I hear many people refer to the events that happened back home last year as an end to a war, especially in any newspaper, however, I beg to differ. What happened was not a war, but was rather a systematically planned program of genocide, and this program is ongoing. War facilitates genocide– against the Armenians in Turkey, Jews in Nazi Germany, and the Tutsis in Rwanda. All of these genocides have been committed under the façade of civil/international war. When people ask you about the ‘war’ in Sri-Lanka, make sure you say it was not a war, Mahinda Rajapaksa refers to this as a ’war on terror,’ and we shouldn’t reproduce this idea.
How does war facilitate genocide?
1) War creates a climate of violence and increases fear and hatred.
War creates an idea of us versus them, you are either on our side, or you are an enemy. This type of idea is fed to even little children who are taught to hate. When watching the Sinhalese celebrations, I could not help but notice how little Sinhalese children became part of this. This is done through extensive militarism and propaganda. For a country as small as Sri-Lanka, there is no need to have such a large army and spend such large amounts on military, yet, the climate of violence created through propaganda has legitimized it.
2) War eases genocidal logistics.
State power is energized by creating a atmosphere of war. It becomes easier to mobilize resources needed to assist genocide during a time of perceived war. Like, the freight trains that were created in Nazi Germany to transport victims to their death camps were done under the blanket of being needed because it was more efficient to transport war goods. However, it was used to kill. By using war, the governments are able to set-aside resources to initiatives that are genocidal under the fall pretense of using it as efficient equipment in war.
3) War provides a smokescreen for genocide.
It’s war, an internal matter is what is used to keep other countries involvement out. Journalism becomes restricted, military censorship begins and prevents investigations of crime under the belief that it is an internal matter. Now, where has media access been so restricted if not Sri-Lanka? Even Bob Rae was sent back, and journalists have a high rate of being killed if they print news in opposition to Sri-Lankan state propaganda.
4) War fuels intracommunal solidarity and intercommunal enmity.
We can see this with Bush it’s ‘you’re either with us, or agaianst us,” the same sentiment has been echoed by Rajapaksa. It creates this atmosphere where certain countries are aligned to and held together by a common danger and common goal. (Ie, war on terror). War increases nationalistic impulses, and further marginalizes marginalized people. Other nations show solidarity against supporting the extermination of a group, like China and Sri-Lanka, where china facilitated the killings of Tamil through monetary and equipment support.
5) War magnifies humanitarian crisis.
With war, it is harder for NGOs to access victims, and as a result the humanitarian crisis worsens. Food becomes scarce, and victims are left with little support. Many starve to death without food, and of disease that breeds in unsanitary overcrowding situations like many Tamils were. This, is a way of killing off those who did not die, and is a part of genocide. Also, rapes become rampant during times like this when there is no outside mediator, too much power in the hands of a few corrupts.
I’m going to leave you with this thought of one of the masterminds who facilitated genocide under a program of war, Adolf Hitler:
By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise. – Adolf Hitler
By Vaanmathy
