Genocide

The first draft of the Convention included political killings, but these provisions were removed in a political and diplomatic compromise following objections from some countries, including the USSR, a permanent security council member. The USSR argued that the Convention's definition should follow the etymology of the term, and may have feared greater international scrutiny of its own Great Purge. Other nations feared that including political groups in the definition would invite international intervention in domestic politics. However leading genocide scholar William Schabas states: “Rigorous examination of the travaux fails to confirm a popular impression in the literature that the opposition to inclusion of political genocide was some Soviet machination. The Soviet views were also shared by a number of other States for whom it is difficult to establish any geographic or social common denominator: Lebanon, Sweden, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Egypt, Belgium, and Uruguay. The exclusion of political groups was in fact originally promoted by a non-governmental organization, the World Jewish Congress, and it corresponded to Raphael Lemkin’s vision of the nature of the crime of genocide.”

Question: What might have been used to pull the wool over everyone's eyes?
Answer: Soviet machination

Question: Who made it his life's work to study genocide?
Answer: William Schabas

Question: What legal status does genocide hold?
Answer: crime

Question: How does one attempt to influence a security council measure?
Answer: objections

Question: What did the USSR object to?
Answer: political killings

Question: Who objected to having political killings?
Answer: some countries, including the USSR

Question: The USSR is this kind of organization which the World Jewish Congress is not. What is it?
Answer: governmental

Question: What was a major point of contention for finalizing the convention?
Answer: political killings

Question: What was the name of the NGO opposed to including political killings in the Convention?
Answer: the World Jewish Congress

Question: What are the countries aside from the USSR that did not want to include political killings in the Convention?
Answer: Lebanon, Sweden, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Egypt, Belgium, and Uruguay

Question: Who debunked the leading theory on the exclusion of political killings in the Convention?
Answer: William Schabas

Question: Why did the USSR object to political killings?
Answer: USSR argued that the Convention's definition should follow the etymology of the term

Question: Who first suggested that political groups not be included in the Convention?
Answer: the World Jewish Congress

Question: What did the USSR have in common with the first draft?
Answer: its own Great Purge

Question: What was argued against unwanted global attentions?
Answer: Rigorous examination of the travaux fails to confirm a popular impression in the literature that the opposition to inclusion of political genocide was some Soviet machination

Question: The person who stated "Rigorous examination of the travaux fails to confirm a popular impression" specialized in?
Answer: genocide

Question: How do countries handle international disputes?
Answer: diplomatic compromise

Question: What did Schabas examine?
Answer: the travaux

Question: Why did other countries agree with the soviet sentiments?
Answer: it is difficult to establish any geographic or social common denominator

Question: What made the revisions necessary?
Answer: political killings

Question: What is the legality of genocide?
Answer: crime

Question: Lebanon, Sweden and the USSR are members of what community?
Answer: international

Question: What doesn't make a lot of sense in how it was grouped?
Answer: The Soviet views were also shared by a number of other States for whom it is difficult to establish any geographic or social common denominator: Lebanon, Sweden, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Egypt, Belgium, and Uruguay

Question: Why did some nations agree with the Soviets?
Answer: Soviet views were also shared by a number of other States for whom it is difficult to establish any geographic or social common denominator