Genocide Informative Speech

Genocide is a known concept by the majority of people in the world; however, the word is a new concept. It was not until the brutality of the Holocaust, mass killing of a group of individuals based on their intrinsic characteristics was genocide conceived (King, Ferencz, & Harris, 2008). After the world witnessed the autocracies of the Holocaust the international communities vowed to ensure that another genocide “would never happen again”(Straus, 2016, p.367). The United Nations Genocide Convention Treaty was implemented in 1948 to manifest this vow. However, since genocide was coined it has captivated a lot of scrutiny because of the debates about what the definition actually means and whether a situation is considered genocide under the convention and can be intervened upon (Goldsmith, 2010). In addition, the people involved in

Reputable scholars have revealed that the convention has emphasized the weakness and in adequateness of the treaty that continues to persist in the current day. The following paper aims to argue that the United Nations Genocide Convention treaty’s vague and weak language towards policies and procedures that states must take to prevent genocide is the central reason why the treaty has been so ineffective.

Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide to truly reflect the “unique horror of the crime” after studying the repeated occurrences of genocide throughout history (Goldsmith, 2010). The Holocaust was an important turning point when states responded collectively to intrude in the norm of sovereignty were acts of such monstrosity were unacceptable and against international moral standards (Goodhart, 2016, p. 373). Leaders from around the world created the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The United Nations Genocide Convention). Then in 1948 the UN adopted the United Nations Convention Genocide Convention and enforced it in 1951 as a way to