At 4:30 p.m. on September 19, 2016, the students at Stockton University were presented with the opportunity to listen in on a special, one-time, informational session hosted by the Holocaust and Genocide Studies department. The pronounced speaker, Doctor Stanton, introduced herself and provided background regarding herself as well as her family history which astoundingly leads to the 19^th century suffragist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a revolutionary figure. With further information, it is noted that the professor’s academic career had circled around prestigious schools beginning at Harvard University, continuing at Yale University, and ending at University of Chicago before setting up her own program at Stockton University. Thus, her credibility accounts from her multiple years of schooling and focused studies. Her major projects, as of now, include the Cambodia Project, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, George Mason project, the publication of numerous genocide- researched articles among many more. However, her purpose today was to educate the audience on her take of the ten stages of genocide watch. This lecture was a revision of her original publication, 7 Stages of Genocide which she explained was a concise two-page paper that was able to include all her points without drastically carrying out unnecessary details. An important note that is mentioned is the lack of information of studies and her new website that attempts to solve this trivial matter, www.genocidewatch.com.

The mission statement of her group reads, “ predict, prevent, stop, and punish genocide a and other forms of mass murder, seek to have awareness and influence public policy concerning potential and actual genocide, purpose is to build an international movement to prevent and stop genocide.” Her dialogue on the prevention of genocide followed the three basic steps: 1.) Early warning, 2.) Rapid response, and 3.) Courts of accountability. The last step carried three subdivisions: A.) Lack of our international institutions to predict any potential attacks, B.) Lack of responses when a drastic event takes place, and C.) Lack of political will. The latter subdivision is exemplified by the bombed Syrian runways which invoked little to response on behalf of the country’s allies, at least to an extent to prevent an issue from such an event repeating history. Based on the third step entirely, another example of courts of accountability includes the members of the United Nations Security Council’s votes to withdraw UNAMIR troops from Rwanda. These are simply steps for prevention and examples on which these steps were not abide by for the act of genocide and other forms of mass murder.

However, the focus of the session revolves around the ten stages which are detailed below with an interpretation of each one of these case. With each stage that increases in severity and importance, there is also listed the possibility of prevention. This demonstrates that not only has Doctor Stanton identified the causes, but also used her research to seek potential solutions.

1. Classification– This begins as a division between groups in which there becomes an “us vs them” playground.
   1. Prevention– The search for common ground will deter the first step as well as the promotion of transcendent identities such as nationality and humanity.
2. Symbolization– An example of this is a blue and white checkered scarf which may be viewed as a killing sign
   1. Prevention- The best solution is to eliminate race, religion, and ethnicity on ID cards, refuse to use hate symbols, and outlaw the public display of hate symbols
3. Discrimination– This occurs when a dominant group uses laws such as the Jim Crow Segregation Laws
   1. Prevention– The best solution is to stop the political system from creating such rules.
4. Dehumanization– This occurs when one group denies humanity to another group and there is the use of hate propaganda in printed and mass media as exemplified by the classification of “Tutsis” in Rwanda as cockroaches.
   1. Prevention– Condemn hate speech
5. Organization– This is usually by the state using trained and armed militaries against state responsibility. ID cards cannot be declared unofficial without judicial review in certain areas as was the case in Rwanda in 1989
   1. Prevention– The best option is to outlaw membership in hate groups, deny leaders their visas for foreign travel, impose arms embargos, create commissions, and prosecute arms.
6. Polarization– In this case, extremists will call moderates in their own group “traitors” and arrest, imprison, and kill them. There are laws forbidding mixing with the targeted group.
   1. Prevention– The best solution is to mix the groups in order to avoid isolation of any set of people.
7. Preparation– The leaders plan their final solution such as the video with Jews before their persecution.
   1. Prevention- The use of journalism, NGO’s, government intelligence networks, and publicly exposing plans should be a good start.
8. Persecution– People are headed off to deaths, especially in camps.
   1. Prevention- There should be diplomacy using regional allies, targeted sanctions on leaders, financial sanctions, a political asylum, relief and arms assistance, and regional military association.
9. Extermination- There are organized genocidal measures, massacres, and mass rape/ torture.
   1. Prevention- The best method is rapid armed international intervention and the use of the United Nations Security Council.
10. Denial- This occurs when the perpetrators deny that the genocide took place such as the mistreatment to the Native Americans.
    1. Prevention- There must be trials of these perpetrators.

These ten stages were able to show how thoroughly researched the project was and how as the severity of the step increased, the intensity of the prevention did as well. Dr. Stanton quickly concluded the lecture after these ten stages were detailed and discussed. From this, I was able to reflect on the importance of awareness for any issue in general, not necessarily on an international scale. In my opinion, due to the information I learned and the interest which the session sparked, I would probably attend this again as well as recommend it to others. All in all, the 10 stages of genocide watch series was a great session and very educational, for any type of study or major.