Perusing through the published and unpublished writings of the linguist and jurist Raphael Lemkin, Professor John Decker of Georgetown University has unearthed Lemkinian gems of insights. Lemkin, who first coined the word Genocide, had also deployed the term Cosmos to explain that the philosophy of Genocide Convention of 1948 was based on the թ§Չ-ժformula of the human cosmosթ§Չ-Թ. Characteristically, Lemkin was very explicit. He said: թ§Չ-ժThe cosmos consists of four basic groups: national, racial, religious and ethnicթ§Չ-Թ. Then he argued that the Convention was there to protect those basic four groups of the human cosmos, թ§Չ-ժnot onlyթ§Չ-Թ, Lemkin insisted, թ§Չ-ժby reasons of human compassion but also to prevent draining the spiritual resources of mankindթ§Չ-Թ.
(Decker, J. Raphael Lemkinթ§Չ-Չ§s History of Genocide and Colonialism, p11. Paper for US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Washington DC, 26 February 2004)
թԹ
թԹ If we care to remember that Cosmos is the antonym of Chaos, the latterթ§Չ-Չ§s synonyms being disorder, confusion and tumult, it would not be then so outlandish to wonder whether the tumultuous world we are living in is not already out of touch with the lofty commitments of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ
An essential natural law of the physical cosmos, the world, reminds us incessantly, and many of us might recall from our secondary school physics lessons, that թ§Չ-խfor every action there is an equal and opposite reactionթ§Չ-Չ§թ§Չ-Չprime dialectics of the physical nature. The December 9th Genocide Convention of 1948, which was immediately followed by the December 10th Universal Declaration of Human Rights, were both powerful opposite reactions to the horrific manթ§Չ-Չ§s inhumanity to man of the decades preceding 1948. Most importantly, both the Convention and the Declaration were to function as solemn undertakings of the international community to prevent genocides from ever happening again.թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ թԹ
Significantly, International Law experts highlighted also the retroactive applicability of the Convention. Eventually the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, on November 26, 1968.
All the above-mentioned international undertakings sadly proved practically impotent to prevent the appalling and frequent reoccurrence of genocide all through the 20th century, which, alas, has even spilled over into the 21st century.
Let us ponder for a moment. Could it be that another basic group is missing from the թ§Չ-խhuman cosmosթ§Չ-Չ§ mentioned by the venerable master jurist and linguist? With all due respect and honour to all concerned, I firmly believe that Lemkinթ§Չ-Չ§s թ§Չ-խformulaթ§Չ-Չ§, hence Article II of the Genocide Convention, needs an urgent amendment. Meaning, that the թ§Չ-խhuman cosmosթ§Չ-Չ§ should now be reflected to consist of five basic groups: national, racial, religious, ethnic and political. The simple and obvious reason is that most atrocious acts of violence, including genocide, have been meticulously planned and executed to eliminate թ§Չ-խpolitical groupsթ§Չ-Չ§ in opposition to, but mostly not tolerated by, the ruling powers of the day. Paradoxically, Lemkin himself had included թ§Չ-ժthe genocide of political groups as a recurrent featureթ§Չ-Թ in his unpublished essay թ§Չ-ժNature of Genocideթ§Չ-Թ. (Decker, J. op. cit. p 9)
թԹ
But, alas, Lemkin seems not to have pursued this crucial matter further.
Lo and behold and affirming yet again the universal law of nature, the tenacity of the human cosmos burst upon the human consciousness and formulated a new Universal Declaration, ushering a new dawn of hope for the oppressed peoples of the whole world.
It was the July 4th Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples of 1976, adopted in Algiers, which proclaimed its conviction, թ§Չ-ժthat the effective respect for human rights necessarily implies respect for the rights of peoplesթ§Չ-Թ. Hence, թ§Չ-ժEvery people has the right; to existence; to the respect of national and cultural identity; to speak its own language and preserve and develop its own cultureթ§Չ-Թ and most pertinently, that թ§Չ-ժNone shall be subjected, because of his national or cultural identity, to massacre, torture, persecution, deportation, expulsion or living conditions such as may compromise the identity or integrity of the people to which he belongsթ§Չ-Թ.
