President During the Rwandan Genocide

If I had been the President during the Rwandan Genocide, actions to help the people would have been taken much earlier. As soon as the killings began to occur, I would have sent troops to help the people of Rwanda as soon as the attacks had begun. 800,000 men, women, and children died in the Rwandan genocide. At the same time, thousands of Hutu were murdered because they opposed the killing campaign and the forces directing it. Although the Rwandans are fully responsible for the organization and execution of the genocide, governments from around the world, including the US all share a little bit of guilt for the crime because they failed to prevent and stop the killing.

The United Nations was aware of the massive slaughter and failed to take the steps to stop it because they did not want to think of it as genocide. Not only did international leaders reject what was going on, but they also declined for weeks to use their political and moral authority to challenge the Tutsis. Even after it had become indisputable that what was going on in Rwanda was a genocide, American officials had shunned the g-word, fearing that it would cause demands for intervention. When international leaders finally voiced disapproval, the genocidal authorities listened well enough to change their ways although not their ultimate goal. If action had been taken early, thousands of lives could have been saved because of one President speaking up.