Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------------------------
The Atlantic | September 2001 | Bystanders to Genocide | Power
... After Somalia, after Haiti, after Bosnia, after Rwanda, after
Kosovo, after East Timor, after Chechnya, does "humanitarian
intervention" have a future?
Robert D. Kaplan, Edward Luttwak, David Rieff, and Benjamin Schwarz join us for ...
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/09/power.htm
Bystanders
to Genocide
The author's exclusive interviews with scores of the participants in the decision-making, together with her analysis of newly declassified documents, yield a chilling narrative of self-serving caution and flaccid will—and countless missed opportunities to mitigate a colossal crime
by Samantha Power
.....
The author's exclusive interviews with scores of the participants in the decision-making, together with her analysis of newly declassified documents, yield a chilling narrative of self-serving caution and flaccid will—and countless missed opportunities to mitigate a colossal crime
by Samantha Power
.....
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From Atlantic Unbound:
Flashbacks: "Nuremberg Revisited" (November 1995)
Two articles from 1946 consider the precedent set at Nuremberg.
And then, finally, there is
Romeo Dallaire. It is both paradoxical and natural that the man who probably did
the most to save Rwandans feels the worst. When he returned to Canada, in August
of 1994, he behaved initially as if he had just completed a routine mission. As
the days passed, though, he began to show signs of distress. He carried a
machete around and lectured cadets on post-traumatic stress disorder; he slept
sparingly; and he found himself nearly retching in the supermarket, transported
back to Rwandan markets and the bodies strewn within them. When the
international war-crimes tribunal called him to testify, he plunged back into
the memories and his mental health worsened. Dallaire was told by his superiors
that he would have to choose between leaving the "Rwanda business" behind him or
leaving his beloved armed forces. For Dallaire only one answer was possible: "I
told them I would never give up Rwanda," he says. "I was the force commander and
I would complete my duty, testifying and doing whatever it takes to bring these
guys to justice." In April of 2000 Dallaire was forced out of the Canadian armed
services and given a medical discharge.Flashbacks: "Nuremberg Revisited" (November 1995)
Two articles from 1946 consider the precedent set at Nuremberg.
Dallaire had always said, "The day I take my uniform off will be the day that I will also respond to my soul." But since becoming a civilian he has realized that his soul is not readily retrievable. "My soul is in Rwanda," he says. "It has never, ever come back, and I'm not sure it ever will." He carries the guilt of the genocide with him, and he feels that the eyes and the spirits of those killed are constantly watching him. He says he can barely stand living and has attempted suicide.
In June of last year a brief Canadian news-wire story reported that Dallaire had been found unconscious on a park bench in Hull, Quebec, drunk and alone. He had consumed a bottle of scotch on top of his daily dose of pills for post-traumatic stress disorder. He was on a death mission. Dallaire sent a letter to the Canadian Broadcast Corporation thanking them for their sensitive coverage of this episode. On July 3, 2000, the letter was read on the air.
Thank you for the very kind thoughts and wishes.Dallaire remained a true believer in Canada, in peacekeeping, in human rights. The letter went on:
There are times when the best medication and therapist simply can't help a soldier suffering from this new generation of peacekeeping injury. The anger, the rage, the hurt, and the cold loneliness that separates you from your family, friends, and society's normal daily routine are so powerful that the option of destroying yourself is both real and attractive. That is what happened last Monday night. It appears, it grows, it invades, and it overpowers you.
In my current state of therapy, which continues to show very positive results, control mechanisms have not yet matured to always be on top of this battle. My doctors and I are still [working to] establish the level of serenity and productivity that I yearn so much for. The therapists agree that the battle I waged that night was a solid example of the human trying to come out from behind the military leader's ethos of "My mission first, my personnel, then myself." Obviously the venue I used last Monday night left a lot to be desired and will be the subject of a lot of work over the next while.
This nation, without any hesitation nor doubt, is capable and even expected by the less fortunate of this globe to lead the developed countries beyond self-interest, strategic advantages, and isolationism, and raise their sights to the realm of the pre-eminence of humanism and freedom ... Where humanitarianism is being destroyed and the innocent are being literally trampled into the ground ... the soldiers, sailors, and airpersons ... supported by fellow countrymen who recognize the cost in human sacrifice and in resources will forge in concert with our politicians ... a most unique and exemplary place for Canada in the league of nations, united under the United Nations Charter.
I hope this is okay.
Thanks for the opportunity.
Warmest regards,
Dallaire
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