Ingabe i-US ingumhloli Omkhulu Kunabo Bonke Wokuqothulwa Kohlanga Eplanethini?

Sekuyiminyaka ecishe ibe ngu-70 i-UN General Assembly yamukela iSivumelwano Sokuqothulwa Kohlanga ngoDisemba 9, 1948. Ngokuphawulekayo, kungenzeka ukuthi i-US yaba necala kwelinye lamacala okuqala okubulala ngemva kokwamukelwa kwesivumelwano. Kusukela ngo-1950, njengoba uBruce Cumings ekubeka emlandweni wakhe weMpi YaseKorea, i-US "yaqhuma ibhomu" eNyakatho Korea "iminyaka emithathu ngaphandle kokukhathazeka ngokufa kwabantu."

I-US yaphonsa amabhomu amaningi futhi yasebenzisa i-napalm eNhlonhlweni YaseKorea kunaleyo eyasetshenziswa ngokumelene neJapane phakathi neMpi Yezwe II. Abantu abangaphezu kwezigidi ezintathu babulawa, iningi labo lihlala eNyakatho. UCurtis LeMay, inhloko ye-Strategic Air Command phakathi nempi, uyakhumbula, “Esikhathini esiyiminyaka emithathu noma ngaphezulu, sabulala—bathini—amaphesenti angu-20 abantu baseKorea njengabafa ngokuqondile empini, noma ngenxa yendlala nokuchayeka?”

Enyangeni eyodwa edlule, uMongameli uTrump wasabisa iNorth Korea ngokuqothulwa kohlanga ngokuphelele, ememezela ukuthi uma i-US iphoqeleka ukuthi "ivikele" ngokwayo, "ngeke ibe nokunye okunye ngaphandle kokubhubhisa iNorth Korea ngokuphelele."

Phakathi kokwenziwa ngokoqobo kanye nosongo lwempi yokuqothulwa kohlanga, i-US izibophezele futhi yabelana ngesibopho sokuqothulwa kohlanga izikhathi eziningi. Nokho, kukhona ukulandisa okuvelele okuchaza ubudlelwano base-US nokuqothulwa kohlanga ngalokho i-US ehlulekile ukukwenza ukuvimbela ukubulawa kohlanga—okungukuthi ukungenelela ngezempi. Njengoba uGreg Grandin echaza ngokufanelekile, ngokusho kukaSamantha Power nabanye, “inkinga akukhona lokho okwenziwa yi-United States…kodwa lokho engakwenza; ukuthatha isinyathelo sokunqanda ukubulawa kwabantu.”

Endabeni yombukeli wokubulawa kohlanga, i-US izuza kakhulu endimeni eyidlalile ekuqinisekiseni ukuthi ubugebengu bokubulalana kwamasiko buyasuswa kuNgqungquthela Yokuqothulwa Kohlanga. Nakuba ukuqothulwa kohlanga kwakuyisisekelo sombono ka-Raphael Lemkin wokuqala wokuqothulwa kohlanga—uLemkin engumuntu owaqamba igama elithi genocide—i-US yasabisa ngokubukela phansi ukwamukelwa kwe-Genocide Convention uma ifakiwe.

Ngenkathi i-US iphikisana nokushiywa kokubulawa kohlanga, ibisebenzisa izinqubomgomo ebezizoyifaka ekubulaweni kohlanga ukube bekugcinwe ukubulawa kohlanga. Intsha yomdabu yasuswa emindenini yayo yafakwa ezikoleni okuhlalwa kuzo. Babenqatshelwe ukuqhuba inkolo yabo nokukhuluma ulimi lwabo. Baphinde baphoqeleka ukuba balahle amagama abo; wafundisa isiNgisi; futhi enziwe agqoke njengezingane ezimhlophe. Njengoba uKaputeni uRichard Henry Pratt akubeka, umgomo wezimiso ezinjalo “kwakuwukubulala umNdiya, kusindise indoda.” Ukucekela phansi iqembu kanjalo ngaphandle kokubulala amalungu kuwumgogodla womqondo wokuqothulwa kohlanga, okuyinto i-US eyayenza njengomthetho kwaze kwaba yilapho kuphasiswa uMthetho Wezenhlalakahle Yezingane wase-India ngo-1978, futhi kuye kwaqhubeka kwenzeka kusukela ngaleso sikhathi.

