A quote often attributed to Winston Churchill; the prime minister of Britain from 1940-1945 state is that "History is written by the victors." While the origin of the saying cannot be proven concretely, it remains that this well-known saying is supported by the events portrayed within Naimark's Fires of Hatred chapter 4. Naimark suggests that ethnic cleansing is an attempt to remove all traces of a certain people within a territory. This includes removing the individuals. In Chapter 4 he writes about the revenge perpetrated against the German citizens within Europe, more specifically focusing on the atrocities committed within Poland and Czechoslovakia. The events list brutal rapes, tortures, beatings, murders, mass suicides, and other egregious circumstances. However these events are not found in an ordinary textbook assigned within a history class. They are shadowed by the atrocities committed within World War 2. Even the government sanction on the events taking place against the German people is neglected.
This relates to events that have happened within multiple wars throughout the world. The Caucasian War within what was once the Russian Empire and the North Koreans genocidal treatment of Christians within their borders have all been glossed over by War or fear of it. The Caucasian War consisted of a series of military engagements on the tribes of Chechnya, Dagestan, Karachay, Circassians and others. This war ultimately drove the Circassians out to the Turkish lands where they became a big part of the Turk Army .The heated tensions within the borders of North Korea has used National security as a reason to destroy specific religious groups. One in particular has suffered greatly; the Christians. In an article posted on the website for open doors in the UK infers that to be Christian within North Korea is condemning yourself to "arrest, detention, torture, even public execution".
These events hadn't made the prime time news or been highly looked into until demonstations and reports on the atrocities surface. They were overshadowed by the Caucasian War, growing tension between the North and South Koreas, and what some believed would be possible Nuclear War initiated over the rising tensions. In 2012 a demonstration by hundreds of Jordanians outside of a Russina embassy, national light was shinned upon the acts of the Caucasian war that had yet to be considered genocide even though they believe over 1.5 million Circassians were displaced and or killed by this war. Furthermore in 2007, a report published by Christian Solidarity Worldwide used seven years of research to show the atrocities against the Christian faith within North Korea.
These acts, while receiving national attention after having been revealed from the shadow have still yet to be solved. The atrocities took place under the heated cover of war or tension of war and intentionally hid the direness of the situation. Hidden within this cover, ethnic cleansing and genocide are made possible without swift repercussions and contribute to a failure to act by worldwide organizations like the UN.
Further Reading and Sources
http://jordantimes.com/circassians-mark-day-of-mourning-in-silent-protest
http://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/worldwatch/north_korea.php
http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2012/02/06/genocide-north-korea
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