Could the US Government have prevented the Rwanda Genocide Free Essay Example, 2250 words

The Clinton Administration sought to escape involvement in Rwanda by continuing to deny that genocide was occurring. By not using the "g-word", as it was referred to at the State Department, the US felt it would not be obligated to act under the terms of the Genocide Convention (Stanton 7). A June 15 New York Times editorial noted that, "What really seems to worry the Clinton team is that talk of genocide may increase clamor for doing something more to stop it, especially since the US is a party to the Genocide Convention" (New York Times 1). However, even before June 15 a number of sources were already calling the atrocities genocide. Oxfam, the British aid agency, had termed the killings genocide by April 30, while Alison Des Forges of HRW wrote an editorial in which she termed the atrocities genocide and urged President Clinton to act. In her passionate plea, she advocated that if troops were found the US and other nations should pay the costs of the mission (Des Forges 154). Des pite these determinations that genocide was occurring, it did little to sway American policy. We will write a custom essay sample on Could the US Government have prevented the Rwanda Genocide or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now While traditionally endorsing the pledge of "never again" the actions of the US and other states are incommensurate with respect to the atrocities that occurred in Rwanda in 1994, especially in light of the existence of the Genocide Convention. Though the Clinton Administration refused to label the slaughter genocide until June, there was early recognition in the US government that genocide was occurring. In fact, an April 26 intelligence estimate issued by Carl Pendorff termed the Rwandan massacres genocide (Stanton 7). Another US intelligence analyst noted in late April that, "The plan appears to have been to wipe out any RPF ally or potential ally, and thus raise the costs and limit the possibility of an RPF/Tutsi takeover†¦. No end to the unprecedented bloodshed is yet in sight" (cited in Ferroggiaro, 1). While discussions were ongoing in the State Department on how to respond to the "conflict", trepidation concentrated on the word "genocide". According to Gregory Stanton, the Legal Advisors Office in the State Department opined that officials should avoid using the word genocide because 1) the intent of the perpetrators could not be determined; and 2) doing so would oblige the US to do something (Stanton 6). Amnesty International USA reports that the decision from the Legal Advisors Office to refer to the atrocities merely as "acts of genocide" was undertaken in a bid to "first and foremost avoid negative public reactions triggered by the intervention in Somalia; but the second reason was to avoid the legal obligation to prevent genocide and to punish those responsible, as outlined in the Convention on Genocide" (cited in Cushman 328).