Kube khona okunye okubalulekile okwashiywa ngaphandle ku-Genocide Convention—ukungafakwa kwamaqembu ezombusazwe ekuvikelweni kwesivumelwano. Kuyathakazelisa ukuthi nakuba iSoviet Union yayimelene ngokuqinile nokufakwa kwamaqembu ezombusazwe futhi izuza kakhulu ekukhishweni kwawo, i-US nayo izozuza izinzuzo zalokhu kushiywa. Phakathi nempi yayo yobudlova ngokumelene neVietnam, i-US yenza umkhankaso wezempi owawucekela phansi kakhulu futhi owawusabalele wokubhubhisa iqembu lezombusazwe lamaKhomanisi.

Ngesikhathi esifanayo i-US yenza ukubulawa kohlanga kumakhomanisi eVietnam, i-US nayo yayibopha uzungu ne-Indonesian Army. Phakathi ngasekupheleni kuka-1965 nasekuqaleni kuka-1966, i-Indonesia yenza icala elicacile lokuqothulwa kohlanga ngokumelene neqembu lezombusazwe. Esikhathini esiyizinyanga eziyisithupha, kwabulawa amalungu angempela angaphezu kuka-500,000 eQembu LamaKhomanisi lase-Indonesia.

Ngaphambi nangesikhathi sokuqothulwa kohlanga kwamakhomanisi e-Indonesia, i-US yanikeza i-Indonesia ukwesekwa okubalulekile nokwenxusa. I-US iphinde yahlanganisa ngokuhlelekile uhlu lwamagama angaba ngu-5,000 abasolwa ngokuba ngabaholi bamaKhomanisi ase-Indonesia, yaluletha ezikhulwini zase-Indonesia. Imibhalo engacaciswanga ikhombisa ukuthi i-US ayikwenzanga lokho kuphela ngolwazi lwenhloso ye-Indonesia yokubulala amakhomanisi, kodwa ikakhulukazi ngenxa yezinhloso zokuqothula uhlanga lwase-Indonesia. I-telegram yango-October 20, 1965, futhi yasayinwa iNxusa uGreen, ithi iButho Lezempi Lase-Indonesia “lalisebenza kanzima ekucekeleni phansi i-PKI futhi mina, ngenxa yalokho, ngikuhlonipha kakhulu ukuzimisela nokuhleleka kwalo ekufezeni lesi sabelo esibalulekile.”

Isibopho sase-US sokuqothulwa kohlanga asikhawulelwe ezimweni ezingangeni kahle encazelweni esemthethweni yokubulawa kohlanga. Ngo-1971, kulandela ukhetho olunezingxabano lwangonyaka owandulele, iPakistan yenza ukubulawa kwabantu eMpumalanga Pakistan (Bangladesh). Phakathi nezinyanga eziyisishiyagalolunye, kwabulawa abantu abangaba yisigidi, kwadlwengulwa amakhulu ezinkulungwane zabesifazane namantombazane. Kusukela ngo-1981, amasosha aseGuatemala abulala abantu baseMayan baseGuatemala. Esiqongweni sayo, kwabulawa abantu abangama-80,000 esikhathini esiyizinyanga eziyi-18. Kusukela ngo-1987 kuya ku-1988, i-Iraq yabulala abantu baseKurdish. Iningi lezisulu ezingu-50,000-100,000 zabulawa phakathi kukaFebruwari no-August 1988.

