THEORIES OF GENOCIDE AND THE QUEST FOR PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Abstract

Regardless of its motivation, the destruction of members of a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group is considered to be one of the most atrocious crimes, globally. This is simply because this act permanently deprives any group so targeted of its right to exist. To guide the analysis, the study surveyed five sets of theories from the perspective of motivations or causes of genocide, with a view to making recommendations for, primarily, preventive measures. The theories were aggregated as conformism theories, pathological and opportunities theories, and corporate/state-centric interests’ theories. The methodology adopted for the study was doctrinal, in addition to analytical and other methods. It was found that State involvement facilitated the preparation and execution of genocides. However, at least from a theoretical standpoint, genocides were not, in all cases, organized with State involvement or active State involvement. Some individuals had the propensity to kill while others did it to conform to their in-group agenda or as an opportunity to acquire wealth. The study recommended that States should prioritize implementation of the provisions of treaties guaranteeing social, economic, cultural, civil and political rights of peoples; the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect should coordinate regional, sub-regional and State actions to draw up and execute genocide preventive measures based on the peculiarities of each State; and that in addition to judicial and quasi-judicial measures, individual and collective State sanctions should be imposed on States that fail to prevent genocides and/or punish perpetrators of genocide.