Rwanda Quotes
There was reluctance throughout the government to avoid using “the G word.” See {41333}
His view, that America had no vested interest in Rwanda, was the prevailing thinking of the Republicans who controlled Congress and many of the Democrats as well. President Clinton considered intervention in Rwanda, but decided against it given all the opposition and little time to educate the American public to a different position. The result was the genocide in Rwanda where over 500,000 Tutsis were exterminated by the Hutus. Clinton, several years later not only admitted that he made a political and moral mistake, but officially apologized to Rwandan Tutsis who remained alive. He had intervened very successfully in Kosovo to prevent more murder of ethnic Muslims and was given a hard time politically by his opposition even though the brilliant effort cost no American lives. The United States and the UN, all bearing guilt for doing little in Rwanda, did help to set up the mechanism for the trials of the worst murderers and at least many of the most guilty were brought to justice.
Other leaders of the time also didn’t comprehend what was happening. See Dole {599943}. Later, Clinton apologized to the Rwandans. See {598255}.
800,000 Rwandans were murdered with machetes and shovels less than 20 years before. The ethnic genocide was triggered by various hate speech in rallies and over the radio. This type of speech was made illegal in Rwanda, not unlike Germany, Turkey, Israel, Singapore, and many other solid democracies but they do not have as strong a protection of free speech as in America.
