Terrorism and Atrocities Quick Check
1. Define genocide, according to the United Nations.(1 point)
Responses
a. Systematically targeting civilians during wartime to achieve military objectives.
b. Systemic action designed to harm any national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.
c. Launching an unjust war to extend a country’s territory.
d. Imprisoning or killing political dissidents who oppose a country’s government.
2. Summarize the aftermath of the Armenian genocide.(1 point)
Responses
a. Russians advanced deep into Turkey to rescue the Armenians.
b. Armenians rebelled against the Ottoman Empire.
c. The Turks eventually renounced the policies that had led to genocide and paid reparations to the Armenians.
d. Turks controlled areas formerly inhabited by Armenians, which made the organization of modern Turkey easier.
3. Compare the international reactions to the Rwandan genocide and the 9/11 attacks. Which of the following statements best describes how they compare?(1 point)
Responses
a. The 9/11 attacks did not receive international coverage until the war on terror was declared, and the Rwandan genocide was not known about until after aid workers discovered the murders.
b. The international community immediately responded to both incidents because they received comparable media coverage.
c. The international community immediately responded to 9/11 but did not react to Rwanda until after the genocide occurred, based largely on differences in geography, culture, and political systems.
d. The UN intervened in the Rwandan genocide early on in order to keep it from escalating, and the international community did not anticipate the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but reacted quickly.
4. When we discuss the perpetuation of international terrorism, what role has the media played?(1 point)
Responses
a. The media plays no role in perpetuating terrorism because events would happen regardless of what was reported.
b. The media doesn’t perpetuate terrorism because they are reporting facts about what is happening everywhere and it is up to governments to take action.
c. The media is paid by terrorist organizations to create stories that make the terrorists look good.
d. Media coverage instills fear in the public, gives the terrorists credibility, and provides them with the opportunity to spread their agenda.
5. How did journalists finally capture the attention of an international audience when covering the Bosnian War?(1 point)
Responses
a. They began using words that described the Holocaust to draw attention to the similarities in Bosnia.
b. They published pictures of suffering refugees in the camps that people pitied.
c. They reported from inside the refugee camps and took pictures of the abuses.
d. They interviewed the Serbian dictator and he told them about the ethnic cleansing.
Explain how you get all of the correct answers.
1. b. Systemic action designed to harm any national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.
Genocide is defined by the United Nations as the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that group.
2. d. Turks controlled areas formerly inhabited by Armenians, which made the organization of modern Turkey easier.
After the Armenian genocide, the Turks were able to consolidate their control over areas previously inhabited by Armenians, which allowed for the reorganization and modernization of Turkey.
3. c. The international community immediately responded to 9/11 but did not react to Rwanda until after the genocide occurred, based largely on differences in geography, culture, and political systems.
The international community responded quickly and decisively to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but did not intervene in the Rwandan genocide until after the majority of the killings had occurred. This difference in response is often attributed to various factors, including differences in geography, culture, and political systems between the two events.
4. d. Media coverage instills fear in the public, gives the terrorists credibility, and provides them with the opportunity to spread their agenda.
The role of the media in perpetuating international terrorism is often criticized for inadvertently providing terrorists with a platform to spread their messages, instilling fear in the public, and giving them credibility they may not otherwise have.
5. a. They began using words that described the Holocaust to draw attention to the similarities in Bosnia.
Journalists covering the Bosnian War began using language and terminology that drew parallels to the Holocaust in order to capture the attention of an international audience and highlight the severity of the atrocities taking place in Bosnia.