This new perspective of the collective dimension of the Peoplesթ§Չ-Չ§ Rights had its unconditional support from the Permanent Peoplesթ§Չ-Չ§ Tribunal, in April 16, 1984. The Preamble of the Verdict of the Tribunal declared: թ§Չ-ժThe most fundamental of all assaults on the right of peoples is the crime of genocide. Nothing is graver in a criminal sense than a deliberate state policy of systematic extermination of a people based on their particular ethnic identity. This centrality of genocide to the works of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal is embodied in its basic framework of law set forth in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples.թ§Չ-Թ
The Tribunal further noted: թ§Չ-ժGenocide is the worst conceivable crime of state. Often, the state responsible is protected from accountability by other states and by the international framework of the organizations, including the United Nations, composed exclusively of states. [թ§Չ-Թ»] The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal was brought into existence partly to overcome the moral and political failures of states as instruments of justice. The Tribunal also acts because it is deeply concerned with the prevalence of genocide and genocidal attitudes in our world.թ§Չ-Թ թԹ թԹ
The basic question remains: what kind of a world are we living in?
There must be something deeply wrong and certainly inhuman in our world today where more than half of its scientists waste their humanity and deform ours in totally destructive enterprises, designed not only to kill but also extinguish life on earth. No wonder UNESCO has been warning the world, for decades now, that the greatest shame of the current civilisation is the fact that thousands of children die of hunger every single day. Let us compare this loss with what happened to the world before the Genocide Convention and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
During WW2 that lasted ca.1418 days or so, it is estimated that 14 thousand human beings were killed every single day of those 1418 warring nights and days– not to mention the numerous թ§Չ-խcollateral damagesթ§Չ-Չ§ (the beloved pair of words of the warmongers)թ§Չ-Թ»
Today a staggering 44,000 hungry children are dying each day of the year, as if a Hiroshima bomb is unleashed every single day just to kill children. I would like to pose the following: that the Goebbels of this world, թ§Չ-ժreleasing the safety-catch of their pistolsթ§Չ-Թթ§Չ-Չin modern parlance, cluster, white phosphorus or depleted uranium bombs & co, Ltd –should also be seen responsible for the modern Massacres of the Innocents.
Can there be any doubt that this child cleansing, plus the incessant poisoning of natureթ§Չ-Չ§s atmosphere and depletion of natureթ§Չ-Չ§s life sustenance are also the Unmentioned Genocides, ongoing and an authentic one at that, which surely are the outcome of our own socio-economic and industrial military system, now coined with cynical panache as Globalisation, whereby tens of thousands of nuclear warheads, each averaging at least 20 times the destructive power of a Hiroshima bomb, are already in deployment all around the world. Human civilisation is thus deformed by թ§Չ-խgrantingթ§Չ-Չ§ each member of the human family no less than five tons of explosives for թ§Չ-խbenign Hara-kiriթ§Չ-Չ§ it seemsթ§Չ-Թ»
Meanwhile billions pour into the pockets of the warmongers of modern metropolises. These warlords of Mammon would eventually thrive in an թ§Չ-խInorganic Paradiseթ§Չ-Չ§թ§Չ-Չa թ§Չ-խparadiseթ§Չ-Չ§ void of universal human rights and sustained by legalised torture; glorification of violence geared towards maximising profit at any cost; xenophobic state terror protected with religious fervour.թԹ And, topping as if the macabre orgy, genocide has been already tested, for decades now, to become the թ§Չ-խcollateral damageթ§Չ-Չ§ of its inorganically modernised and sweat-shopped թ§Չ-խglobal villageթ§Չ-Չ§ of hunger and debt.
Unless, of course, humanity at large will թ§Չ-խrage against the dyingթ§Չ-Չ§ of its dreams and refuse to become cannon fodder for Mammon and Terror, guarding thus its deeds of tolerance and justice, fair share and good care, compassion and conscienceթ§Չ-Չthe true wealth of the world, hence the health of nations.
