSS feeds I wouldn’t be updated on Rush Limbaugh making a mockery of himself as he tries to bash President Obama or Sudans President touring Dafur after his ordered arrest by the international tribunal.
Some interesting websites that I included on the page are This American life, which offers helpful weekly pod casts regarding the political discussion and the state of American politics. I also added the flake of the Democracy Now pod cast, which relates well to the link of this American life. Both pod casts offer backdrop for my research and add a comprehensive understanding of leaders and American foreign policy. What happens from within the country itself is not often revealed but can be seen through the actions of President Obama and his interaction with World Leaders. I also included a web flake to United Human Rights page on Pol Pot and the Cambodian Genocide. In the process of compiling research on world leaders who turn against their own people such as Pol Pot and Talaat Pasha I often related back to the United Human Rights page which did a fabulous job documenting the events and aim at prevention across the globe to genocide.
If you take a look at the right column of my page flake you see a web page link to my annotated bibliography. This bibliography was done with the help of Zotero and Citeline and very useful for my bibliography. Underneath the annotated bibliography a viewer will find two Fun flakes to add character to my research. In that section are included a World clock flake so I can see the time in countries around the world as news pops up. I also have a sticky note tablet as well for the public to be able to add useful notes from my page. What is really cool about this sticky pad is that if the viewer is also a member of page flakes they can copy that notepad onto their page with all of their notes still in tact. Very cool if adding some depth to your research from other relevant page flakes on your topic!
Last but not least my page includes a section dedicated to my diigo soul mate and it to be somewhat of a dedication section for the individual who shares the same bookmarks and interests as I do. This tribute portion of the page includes an RSS feed to her bookmark page as well as a web flake linked to my blog post on my soul mate. My blog is also linked to the page flakes beneath the Soul mate section as a reference for views that are interested in the topics I often have up for discussion. This will allow readers to follow my blog and stay in touch my blog hopefully will someday be included in someone’s research!
Research can often seem overwhelming and difficult to manage. With sites such as page flakes a user such as me have done is able to reduce expected complications significantly.
Web sources of information are not the best substance for research papers however the web does offer an enormous foundation for relevant information. I mean when using Page flakes it is like looking at the thirty different web pages compiled into one… what can be simpler than that!
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