politico:

The Obama administration, having declared two months ago that the Islamic State is committing genocide, is now grappling with how to actually prosecute the terrorist network’s fighters for the crime.

Early-stage discussions about international tribunals and other means of justice are taking place in the White House and the State Department, people familiar with the talks told POLITICO. Any genocide prosecution, however, could be years away, a task made all the more complicated by the unusual nature of the Islamic State and the high bar for evidence.

The administration’s top priority remains defeating the jihadists on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, an approach that has been more about killing than capturing the enemy.

Read more here

On April 7, 1994, the genocide in Rwanda began. Months of brutality were spurred by the death of the Rwandan and Burundi presidents, whose plane was shot down on the evening of April 6, 1994.

Rwanda recognizes April 7 as Genocide Memorial day, which marks the first day of a week of mourning. You can read about what it was like on the ground in Kigali, Rwanda during the genocide at the link. You can also find a link describing how Washington, DC responded to the Rwandan genocide as well.

On this day in 1992, the Bosnian War began. It was the culmination of ethnic tensions that had been building up in Bosnia-Herzegovinia after the break-up of Yugoslavia. 

The war is infamous for ethnic cleansing that occurred during the conflict. The primary victims of genocide were Bosnian Serbs.

You can read about the war and the experiences of diplomats on the ground in Belgrade at the link.

statedept:

Secretary John Kerry on Daesh and Genocide. 

When Britain relinquished rule of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, the area was divided into West and East Pakistan and India. What is today Bangladesh was under control of West Pakistan (today Pakistan) with a capital 1000s of miles away and across the Indian border.

Sheikh Mujib led the Bengalis of East Pakistan in resistance against the Pakistanis, whose military led a nine month genocide against them. India intervened on behalf of the Bengalis, and Bangladesh was created soon after.

However, two years after Sheikh Mujib was elected Prime Minister in Bangladesh’s first elections, he was assassinated along with his family in a coup. You can read about Sheikh Mujib and his rise and fall at the link.

On this day in 1995, the Dayton Peace Accords were signed, bringing an end to the war in the Balkans.

The Balkan War was the worst conflict since World War II, fueled in part by ethnic conflict between Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Serbs and Muslims, which became ethnic cleansing. It lasted for four years, and the negotiations to end the fighting was fraught with tension.

You can read on at the link to learn more about what was needed to bring Balkan leaders to the table in Dayton, Ohio and to get the peace accord signed.

On Friday, February 7^th we attended a book talk about the book the Blood Telegram. The author Dr. Gary Bass came and spoke about the content of the book and answered questions. Here is a summary of what Dr. Bass talked about:

In 1971 there was a mass slaughter of people in East Pakistan by the Pakistani government. However, the United States government decided to play ignorant to the events happening because they were allied with the Pakistani government. Nixon also pursued one-sided policy due to his dislike of Indira Ghandi and his racist attitudes toward the Indian people.  The genocide was basically ignored by President Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Because of this, Archer Blood, the current consul general, decided to send a dissent cable. This was the first cable of this kind sent. The cable seemed to have no impact on the White House, but many people in the State Department supported it. Soon after this, Blood was removed from his post and sent to work in Washington. Blood risked his career when he sent the Blood telegram. Blood could have had an excellent career, but chose to follow his conscience.