How about Bosnia?\nHow about Rawanda?\nHow about South Africa?\n\n\nIs it possible to forgive.  Who do you blame.  What about the victims of war you are judged to be on the guilty side?\n\nWhat about justice?\nHow do the guilty confront their crimes.\nWhat about the ordinary citizens .... how do they cope been stigmatised by their nationality? Do they find it difficult to blame their fellow countrymen for their crime, and to accept that these crimes have happened.\n\nHow do the 2 sides live together again? How is history toaught so as to stop the conflict and not make one side feel like victims and unjustly blamed?
202871
In the past, this was not an issue. the loser was slaughtered wholesale. Rome was one of the first (or most successful) at assimilating conquered peoples. Successful assimilation means you must force, or entice, the conquered peoples to adopt your language, culture and customs. what naturally happens then is a blend of the two - which is also one reason that Rome fell (among many). Because if you are too successful as a conqueror, then you lose critical mass for your own culture.  \n\nYou could draw a parallel with America since they are (or have been in the past) so successful that they draw peoples from different cultures at such a rate that the 'original culture' is overwhelmed with external cultures [like cuban, mexican, other South American cultures, Canadian, and finally Asian influx (including India) via H1B visas and other legitimate immigration].\nForget about crimes and criminality - that is a temporary conflict between two cultures. Think longer term - like 100 yrs being equivalent to one year. Then you will see your own answer to your question. \n\nStudy the past or be condemned to repeat it. In particular, start with Persia, Egypt and progress through the Germanic tribes and the Normans.  You will get a fantastic view into man's inhumanity and the temporal nature of what is considered criminal and grotesque in a given culture.  You may also come to a realization that every species has its time at the top and then some other species will correct the last 'correction'.  We won't be the last.
654135
Belgium is not so much in denial as they are ignoring their past and hoping that the eternal state of civil war and border raids that exist throughout Africa will cover their tracks.  The French do the same; that is one of the bonds these countries share.  They both choose to ignore the civil unrest that they helped to create in order to rape the countries of their natural resources.  \n\nThey profit heavily from the discord; taking the resources at a fraction of their value and not reinvesting in the country.  They allow the civil wars and unstable governments to provide cover for thier actions.  What these countries have done, and continue to do in Africa is unconscionable.\n\nAnd where is Europe's court of human rights?  France, who happens to be Belgium's closest ally.
300253
a letter by Ghandi:\n\nSeveral letters have been received by me asking me to declare my views about the Arab-Jew question in Palestine and the persecution of the Jews in Germany. It is not without hesitation that I venture to offer my views on this very difficult question.\n\nMy sympathies are all with the Jews. I have known them intimately in South Africa. Some of them became life-long companions. Through these friends I came to learn much of their age-long persecution. They have been the untouchables of Christianity. The parallel between their treatment by Christians and the treatment of untouchables by Hindus is very close. Religious sanction has been invoked in both cases for the justification of the inhuman treatment meted out to them. Apart from the friendships, therefore, there is the more common universal reason for my sympathy for the Jews.\n\nBut my sympathy does not blind me to the requirements of justice. The cry for the national home for the Jews does not make much appeal to me. The sanction for it is sought in the Bible and the tenacity with which the Jews have hankered after return to Palestine. Why should they not, like other peoples of the earth, make that country their home where they are born and where they earn their livelihood?\n\nPalestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct. The mandates have no sanction but that of the last war. Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.\n\nThe nobler course would be to insist on a just treatment of the Jews wherever they are born and bred. The Jews born in France are French in precisely the same sense that Christians born in France are French. If the Jews have no home but Palestine, will they relish the idea of being forced to leave the other parts of the world in which they are settled? Or do they want a double home where they can remain at will? This cry for the national home affords a colorable justification for the German expulsion of the Jews. \n\nBut the German persecution of the Jews seems to have no parallel in history. The tyrants of old never went so mad as Hitler seems to have gone. And he is doing it with religious zeal. For he is propounding a new religion of exclusive and militant nationalism in the name of which many inhumanity becomes an act of humanity to be rewarded here and hereafter. The crime of an obviously mad but intrepid youth is being visited upon his whole race with unbelievable ferocity. If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, a war against Germany, to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race, would be completely justified. But I do not believe in any war. A discussion of the pros and cons of such a war is therefore outside my horizon or province. \n\nBut if there can be no war against Germany, even for such a crime as is being committed against the Jews, surely there can be no alliance with Germany. How can there be alliance between a nation which claims to stand for justice and democracy and one which is the declared enemy of both? Or is England drifting towards armed dictatorship and all it means?\n\nGermany is showing to the world how efficiently violence can be worked when it is not hampered by any hypocrisy or weakness masquerading as humanitarianism. It is also showing how hideous, terrible and terrifying it looks in its nakedness.\n\nCan the Jews resist this organized and shameless persecution? Is there a way to preserve their self-respect, and not to feel helpless, neglected and forlorn? I submit there is. No person who has faith in a living God need feel helpless or forlorn. Jehovah of the Jews is a God more personal than the God of the Christians, the Musalmans or the Hindus, t
