Patterns of the Past: Determining Common Pre-Genocide Characteristic to Predict and Prevent Future Genocides

Certain warning signs of genocide – segregation, identification symbols, dehumanization, death lists, and executioners-in-training – existed in Nazi-controlled territories prior to the extermination of the Jews. Can these signs be seen in all past genocides? And, if so, can this pattern be effectively utilized to predict and prevent future genocides? By comparing pre-genocide characteristics that warned of the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the Rwandan genocide, one can indeed see that these are common characteristics of a country on the verge of genocide. As Gregory H. Stanton has theorized, there are common stages in the genocidal process, each with distinct characteristics signaling what is to come. This can be proven by a careful examination and comparison of how the three previously listed genocides moved through Stanton\u27s stages. Understanding this process is currently of great importance. By recognizing the early signs of past genocides, the international community can identify countries currently nearing genocide and, with enough political and public will, pursue proactive prevention before more innocent lives are lost