in 1994 eight hundred thousand to a million ppl were slaughtered in the Rwanda genocide.. Men women children.. the old the young .. slaughtered mercessly... and our president and the United Nation at the time did nothing to stop this..Before you say it did not affect the US ... I ask you ... are we not all children of God, brothers and sisters. What if something as horrific would happen here in our country and no one would step in to help no one cared. Is this what we have become as a people? Our current president though I do not fully admire but fully support is the first president to ever bring so much aid to Africa in our entire history yet this has not been celebrated nor has it been mention how our 1994 president and the United Nations did nothing to help the helpless people in Rwanda.. Haven't you ever wondered why?

reply to post by Neariah

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I've always thought that the US/UN should have done something in Rwanda instead of just watching the slaughter on TV.

No one cares what Bush does in Africa. They think he's evil and they aren't going to change their tune because of this.

And Clinton is a saint, and they don't want to anyone to remember this blot on his record.

I agree!
I watched Hotel Rwanda and That seems to be the limit to many people's interest.
BTW, the U.N. doesn't (totally) equate the U.S.
More could have been done, but wasn't.
Maybe because some elite want a cull in the population, anyway.

First, why is this thread under U.S. politics? Oh, that's right! The entire world expects us to police it then when we do they have little parades about how much they hate us for doing so.

Second, the U.N. did do something. They pulled their troops out. Did I say troops? I meant "Peacekeepers." Oh, then they asked for more money and a decade later Annan apologized and said they should have done more so that makes it all okay.

Today the U.N. is working really hard to get the remaining rebels to disarm. Because that's worked so well I guess? I guess the U.N. thinks the only reason there was a conflict at all was because people resisted their extermination at the hands of the government in charge. If they only sat still and let their bodies be hacked with machetes it all would have been over so much quicker.

U.N. idea of peace: disarm the citizenry. That way only government will have guns. After all, government is trained, responsible and always looking out for your best interests.

the entire story is so sad... whats only sadder is that it's probably not the last time it will happen. To think that in this day an age "WE" could let something like this take place and just sit back and watch is absolutely absurd it only goes to show that ppl have not really learned much from history and have only become more cruel and self involved then before. Putting aside the fact that Clinton was a bloddy coward and stood by and watched as this happened basically, we need to put out a movie to even educate ppl on the atrocities that went on over there. BC no one cares to actually educate themselves with what is really going on in the world... it's a cruel cruel world has real meaning.

WHAT A SUBJECT! THANK YOU! IF we stepped in, the world, and of course the Clinton opposers, would have said...well...very much what the Bush opposers are saying now.

"It's none of our business...it's a sovereign country...where's the evidence (and how can I disprove it)...it's STILL none of our business..."

It's incredibly important to remember that americans aren't so much against war as they are against whoever beat their candidate in the last election.

[edit on 21-2-2008 by Toelint]

what I find just a little crazier is that it seems no one cares about the MASS genocide created by sadam hussein... I was on another thread where someone actually implied that the suicide bombers in iraq are killing themselves as protest for us being there... I am sure the smarter of us reaalize that it is religous and cultural war as it was in rhawanda, iugoslavia, and lets not forget the holocaust... imagine that there are actually crazies out there that want to completely eliminate and exterminate an entire population of people ... so I say what happens when starts on our own land here in the us... who do you think would help... ?????????

reply to post by Neariah

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Once Rwanda finds massive oil deposits we'll be there in the name of humanitarianism and democracy.

Sorry to be so cynical because I used to support everything our government was doing but when I hear of things like this I cannot help but get angry. No, it is not our responsibility to keep the peace but we can be darn sure we'll get involved if it suits our interests.

I just noticed that our First-Lady paid her respects to this genocide One day BEFORE your post.
I do like her , pretty well. Here

At least Some in authority are concerned!

reply to post by AshleyD

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I can assure you Ashley, the reason your government hasn't interveened yet (or since Mogadisio) in Africa is because they are far more cynical than any of us. Despite there are many valuable and rare ressources, they don't go in before they need to. I.e. need the ressources.

Meanwhile they'll just sit back and watch a continent wreck itself in wars and epidemics, do the dirty work themselves -- for them, so to speak. At the time of their choosing they will be there for the precious ressources.

