My initial thoughts on what to do for a paper that is going to be longer and more time-consuming than anything I've ever done are to pick something that is of great interest to me. Lately I have been following the presidency of Joseph Kabila of Congo and the continuing fallout from the Second Congo War that killed over 5 million people while the international world focused largely on the Middle East. A large faction of the forces involved is the Interahamwe militia that conducted the 1994 Rwanda genocide and fled across the border, never dealt with by the UN or international community and still active. This train of thought also led me to consider the Sudan, where a genocidal force is likewise operating with impunity from the UN and international forces. From this comes my initial list of topics.
-Role of propaganda in 1994 Rwanda genocide
-History and present whereabouts of Interahamwe
-Prosecutions relating to the 1994 genocide
-Modern prosecution of war criminals in general
-International criminal law and its reach
-Role of the UN legally in Rwanda and Sudan
-A synopsis of the Second Congo War and its effects
-Politics in ravaged African countries (Sudan/Rwanda/Congo/Uganda) and the interconnectedness of these countries
-Role of foreign countries in modern day genocides, possible intervention
-Path to intervention in genocide under international law
-Length of time reuired for legal intervention in genocide; why it took so long/ did not happen in Rwanda/Sudan as opposed to Bosnia
I like the idea of an international law-related project, as I do not particularly want to become a teacher with my English degree and law school is probably my next step, career wise. So I can choose a project that is both A) interesting and B) something that can be included in an application.
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Hi Eric,
ReplyDeleteYou're off to an interesting start. I think that UN law would be fascinating. Have you used the UC Law Library before? If you choose to pursue a law project you will be able to better acquaint yourself with case research. You might also perhaps look at some tribunal transcripts? I look forward to following your research journal!