167439
I dont think I can answer that question fairly for a couple of reasons... \n1. I dont live in that region so I dont really know what life is like for each side (dealing with constant bombings, roadblocks, the occupation... etc) \n2. I'm not a Muslim nor am I Jewish, and those religions play a huge part into the conflict and how they perceive the situation\n3. My perception of the situation is probably distorted because I am a Westerner and my only source of info is the Western media (and we all know how fair and accurate they portray things!!!) \n\nBut if I absolutely had to choose I would probably side with the Palestinians, because they had their land taken away from them, and their lives uprooted, in order to give Israel a homeland.  BUT I do not, under any circumstances, think that makes it acceptable to send suicide bombers into Israel to kill innocent people.  That will just make Israeli's treat the Palestinians even worse... making it a never ending vicious cycle!\n\nI watched a movie called "Paradise Now" (or something very similiar).  It's about the conflict between these 2 countries and it really gave me a greater insight on what is going on over there... It made me think and question a lot.... pretty good movie!
222978
You're not...\nBut it was'nt YOU who comitted those crimes, so dont worry about it. But if you blame Germany for what they did in the past, then you should blame yourself too.\nWorry about the millions of people GBush is killing NOW...
203377
For whatever reason, many incidences of genocide and war in Africa are minimalized and do not receive the same amount of publicity that other world conflicts do (Rwanda, Uganda, DRC). They often involve third world countries that have little or no history of stable democracy and no valuable natural resources to speak of.\n\nI also believe that this incident demonstrates the ineptitude of the U.N. in dealing with international incidents. The media determines what is news and they do not wish for this to become a widely held opinion by making a big story out of it.\n\nThirdly, this is not a big political issue. Very few people have vested interests in Sudan (especially as compared to the current immigration controversy), meaning that very few votes can be gained/lost by action/inaction on the subject. As sad as it is to say, the primary responsibility of a politician (a politician, not a statesman mind you) is to get reelected, and so many politicians will not waste their time on an issue that will not earn them any votes.
445255
The holocaust could have been averted if more people had spoken out and had united against the Nazis.  The allies could have bombed even one of the railroad tracks to the camps.  Those who knew what was going on did nothing.  They allowed the atrocities to continue.\n\nThe same thing is happening today, on *our* watch in Darfur, Sudan.  What are your doing about it?  Are you speaking out against the first genocide of the 21st century?  Write your legislators.  Demand that the U.S. use diplomacy to place U.N. troops in Sudan!!!\n\n“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”\nMartin Luther King, Jr.. Baptist minister who led the civil-rights movement in the US, 1929-1968.\n.
217408
No one objects when those who COMMIT crimes are extradited...justice should be served even if criminals flee.  However, we all know that accusations are made against innocent people, and that not all legal systems are the same in terms of fairness.  It is only natural that courts that have the accused before them who face trial elsewhere are going to want to be pretty well convinced that there is a solid case to answer before they send them abroad.
46463
C'mon... the Swiss were never neutral.  They have always picked a side.  In WWII they picked the Germans.  Just cuz they didn't pick up arms doesn't mean that they didn't pick sides.  Anyway... when was the last time the Swiss sucessfully prosecuted a war?  I think it was about the same time as France or New Guinnea.  In other news... Swiss Miss Instant Hot Chocolate warms the hearts of children around the world.
269759
justice, i suppose. maybe forgiveness but i don't think so as he gets killed in the end....\nlove? the everlasting-ness of love, since she was able to come down from heaven to have sex with her true love after being raped, i don't know how many people would be able to deal with sex after rape....
219175
Id say people in the Middle East have an extremely biased view (if any) on the Holocaust. Im Lebanese, living in Lebanon, and i can say that the Holocaust is praised (unfortunately) in most Arab countries since Israel is viewed as the main enemy (along with the US). It's sad to see educated people praising Hitler and the horrible genocide he commited against Jews. Being an Arab Christian, my backgroud education gave me the right idea about the genocide. However, most Muslims have this haine for Jews (mostly because the Sheikhs and Arab leaders examplify Israelis and Jews as the force of evil and war in the world). I dont want to sound too pessimistic but a better education will not be the solution because Imams (or Sheikhs, as in muslim religious leaders) will still endoctrinate their followers... The only solution in my opinion is the creation of two states (Israel and Palestine) after both forces recognize one another according to international law. It's a shame extremism (whether ultra-orthodox jews or fanatic muslims) is the obstacle of bringing people together..
