Genocide

rc-am rcollins at netlink.com.au
Mon Apr 5 09:59:31 PDT 1999


[i'm just reading through this, and wondering if anyone else has seen it. if so, any comments? -angela]

http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/genocide.html

GENOCIDE, WORLD ORDER, AND STATE FORMATION

Paul Treanor

ABSTRACT. This article examines the basis for the ethics of genocide: why there is a concept of

genocide, and its origins. The concept is identified both as propaganda and as part of the

legitimation of nationalism. Nationalism is itself a spatial form of the legitimation of political

decisions - nations limit territorial "opting out". The article lists the claims of nations, which

underlie the present world order: claims to global territorial control, to inclusivity, to a monopoly

of state formation and thus autonomy, and to legitimacy unlimited in time. Since these features

combine to block developments which are themselves legitimate, it is concluded that a

contra-nationalism is legitimate. It is argued that the concept of genocide, especially cultural

genocide, was in effect created to block such measures: its validity is rejected. As illustration

some examples are given of current issues of "national identity versus Europe", and possible

changes in state formation process in a post-national Europe are briefly indicated.



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