Genocidal Organizations

• In Event: Mass Atrocity Crimes: Understanding Dynamics, Actions and Actors?

Abstract

How do states prepare themselves to commit genocide? Genocide is never a spontaneous, frenzied action; rather, the architects of disaster often plan their grim strategies, taking the measure of those they intend to exterminate, building support, and in some cases creating a specialized unit to carry out or at least spear-head their killings. This paper focuses on these specialized units or genocidal organizations, which I define as formal organizations dedicated to mass killing of civilians or prisoners of war. Created expressly for this purpose, a genocidal organization is a group of people working together, following specific rules and performing specific functions, to do the work of genocide. Their job is to commit what social psychologist Herbert C. Kelman called “sanctioned massacres.”
Based on a sample of eight genocides, this paper identifies characteristics of genocidal organizations and compares them to criminal gangs, organized crime, and corporate crime.

Author

• Nicole Rafter, Northeastern University