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Article: Definition of genocide is being clarified by U.N. war crimes trials.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- November 5, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The practice of slaughtering whole groups or tribes is as old as humankind. But some scholars say the 20th century was the most murderous of all centuries.
"The noted psychologist William James wrote in 1910, `History is a bath of blood.' That bath has become an ocean of blood," says Eric Markusen, citing an estimate that 110 million men, women and children were killed in genocidal violence in the first three quarters of the 20th century alone.
Lawyers and scholars argue about what constitutes "genocide," but its definition is being clarified as U.N. war crimes tribunals issue indictments and seek convictions in the most recent violence.
Born ...