Clinton and Rwanda

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I am currently reading Dalliares book in polisci class and it occured to me that Bush gets blamed for every death in Iraq, so therefore is it not also right to blame Clinton for every death in Rwanda. I mean they both did what was politicall advisable at the time and no doubt had the US pushed for it either the UN or NATO could have went into Rwanda and saved perhaps a million lives.

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I was irritated during the Massacre in Rwanda when it was happening. The media simply reported it in real-time as "oh well, glad we're not them". Change the time ten years, a major Tsunami happens, and we have Clinton and Both Bush's pleading for public support, religious and secular groups pouring money and aid into the region (as well as billions of tax dollars, which is why I opted not to volunteer any funding).

Two situations that are as similar as they are different.

Rwanda - political massacre, UN and westerners left the area before it happened. Nobody cared.
Indian Ocean - natural disaster, everyone on the planet uncharacteristically gives a s**t.

Rwanda was located in a remote place with no vested interest to the Western Economy. So, they just let it happen, the governments, the media, UN and NATO. The Tsunami killed 1/10 of the people, but it was in a region that is bursting with American and European investment. You can bet that most of the money that was transferred over there DID NOT go to the poorest and most destitute. CASE in POINT - Katrina

I shake My head for what happened in Rwanda and every disaster too. Genocide has happen more times than not it is something We all live with as the world shames Us for We do not yet even get along with each other even yet today.

no president within the last 30 years has done anything of merrit that hasn't been overshadowed by larger accomplishments of demerrit.

Clinton was a fat SOB. Good riddance to bad news. George Bush has proved a far better president IMHO.

This stinks of apathy. There are Sudanese being slaughtered by the hundreds at the hands of Muslims today. The Rwandan tragedy was a blot to our nation's character. One Jehovah's Witness minister stayed, an American, and a French U.N. commander refused to leave. He gave his troops the choice to stay or go and they stayed with him even though they were unarmed! (nice job, U.N., station your men for peacekeeping unarmed!) The JW minister did all that he could to shelter and help Tutsis as did the French officer. It was precious little but more than our American government did!! If we want to promote democracy and freedom around the globe than why do we sit on our asses and do nothing when genocide occurs??? Haven't we learned anything from WWII? It's disgusting. I think we need to write our Senators and Reps and everyone we can and push for more action on these issues. I realize that it is more complicated than just sending over a few troops and we are not a world police force but what about economic sanctions and immigration policies? I am sure with all of the political genius in the White House at present, there are bound to be solutions just pouring out! A Rwandan diplomat came and spoke to our government while the slaughter was taking place and she was ignored! If things do not change, history will continue to repeat itself.

That is a bad thing that it seems that We the People of Earth Humans as We are seemed to be Doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over again and again and again. Maybe We have not yet Grown Up enough to Learn enough to Understand enough like We should or enough Try too. Until We do then Mankind will truly never Learn from the mistakes of the past and will continue to make the same types of mistakes over an again.

This is yesterday's news. It's dated now.

It may be yesterday's news but if we don't learn from the mistakes of the past they will be repeated. The Sudanese slaughter is occurring as we speak. As are many other atrocities such as female circumcision and forced slavery and prostitution. There is never a lack of human rights issues to get involved with.

A good book is "Shake Hands with the Devil : The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda" about Canadian Gen. Romeo Dallaire.
I saw the show.
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/shakehands.html
I remember one great line:
"There was one time, for a split second, that I didn't know whether I was reaching for my gun or his hand..."

There are tons of worse stories out there today.
Read about child soldiers. It is extremely graphic what is happening in this world.

Thanks for the link, Mithrandir. My mistake, the U.N. Commander was a Canandian, not from France. My husband and I cried through the enire PBS documentary. I don't think I can watch anything else on the tragedy.

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