293201
Here are some sites you can look at.... What exactly don't you understand? Is it what you have found or can you not find anything relevant?\nCheck the library for a book called The Fragmentation of Yugoslavia : Nationalism and War in the Balkans. This may help???????\nIt's not a topic I know anything about but i found some sources for you if they help?
152190
The fact is that you can't.  What I have seen from having been to a few of those countries is that they primarily run by culture, not law or religion.  Sure, they claim it's the law or part of religion, but careful examination of both will tell you the opposite.  She won't get justice because in those countries they just don't care.  The victim is the criminal in their eyes.  They criminal is rarely punished whereas the victim has a stigma attached to her permanently and may even be murdered to protect her family's "honor" if that's what you want to call it.
657680
Well more than not these wars are nothing more than years of retribution. You kill my son, so I am going to kill yours. They mask of a lot of their feelings in a shroud of religious beliefs because then they can feel righteous about their actions. \n\nPeople hate to think that revenge or violent retribution is something they are capable of. But if you start believing what you do is in the name of god, then your actions can be justified. \n\nDeep down they are hurt for past events (because in many cases we are talking decades of war that has killed entire families) and with an economical crisis many of these countries face, the only comfort they can find is the satisfaction that they are doing gods will. Twisting gods will into killing those that killed their family in the name of god/allah/buddah whoever.
442136
If I can say this loosely, retaliation (or vengeance) when standardized justifies those who carry it out. They are not guilty in any way. So after this, anyone who retaliates is unlawful. Which legalizes their condemnation.\nThere must be some way for society to see the civilized end to a conflict. If not-there can be war. I know of no war that was not the result of someone not yielding to some standard of conflict resolution that would be fair to all.
144886
Quiet Warrior,\n\nYou have a very good way to look at it. I am reminded that Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He was certainly asking His Father not to charge His judges and tormentors and executioners with their offenses against Him, but also they REALLY didn’t understand what they were doing.\n\nIt is very easy to see that they offended Him, but not quite so easy to see that they really didn’t understand what they were doing. Pilate seemed to have a sense that he condemned an innocent man; the high priest uttered prophetically, “It is better for one man to die for all the people,” and the crowd shouted, “His blood be upon us and our children.” One of the thieves realized that Jesus was a good man, and even one of the Roman soldiers realized after Jesus died that He was really the Son of God.\n\nHowever, none of them really understood the significance of what they were doing. That is also true of the people who offend us no matter how deliberate or shrewd they are. If people really understood the nature of their acts, then they wouldn’t do them.\n\nWe all look at an event like 9/11 and are horrified by the carnage, and it is incredible to us that anyone could commit such acts. Osama bin Laden and the other masterminds and perpetrators, in spite of their obvious planning and forethought, had no real concept of what they were doing. If they had your understanding, then they couldn’t have done it, could they?\n\nI can’t understand serial killers or child molesters or rapists or men who hit women, etc. The only way to really understand those things is to be capable of doing them, so I’m thankful that I don’t understand the way they think. By the same token, they don’t understand the way you or I think. It is foreign to them. If they really understood what they were doing then they couldn’t do it, could they?\n\nAnyway, this line of thinking helps me to forgive just as yours does. It is also good to see that if I don’t forgive others, then God can’t forgive me. That’s a really good motivator.\n\nGod bless.
555319
As you say, I think you are generalising. However, if you have stayed in a country where there was a war all your life, and you have been scared day and night for your and your family's safety, sometimes you can end up being like that.  Besides, for many international and civil war going on in many other parts of the world, Britain is not completely innocent, and very often guilty for making the cause, exporting weapons etc.  And those people do know what's going on, but they still had to come to Britain for their safety.  I don't think that is any easy, and am sure that every time when they here about what's happening in their countries, they must get frustrated.  In addition, there are so many immigrant-haters in this country, who have no idea about why immigrants had to be immigrants, and that's not helping at all. \nBut I'm not going to say they have a right to be violent, if they are, as violence is never right.  There are so many non-violent immigrants from war torn countries, and if you are a violent one, then how can justify your action to them?  I believe with enough support, protection and peace in the mind, everyone can be a peaceful person, and we have to help them to achieve that.