Assassination Through History

Assassination is the deliberate, premeditated murder of a prominent figure for political reasons.

1. Restrictions on political competition and strong polarization and fragmentation. 2. Lack of consensual political ethos and homogenous populations. 3. Politically deprived groups which results in a decline in the legitimacy of political leadership and systems – direct attack against political leaders. 4. Domestic violence during election periods. 5. Territorial fragmentation of a country – loss of control over some parts of a country to opposing groups.

1. Heads of state 2. Lower-ranking political figures 3. Legislators 4. Vice head of states 5. Opposition leaders

<p>The implications of an assassination of a political leader can include political instability, potential power struggles, disruption of government operations, and the potential for further violence or retaliation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An example of assassination in history is Alexander the Great's ascendance to power.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Assassinations are understudied and poorly understood likely due to the secretive nature of such acts and the difficulty in obtaining comprehensive data and information about them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Assassinations continue to play an important role in modern times by shaping political landscapes, influencing power dynamics, and impacting the course of history.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Political assassination is the deliberate, premeditated murder of a prominent figure for political reasons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Two implications of assassinations are political instability and disruption of government operations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The implications of assassinating a vice head of state can include preventing the vice from ascending to the head of state position and promoting highly specific policy changes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Outcome of mass-death inducing acts and policies lacking intent and knowledge and direct genocidal acts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Progressive and reactionary.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To head towards a classless society in the totalitarian Marxist-Leninist tradition, most commonly, to secure results of a revolution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To strive for a “racially pure” nation-state or establishing capitalist economic regime at any cost.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Killing of Jews by the Nazi empire in Germany.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Developmental, retributive, and hegemonic.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A situation in which political leadership aims to eliminate “backward” people and their cultures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rwandan genocide in April-July 1994.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Seizing and maintaining political power to get rid of a particular group or party.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Ethnicity, nationality, religion; economic dependency, underdevelopment, destitution; limited physical resources; usurpation of political power, marginalisation; quelling of insurgencies or threat of coup d’etat; earlier genocide; colonial and alien administrative systems; artificial national and subnational boundaries; role of colonial powers and world superpowers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Deny genocide has taken place; belittle the scope of the crime if genocide has taken place; present genocide as justified; banalize genocide by stigmatizing it as a dispute between ethnic or religious groups or as a usual part of war; justify former victims’ attempts of revenge when both sides commit the act.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group: killing members of a group, causing serious bodily harm or mental harm to members of a group, deliberately inflicting on the group's conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part thereof, imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, forcibly transferring children of a group to another group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas. It is carried out in the name of misguided nationalism, historic grievances, and a powerful driving force for revenge. Ethnic cleansing is closely related to genocide as it involves the deliberate targeting and removal of a specific group based on their ethnicity or religion, often with the intention of destroying them physically or culturally.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Genocide and ethnic cleansing are both considered serious crimes under international humanitarian law. Genocide refers to acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. Ethnic cleansing, on the other hand, involves the deliberate removal or displacement of a specific ethnic or religious group from certain areas. Both genocide and ethnic cleansing are punishable acts under international law, and those who commit or contribute to these crimes can be held accountable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Politicide refers to the act of killing human groups because of political opposition to the regime and dominant groups. It involves the targeted killing of individuals or groups based on their political beliefs or activities. Politicide can also entail other forms of serious physical or mental harm, such as displacement, forced birth control, and deliberately aggravating living circumstances.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Democide refers to the act of eliminating a group of people in general. It includes politicide but is not limited to it. Democide can be characterized as the indiscriminate murdering of a group of people by a government for reasons other than nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, or political opinions. It is essentially mass murder.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pramono's classification of the degrees of genocide includes ideological and pragmatic genocide. First-degree genocide involves the intentional destruction of a human group and includes three requirements: mental element, material element, and the actual destruction of the group. Second-degree genocide is characterized by the absence of the mental element and is typically committed under conditions of war. Third-degree genocide lacks both the mental and material elements and occurs as a by-product of reckless or negligent policies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The role of policy makers in addressing political assassinations includes promoting political and social conditions that encourage political participation, addressing political grievances, establishing stable and regulated succession mechanisms, implementing stable routines and protocols, and creating institutions that ensure the safety of political and opposition leaders.