Once upon a time the Nazi ruler, Hitler, boasted: թ§Չ-ժHow fortunate it is for rulers that men donթ§Չ-Չ§t think for themselvesթ§Չ-Թ. Thus he ordered his own non-thinking men, on August 22, 1939, to annihilate the Poles, թ§Չ-ժmen, women and childrenթ§Չ-Թ, he advised his butchers and warned them not to fail full compliance, granting them as their Fuhrer his nazi assurances twisted in an ironic argument: թ§Չ-ժwho after all speaks today of the annihilation of the Armeniansթ§Չ-Թ.
Its blatantly obvious, I think, that Hitler himself was thinking like the Young Turkթ§Չ-Չ§s Interior Minister Talaat Pasha, who telegraphed his order to the Governor of Aleppo, on September 15, 1915, saying: թ§Չ-Թ…the Government has decided to exterminate entirely all the Armenians living in Turkey [թ§Չ-Թ»] Without pity for women, children and invalids [թ§Չ-Թ»] without heeding any scruples of conscience, their existence must be terminated.թ§Չ-Թ
The state terror inflicted upon the ancient peoples of Anatolia by a colonial usurper power first as an Empireթ§Չ-ՉOttoman– then as a Republic of Turkey, gave rise to the struggle of the ancient peoples of Anatolia, specially Armenians, Kurds, Assyrians and Greeks and others who share their millennial history, թ§Չ-ժto prevent draining the spiritual resources of mankindթ§Չ-Թ, as Lemkin was keen to stress.
The Permanent Peoplesթ§Չ-Չ§ Tribunal had also declared unequivocally:թԹ թ§Չ-ժAs members of the Tribunal we believe that the uncovering and objective documentation of allegations of genocide contributes to the process of acknowledgement. To uncover and expose the genocidal reality makes it somewhat harder for those with motives of cover up to maintain their position. By validating the grievances of the victims, the Tribunal contributes to the dignity of their suffering and lends support to their continuing struggle. Indeed, acknowledging genocide itself is a fundamental means of struggling against genocide [and] an affirmation of the right of a people under international law to a safeguarded existence.թ§Չ-Թ
For many decades, generations of intellectuals of the left referred to fascist թ§Չ-խDuceթ§Չ-Չ§ Mussoliniթ§Չ-Չ§s most valued prisoner, the communist Antonio Gramsciթ§Չ-Չ§s acclaimed phrase: թ§Չ-ժthe pessimism of the intellect and the optimism of the willթ§Չ-Թ, (now thought to originate in Romain Rolland) as an indicator to understand success or failure of a struggle. The struggles of the ancient peoples of Anatolia, in the Middle East, in Africa, in Latin America and in many parts of the world at large, are a lucid reminder to us all that it is high time to refute the above թ§Չ-խleftist dictum.թ§Չ-Չ§ The truth does indeed sets us free to observe that neither peoples liberation and survival struggles, nor their endeavours for moral and material lawfully justified retributions, could ever be realised and accomplished without the proactive resilience attained from the optimism of the intellect in harmony with the optimism of the will.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Khatchatur I. Pilikian. Sometime university professor of music (USA), Pilikian is a performing musician, painter and writer. թԹ He has studied art and music at the Fine Art and Music Academies in Rome and Siena. թ§Չ-ժLeonardo da Vinci on voice, music and stage designթ§Չ-Թ was the title of his research as a Fulbright scholar at I.U. School of Music. In 1976, he designed and directed, at Wayne State University, the public radio WDET-FM series HARC-The Heritage of Armenian Culture. In 1984, he published Refuting Terrorism – Seven Epistles From Diaspora (in English and Armenian). He has contributed the entry Music and Turner in the Oxford University Press encyclopaedic publication titled THE TURNER COMPANION. The Spokesman for the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation published his paper for the 2005 European Network for Peace and Human Rights Conference, The Spectre of Genocide as Collateral Damage is Haunting the World. His most recent book is UNESCO Laureates: Nazim Hikmet & Aram Khatchaturian (Garod Books of the Gomidas Institute).
Be the first to comment