Aquinas the Soul - 1260 Words

The soul has been a very controversial and intriguing subject for multiple generations of philosophers, countless theories have been thought up in an attempt to explain its intellectual operation. Thomas Aquinas, a medieval philosopher and theologian, tackles the topic of subsistence (i.e existence) of the human soul by looking into its power of cognition and scrutinizing its nature; more specifically, he studies the processes through which the soul can cognize the world that surrounds us and itself by the means of the body and the intellect. Life can be defined through its functions: movement, cognition, perception and nutrition. Aquinas attempts to unveil the secret behind the soul’s power of cognition by identifying its most relevant†¦show more content†¦Article 1.). The soul’s capacities are nothing other than the operations belonging to the soul, which are divided into â€Å" the vegetative, sensory, appetitive, locomotive and intellective† part. Specifically, the vegetative part which has three necessary operations, the generative capacity through which the body acquires existence, the power of growth which provides the body with the capacity to mature, and the nutritive capacity through which the body is maintained. The soul is the actuality of a body that is potentially having life, so the body that’s actually alive is therefore potentially awake. So the body is first an actuality and then the potentiality of a second actuality. The highest nutritive power is the generative capacity (gives existence to the body), which is closely related to the sensory (Question 78. Article 3.). And so it should be possible for the soul to have capacities that are common to the living (the senses experience), in other words the soul coul d have these capacities through the force of its actuality. However, only God’s power is identified by its essence. By that I mean that if the soul were â€Å"attached† to a body not capable of having life then it would not be able toShow MoreRelatedJohn Aquinas s The Body And Soul1480 Words   |  6 PagesAquinas holds that the body and soul are one united as one in his hylomorphic view of the Human person. This paper will breakdown his three main points of interest, that the soul is the immaterial form of the body, that it is substantial and that it is subsistent while providing an objection and rebuttal to reaffirm the Hylomorphic view on the soul. Thorough breakdown and analysis of these claims will give a better understanding of the connection between body and soul, and what it means to be humanRead MoreSaint Thomas Aquinas and the Intellective Soul Essay545 Words   |  3 PagesSaint Thomas Aquinas provided a theory on the intellectual soul. He believes that th is soul is in fact a non bodily thing since it can potentially cognize all bodies, something that can only be done if you possess none of it. Aquinas is incorrect in this though since his understanding of thinking makes it apparent that the intellect is finite not infinite. Due to the need of phantasms to produce ideas the intellect can never be able to cognize all things due to the limitations of matter, that producesRead MoreThomas Aquinas : The Nature Of The Body951 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Aquinas makes the argument that the soul is not a body and expresses that it is part of the body itself. The mind is aware of the soul and to attempt to find the nature of the soul, he must premise that the soul is the first principle of life of animate and inanimate things. Life can be shown by both knowledge and movement. The soul is not a body but the first principle and act of a body, like the principle of seeing are the eyes. Aquinas is not a substance dualist like Descartes even thou ghRead MoreThe Body And Soul Essay882 Words   |  4 PagesTopic Two: The Body and Soul In St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica Question 76 Article 1, Aquinas discusses the union of the soul with the body. Throughout this paper, I will examine what Aquinas means by the term soul and why he thinks that the soul must be thought as the form of the man. There is much debate between philosophers on how the body and soul exist amongst each other. Aquinas believes that the soul is in the body, however it is not contained by it but rather containing it. To elaborateRead MoreThe Truth, Power, And Operation Of Spiritual Substances1017 Words   |  5 PagesSaint Thomas Aquinas writes a treatise on man concerning the essence, power, and operation of spiritual substances. In his first article of the treatise, Thomas attempts to answer the question of whether or not the soul is a body. I will be explaining and evaluating the steps of his argument that a body can be a principle of life but that the soul cannot be corporeal, that is, a body. In response to the question of whether or not the soul is a body, Thomas takes the position that the soul is the formRead More A Philosophical Criticism of Augustine and Aquinas Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesA Philosophical Criticism of Augustine and Aquinas: The Relationship of Soul and Body       The relationship of the human soul and physical body is a topic that has mystified philosophers, scholars, scientists, and mankind as a whole for centuries. Human beings, who are always concerned about their place as individuals in this world, have attempted to determine the precise nature or state of the physical form. They are concerned for their well-being in this earthly environment, as well as theirRead MoreAquinas and Descartes View of Knowledge1433 Words   |  6 PagesKnowledge Aquinas and Descartes have different ideas on how humans gain knowledge in the world. Both philosophers need to define what the human body is composed of in order to determine how we gain knowledge. For Aquinas intellect comes from the soul and the body working in unison. The soul is the substantial form of a living material thing. It is the actuality of a living material substance. Even though the rational soul is what differentiates humans from other living things, it does notRead MoreEssay on Thomas Aquinas909 Words   |  4 Pagespaper 2 | Aquinas | How does Aquinas think we acquire knowledge? | | Makenzie Thornock | 11/2/2012 | | 1.) Thomas Aquinas believes that humans are born with a clean slate in a state of potency and acquire knowledge through sense experiences by abstraction of the phantasms. His view on how man acquires knowledge rejects Plato’s theory that humans are born with innate species. Along with Plato’s theory of humans understanding corporeal things through innate species, Aquinas also rejectsRead MoreThe Placement of Humanity807 Words   |  3 Pagesstate of the soul, or our soul to be exact. The soul can go through certain emotive stages such as happiness, sadness, etc. The soul, although internal, can act as though it connects with the physical nature of reality and the world. How can something divine as a soul communicate with the physicality of the world? Aristotle says. Yet evidently, as we said, it needs the external goods as well; (313) Then Aristotle goes deeper into the nature of human virtue that relates to the soul. Aristotle suggestsRead MoreGreat Philosophers an d Lives Well Lived1238 Words   |  5 PagesThere have been many great philosophers throughout time. Socrates, Thomas Aquinas and Rene Descartes all lived during different times. This gave each of them different insights, which helped to create their philosophies and principles of their philosophies. Each philosopher also had a different means as to how they delivered their ideas and teachings. With so many differences the three had one thing in common: A love for wisdom, and the need to share it with others. Socrates was a great philosopher

