2020/04/21 by Jeffrey S. Bachman · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Global Peace and Security Dynamics #International Law and Human Rights #War, Ethics, and Justification
paper · doi:10.1080/14623528.2020.1756558
openalex publication_date 2020/04/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
This review article asks: what is the relationship between war and genocide, as determined by scholars in the field of genocide studies? Where explored in the literature, there is a consensus that war and genocide often share time and space, and that war conditions can act as an enabler of genocide. However, beyond these areas of convergence in the literature, scholars diverge on whether genocide can be committed as part of violence perpetrated in war. Some scholars argue that war and genocide are wholly distinct acts with distinct intentions. Other scholars claim that some types of war and associated methods of warfare may be genocidal based on their indiscriminate nature and destructive capacities. Nonetheless, one commonality ties together these two schools of thought on the relationship between war and genocide – only “innocent defenseless civilians” can be victims of genocide. This article challenges this notion by arguing that military personnel, too, can be victims of genocide, and develops four schools of thought on the relationship between war and genocide based on scholarly positions in the literature.