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Law enforcers play a crucial role in addressing political assassinations by investigating and apprehending individuals involved in such crimes. They are responsible for maintaining law and order, ensuring the safety of political and opposition leaders, and preventing and deterring acts of political violence. It is important for law enforcers to be proactive in identifying potential threats and taking appropriate measures to prevent assassinations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The assassination of heads of state can lead to a decline in the democratic nature of a polity, an increase in domestic violence, instability in the country, and a negative impact on economic prosperity. It may also contribute to the rise of a more open economic power.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The assassination of opposition leaders can increase overall unrest and domestic violence. It may also lead to public unrest, such as anti-government demonstrations, and a decline in the legitimacy of the government.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Retributive and restorative justice models</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To seek protection from violence, unwanted marriages, sexual abuse, or for empowerment and emancipation</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Domestic work, sexual slavery, combat activities, pillaging techniques, loading and dismounting arms, defence techniques, accompanying male soldiers, sabotage, midwifery, welcoming, rousing, singing, and dancing for special events</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They are highly obedient, easily manipulated, can swell the ranks if there is a shortage of adults, and ensure a constant pool of forced and compliant labor</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Brana plan was endorsed by military officers to distinguish Serbian rapes from rapes committed by Bosnians and others. It targeted women, adolescents, and children in Muslim communities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Three forms of mass rape are: 1) Military forces entering a village, taking women from their homes to rape them in public view, and then offering safe passage away from the village; 2) Randomly choosing persons held in concentration camps to be raped, often as part of torture preceding death; 3) Imprisoning women in rape/death camps and systematically raping them for extended periods of time, either as torture preceding death or leading to forced pregnancy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Enforced pregnancies serve as a method of torture and control, as well as a means to perpetuate the ethnic cleansing by forcing victims to bear the children of their perpetrators.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rape, enforced pregnancy, and resultant childbirths can be considered genocide because they are used as intentional acts to destroy the targeted group, inflict severe mental and physical harm, and prevent the group's reproduction and future existence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Girls' responsibilities included cooking, washing dishes, fetching water and firewood, laundering, and taking care of younger children.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Girls in fighting forces are at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, as well as an array of reproductive health problems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Girls associated with fighting forces were forced to participate in combat activities such as being trainers for incoming recruits, intelligence officers, spies, recruiters, medics, first aid technicians, and weapons experts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The culture of violence within armed groups exposes girl child soldiers to various forms of violence ranging from verbal abuse to acts of cruelty. It reflects the patriarchal power relations and gendered oppression inherent in these groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>War-affected girls suffer severe physical and psychological health problems post-conflict, including chronic head and stomach aches, war-related wounds and beatings, malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, diarrhoea, parasitic infections, malnutrition, gynaecological problems as a result of rape, and high risk for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Girls experience higher rates of rejection by community members than their male counterparts. Behaviors that violate gender norms, such as aggression, quarrelsomeness, abusive language, drug abuse, and smoking, hinder a girl's ability to readapt to her community and the community's response to her. Girls also suffer rejection due to their former affiliation with armed groups and as victims of sexual violence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>In the aftermath of conflict, many girls and boys lack skills beyond those acquired in fighting or surviving the conflict. Girls continue to be the least educated sector of the population in most developing countries.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rituals facilitate healing, reconnect the child to the community, and have positive psychosocial effects. Community-cleansing rituals help children reintegrate successfully. Girls create informal support structures and peer-support networks to ensure their post-conflict reintegration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Education is regarded as essential for instilling stability and normalcy in the lives of children who have experienced the trauma of civil war.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Other forms of education are widely seen as a significant 'life-affirming activity' that can restore hope and purpose among children who have been emotionally and often physically overcome by the scourge of war.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>From a child rights perspective, education is regarded as essential for instilling stability and normalcy in the lives of children who have experienced the trauma of civil war.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Education plays a role in instilling stability and normalcy in the lives of children who have experienced the trauma of civil war.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Education is seen as a significant 'life-affirming activity' that can restore hope and purpose among children who have been emotionally and often physically overcome by the scourge of war.