Ngaphambi naphakathi kwamacala angenhla okubulalana kohlanga, i-US yanikeza iPakistan, iGuatemala ne-Iraq ukwesekwa okuphathekayo nokwenxusa ngolwazi lwenhloso yabo yokuqothula uhlanga. Ukuqhubeka nokuhlinzeka ngosizo olwenze ikhomishana yokubulawa kwabantu kuhlanganisa ukubandakanyeka kukho.

Ukuhlanganyela kwe-US ekhomishini yokubulawa kwabantu akuzange kume lapho kuphela lokho okubizwa ngeMpi Yomshoshaphansi. Kusukela ngo-1990-2003, i-US yiyona eyayibhekene nezijeziso zokuqothulwa kohlanga ezabangela ukufa kwezingane ezingaphezu kuka-500,000 e-Iraq. Lezi unswinyo zidale ukwehla okukhulu kwezempilo yomphakathi, njengoba kuqhathaniswa nempilo yomphakathi e-Iraq ngesikhathi sempi enesihluku ne-Iran. Izinga lokufa kwezinsana kanye nokufa kwezingane ezineminyaka engaphansi kwemihlanu liphindeke kabili. I-International Child Health Group yaphetha ngokuthi, “Izizathu zokufa kwabantu ngokweqile zicacile—ukuwohloka komnotho okubangelwa ukuwohloka kwamaholo, ukukhuphuka kwamanani okudla, ukuntula kwendle, ukuntuleka kwamanzi ahlanzekile nokungatholakali kosizo lwezempilo olwanele.

Inhloso ye-US yokubulala isizwe isobala ekutheni yazi kahle ukuthi kuzokwenzekani uma ingasebenzisa unswinyo. Imemorandamu ye-Defence Intelligence Agency evela ku-1991 ibonisa ukuthi i-US yayazi ngokugcwele ukuthi unswinyo luzoba nemiphumela emibi kuma-Iraqis. Ngokwememo, ukube i-Iraq ibivinjwa ekutholeni izinto ebizidinga, abantu base-Iraqi bebezohlushwa ukushoda kwamanzi aphuzwayo, futhi ukushoda kwamanzi ahlanzekile kungaholela ezifweni eziwubhubhane. Ngaphandle kokuvezwa komphumela obikezelwe, i-US yalwela ukugcina unswinyo ngqo kuze kufike ekuhlaseleni kwayo ngokungemthetho e-Iraq ngo-2003.
Bika Isikhangiso

Yize uTrump engowakamuva nje ukusongela isibalo sabantu ngokubulawa kwabantu, izibonelo ezingenhla zenza kucace ukuthi ubudlelwano base-US nokuqothulwa kohlanga buhlangene. Lokhu kubonakala ikakhulukazi ekusekeleni okwabiwe ngabaphathi baka-Obama noTrump kweSaudi Arabia njengoba iqhumisa i-Yemen futhi iphoqelela ukuvinjwa kwemikhumbi yamachweba e-Yemeni, okunomthelela enkingeni yabantu.

Inqubomgomo yase-US inemiphumela ebalulekile, evame ukubulala abantu emhlabeni wonke. Ekwenqabeni amandla eNkantolo Yamazwe Ngamazwe kanye Nenkantolo Yamacala Obugebengu Yamazwe Ngamazwe, i-US iqinisekise ukuthi ingenza ngokungajeziswa, nokuthi izikhulu zayo zingakwenza lokho ngokuvikeleka okungokoqobo. Kufanele siphonsele inselelo labo abavumela ubugebengu base-US bangaphandle nobasekhaya, noma ngabe osopolitiki, abezindaba, noma izifundiswa. Uma ukuziphendulela kungeke futhi kungaveli kwenye indawo, kufanele kuvele kubantu.

UJeff Bachman unguMfundisi WobuProfessor Wamalungelo Abantu kanye Nomqondisi Wohlelo Lwe-Ethics, Peace, kanye ne-Global Affairs MA e-American University's School of International Service. Uphinde abe ngumbhali wencwadi ezayo ethi The United States and Genocide: (Re) Defining the Relationship. Mlandele ku-Twitter @jeff_bachman.