Genocide in the Context of War

The focus of this chapter is on exploring the connections between war and genocide. Since genocide tends to be perpetrated during wartime, I examine the conceptual and behavioral overlap between these two forms of collective violence, before defining and reviewing the concept of genocide. I then discuss the various ways in which war facilitates the perpetration of genocide because of the nature of military conflict and its impact on the communities and nations affected by the fighting, paying particular attention to the role of the state in perpetrating both war and genocide. I also examine the continuities between warfare and the creation of genocidal ideologies and policies, scapegoating, especially where groups defined as outsiders are concerned, and the targeting of civilians. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.