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Education is regarded as essential for instilling stability and normalcy in the lives of children who have experienced the trauma of civil war.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Childhood is culturally constructed and varies across societies; In many non-Western societies, a person may be regarded as an adult once certain ceremonies and rites of passage have been done; Girl child becomes an adult with her marriage and young man after the death of his father; Many societies regard children as competent 'young adults'; Military participation is conceptualized as part of becoming an adult and under-18 year olds are encouraged to take part in military activities; Implications for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Forced recruitment; Family considerations - push and pull factors; Hopes of earning money; Power, glamour, and excitement; Out of disaffection with political, social, economic systems that have failed them; Lack of educational opportunities; Ideology and political socialization exert a strong influence over youth's decision to join armed forces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Question of accountability: Is there voluntary recruitment in the case of child soldiers? If so, can they be held responsible for their actions? International community on voluntary recruitment: Due to desperation, manipulation, lacking cognitive skills to make a choice. Possibility that children actually join an armed group on a voluntary basis: War often creates new social, economic, and political systems and relationships that may compel children to enlist on a voluntary basis. If we assume children have some form of free choice, can they be held responsible for their actions? Under 18 combatants play an active and critical role in political and military movements, with little direct coercion from adults. Voluntary factors can serve as a window into young people's underlying concerns, grievances, needs, and aspirations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The criminal responsibility of child soldiers is a complex issue. While they may be involved in armed conflict voluntarily or involuntarily, they are still considered victims due to their vulnerable status as children. International legal frameworks recognize the need to rehabilitate and reintegrate child soldiers rather than solely focusing on criminal punishment. However, there may be cases where individual child soldiers who have committed grave crimes are held accountable, taking into account their age, level of coercion, and capacity to understand the consequences of their actions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The statement suggests that sperm can be used as a biological weapon in the context of genocidal rape. It argues that rape and enforced pregnancy can destroy the morale of a people, especially if inflicted on the youth, who represent its hope for the future. If the objective is to undermine the will to fight, mass rape and enforced pregnancy might contribute to that end as effectively as infectious disease. Soldiers are motivated to fight to protect their homes, families, and the futures of their communities. If families become direct targets, there is little left to protect. The use of sperm as a weapon fits the concept of biological warfare used to attack a biological system (reproductive system) in members of the enemy population. Although the attack need not produce illness, it is designed to produce social chaos. Sperm used in this way becomes a social and psychological toxin, poisoning the futures of victims and their communities, by producing children who, if they survive, will remind whoever raises them of their traumatic origins in torture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The text argues that enforced pregnancies can contribute to the destruction and social death of a community. The Brana plan, which involved Serb soldiers raping Muslim women and enforcing their pregnancies until the fetuses could not be aborted, is used as an example. Four possible ways the Brana plan's policy of enforced pregnancy can be seen as part of genocide are: 1) Resulting children could be seen as Serbs because of their genetic origin, thus Muslim women would be bearing the children of their enemies. 2) Raped women, particularly those who have borne children from rape, could be expected to be stigmatized and ostracized, and in this way eliminated from society. They are treated worse if they are then pregnant as well, since being pregnant while unmarried is often treated as a crime even if it results from rape. 3) The Brana rape/enforced pregnancy plan might destroy the community if raped women are unwilling or unable to reproduce the next generation. 4) The trauma and psychological impact of enforced pregnancies on women can lead to the destruction of their sense of self and social death within the community.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The potential consequences of rape and enforced pregnancy as a form of biological warfare include: 1) Destroying the morale of a people, especially if inflicted on the youth who represent the hope for the future. 2) Undermining the will to fight, as mass rape and enforced pregnancy can contribute to that end as effectively as infectious disease. 3) Directly attacking civilian women and children to motivate men to cease fighting. 4) Producing social chaos and psychological toxins, poisoning the futures of victims and their communities by producing children who may remind whoever raises them of their traumatic origins in torture. 5) Traumatizing women to the extent that they may never regain the desire to engage in sexual relationships or to procreate further, potentially contributing to the destruction and social death of a community.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The use of sperm as a weapon is argued to fit the concept of biological warfare in the context of genocidal rape. Biological warfare typically involves the use of bacteriological or viral organisms that make people sick fairly quickly with diseases that are contagious and spread rapidly through a population. Biological weapons can destroy people or their will to fight without necessarily destroying the inhabited territory. However, unlike traditional biological weapons, the use of sperm as a weapon does not necessarily need to produce illness. Instead, it is designed to produce social chaos and psychological toxins by attacking the reproductive system in members of the enemy population. This form of biological warfare aims to poison the futures of victims and their communities by producing children who, if they survive, will remind whoever raises them of their traumatic origins in torture. Thus, the use of sperm as a weapon fits the concept of biological warfare by targeting a biological system and causing social and psychological harm.</p> Signup and view all the answers