It's called politics of reality.

reply to post by khunmoon

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I don't think I fully understood your comment but this is my take on it. The whole situation seems damned if you do, damned if you don't. If we go in there and really help by taking control, we're accused of American Imperialism (or UN Imperialism). If we stand back and do nothing, we're accused of isolationism.

[edit on 2/25/2008 by AshleyD]

The very people who criticise the US for their policies in ME tend to be the self same people who criticise the US for not intervening in Africa.
What do you want, an interventionist US or an isolationist US?

Or is it some people just want to criticise the US regardless?

[edit on 25-2-2008 by Freeborn]

reply to post by Clearskies

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Well, you make a point - the world doesn't care much about Africa, and hte general consensus in western nations is that the fewer of them there are, the better.

Now that aside, there's political reasons, on the American side. H.W. Bush left the new president with troops in Mogadishu (so many people forget that the US entered Somalia almost immediately after the '92 elections, before Clinton took office - it was a blatant political anchor) and Americans rapidly soured on "Clinton's war in Africa" - He was trying to juggle effective action without committing to the conflict too much, leading to some very Carteresque blunders.

So when Rwanda flared up... Sadly, Clinton decided to stay out of it. The odd thing is, the people who were screeching at him for "Stating Somalia" now screeched at him for not going into Rwanda. Thankfully he learned to ignore these people, even while they were screaming and spitting on our troops when forces were deployed to Haiti and the Balkans.

What exactly should we have done? Chances are we'd have ended up in the same situation we find ourselves in today.

The fact remains that it's not our business militarily and generally our attempts have been thwarted by weak military use.

We could try exporting education instead of bullets. That way, those who wanted to could gather, kill the killers, and then as us to come in and advise how to set things up.

Is it easy? No, but I retain the idea that freedom burns in the heart of the people, and it won't be cherished unless fought for themselves.

reply to post by KrazyJethro

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export education??? we need better education here... everytime I watch the news and see them interview college students I want to gag .. all I hear is LIKE and ummmm yea like I dunno yea umm like like yea ...

We should have done something ANYTHING ATROCITIES LIKE THIS SHOULD NOT GO ONE AS THE REST OF THE WORLD TURNS THEIR HEADS AND LOOKS THE OTHER WAY!!!!!!!!! MONEY IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY AND THE RESOURCES.. IF YOU'VE ALREADY SAID THAT I TIP MY HAT TO YOU

A few points of clarity:

1) Relax, bold letters don't make the point pound more heartily.

2) Education is a broad term, although truthfully I thought the point was self evident.

We have programs already in place, such as allowing foreign Merchant students to study at our maritime academies so that they may uplift their nation economically by adding the fundamental of ocean trade.

We can certainly advise in the structure of government and governance, from private or public sources.

etc

3) It may seem heartless to you, but it IS about money. The fact remains that all this "help" costs money. Namely MY money.

I don't suggest we use our tax dollars for such ventures as they catch us up in the mire much of the world 3rd world lives in while we have fundamental problems of our own.

I'd also suggest that my money would be better spent putting food on my children's plate than trying to stop Africans from slaughtering each other every other week.

honestly I needed to use the caps for something at work and didn't change the feature bc I had to type fast.. heheh sorry

reply to post by KrazyJethro

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second as a parent and tax payer I agree with you on some aspects.. but unfortunetly I think that these are times we need to intervene. Mass genocides should not be going on period.. our children their children the worlds children is growing up with enough violence and atrocities that happen in this world... As i said before someone needs to step in for the defensless .. I am just so thankful for the life I was given and that my short itme on earth is not lived in the terror other people must go through.

i guess i also forgot to mention I'm a world vision donator.. not much what ever i can afford but I truly believe that one life does make a difference and my heart breaks for the children in africa and all over the world not just africa but yea mostly africa

I would willingly donate if I thought the majority of my donation was going to reach those it would be intended for.

Unfortunately the majority get's wasted on beaurocracy, red tape and internal corruption within the countries the aid is intended for thus helping to maintain the gap between the decadent ruling classes in these countries and the poor.