Watching movies at home vs theatre free essay sample

Topic: Compare or contrast of watching movies through rental videos or going out for movies at local theatres/cinemas. Thesis statement: Video rentals are more convenient than going to the theatre because you save money, feel more comfortable, and waste less time. First of all, when you rent a video to watch at home, you can save a lot of money. Video rentals usually cost around $3. 99, while a single ticket at the theater is $5. 00. Everybody can sit down and enjoy the movie at home for the same price, but at the theater everybody has to pay for their own ticket, including kids, who have to pay $3.50 each. Four people would end up paying approximately $17. 00 to watch a single movie. Once inside the theater, then you have to afford all the expensive snacks like pop-corn, nachos, and sodas which are usually priced twice as much as they cost outside. Just a bottle of water will cost you . We will write a custom essay sample on Watching movies at home vs theatre or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 00. Last but not least, you have to consider the expenses of gasoline, clothing, cosmetics, and other miscellaneous that are much needed for one single visit to your local theater! Secondly, watching movie at home allows viewers to feel more comfy and relaxing. Firstly, Viewers who rent videotape can watch a movie by being multi-task. For instance, folding clothes, ironing, as well as cleaning the house. On contrary, watching a movie at the cinema forces audiences to be single-handed by allowing them to be focused on the movie alone. Secondly, at home viewers are free to watch the movie in varieties of style such as lying on the floor, sitting on a couch or many more. In cinema, the audience has to sit stiff and behave decently for at least two hours until the movie ends. Sometimes, the seat at the cinema is small and it is not comfy for those who are in big sizes. Last but not least, watching movie at home allows viewers to talk as much as they want, laughing as loud as they want or they can answer and make phone calls as many as they want while the movie is being played. These acts are not being prohibited unlike watching movie in the cinema. Thus, watching movie by renting videotape gives more luxurious of feeling comfy to the viewers. Finally, when you renting a video you can watch your own favorite movie at home and on top of that it saving more time. Imagine that your home is out from town. You need to go through all the traffic in order for you to reach the cinema. Stuck in traffic already losing more of your time compared to watching a video you rent. On the other hand, at cinema you need to wait for the queue turn. Long queue especially on weekend is only wasting your time where you might miss out certain plans you arrange. After waiting for a long queue once again you need to wait for a call to be seated and force your eyes to watch a bunch of advertisement play while waiting for the movie’s to start. Be in someone’s timetable controls you. Differ than when you renting a video you just need to choose you favorite records and press ‘PLAY’ button at any time you want without need to rush in chasing the time schedule for your favorite movie at cinema. Avoiding from heavy traffic and going to the town can save the fuel and your time. You can either saving the time consume queuing in purchasing the tickets. At home you can simply enjoy and watch the movie with your friends and family without any constraints. There is no advertisement issue in video rented. You can enjoy watching the original video without waiting. It is more easy and saving more time for someone to rent video and watch at home then going to cinema. Watching movies at home, definitely, has several advantages over going to the theater. This way you do not spend so much money, you can use your time more effectively, and you can enjoy the comfort of your house. There is nothing better than staying at home on a rainy day while enjoying a good movie on your TV screen.

The year revolves around many seasons, namely

The year revolves around many seasons, namely- summer, rainy, autumn, winter and spring Essay The year revolves around many seasons, namely- summer, rainy, autumn, winter and spring. Each season brings about a certain change in our lives and leaves its mark on Earth and also in our minds. Mythology has a lot to offer on the subject of the changes in season but now people refer to it as logic. When spring comes, flower begin to bloom, birds begin to sing their melodious songs and the world wakes up to find itself once again under the care of Mother Nature. Spring time is also called exam season by many of the students as this is the time for them to appear for their final examination. It leaves the Earth with fond memories of the first flower which bloomed, the first song of the bird and the fallen brown leaves that are now replaced by new green leaves. Everything is so beautiful and peaceful, so nice à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" one does not want this season to end. I certainly do not. No poet or imaginative person would ever want this glorious season to end. We will write a custom essay on The year revolves around many seasons, namely- summer, rainy, autumn, winter and spring specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now I wallow in fond memories of spring time, till it returns againà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to start another year. As logic has it and so does mythology, after spring, the season should be summer. No one who lives near the Equator would be fond of this season. It is pleasant the first few days but after that it begins to be intolerably hot. In spring time, the days are warm but this season wants us to wish we could hang out our tongues and pant like the dogs. My! What did we do which made Mother Nature punish us with this season? I believe it must have been something dreadful our forefathers did. As I am writing this essay, I am beginning to feel hot myself. On Earth, the heat of the Sun scorches the crop field and makes the farmers life miserable. In the cities people are irritated easily and tend to fly into a temper very quickly. Except for the long vacation we get during this season nothing in my opinion is special. I have tried many times to attack the season with pen and paper, however it keeps on returning! Rainy season is for the farmers the best time for harvest. However, sometimes Mother Nature feels we ought to have every thing in abundance. She makes the weather so it rains continuously for days, resulting in floods and damage of the harvest. Nevertheless, we do love splashing around rainwater and cry aloud, How beautiful is the rain! I know many who do! Rain is a disaster as well as a relief. A disaster to the poor, hard working farmers and a relief to us who could no longer bear the heat of the Sun. Autumn this is the next season which follows. In India, we do not have a proper autumn season, so I really do not have a clear idea of this season. However, I have heard from my foreign relatives, autumn in Europe brings about chilly winds and the leaves begin to fall off the trees. It marks the farewell of the rainy season and welcomes the winter season. I think, autumn is the time when we in West Bengal celebrate the Durga Pujas. Winter season is the last season in the year. Cold winds blow and make the fallen leaves scurry along the road. A lot of people freeze to death, especially street urchins. The season in my eyes is what we can call tragic splendour. We celebrate Christmas but each day is greeted with the news of some ones death. The season ends and back comes ever beloved Spring! No one knows why Mother Nature has created such a way of lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the change in seasons. It is impossible to be able to predict the correct weather for the next day. The seasons may also wish to come and go, as they like. We can only stand aside and be an audience. Who are we to interrupt the peace and quiet and beauty created by Mother Nature?