Dictionary of Genocide - D Ank Unlimited

ACCELERATOR
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of God on earth and thus above the affairs of all other human beings—reached its zenith.
In its purest form, royal absolutism is resistant to the arbitrary temptations of tyranny, as
an absolutist ruler is invested with an aura of paternal responsibility toward the people
over whom he or she rules. In view of this, the system, though undemocratic, is one in
which the protection of the population from the excesses of government, at least in theory,
is the primary duty of the monarch.
Accelerator. The term accelerator refers to the worsening of a situation or grievance(s)
between or among groups, which, in turn, increases the probability of an event or incident
that could trigger the outbreak of violence or precipitate the start of a violent conflict.
Aché. In 1974, the International League for the Rights of Man and the Inter-American
Association for Democracy and Freedom issued the charge that the government of
Paraguay was complicit in genocide against the Guayaki Indians (Aché). In doing so, the
two organizations filed a complaint with the United Nations secretary-general in which
they listed a series of alleged violations that they claimed would ultimately lead to the disappearance
of the Guayaki ethnic group. Most of the killings—as well as the forcible
transfer of Aché children—had been committed by Paraguayan ranchers, farmers, and
laborers and not by members of the Paraguayan army or police forces. Some scholars and
activists argued at the time that de facto genocide had occurred and that the Paraguayan
government was responsible due to the fact that it had failed to adequately protect its
citizens. It was also argued that the Paraguayan government purposely disregarded the
actions against the Aché because it favored the opening up of lands for ranching, farming,
and other uses. During the debate that ensued over the plight and fate of the Aché,
it was argued by some that the issue of the “intent” to commit genocide was difficult, if
not impossible, to establish in a clear and decisive manner. Leo Kuper (1908–1994), an
early and noted genocide scholar, countered (in his book, Genocide: Its Political Use in the
Twentieth Century. New Haven, CT: Yale University, 1981) that intent could be imputed
when such killings and kidnapping had become an established practice, and, he continued,
the latter is exactly what the Aché had faced.
Actors. In international relations, an actor is any entity possessed of a distinctive individual
character (or “personality”), sufficient to enable it to play a role within the international
community. Most frequently, actors take the form of states, though actors can also
be intergovernmental or nongovernmental organizations, transnational corporate companies,
heads of state, or heads of global institutions. In the modern world, dominated by the
Westphalian states system (established in 1648 as a result of the Treaty of Westphalia at
the end of the Thirty Years’ War), it is still the state that serves as the primary actor in
international relations. Diplomatic recognition, and the relations that come from this,
form the foundation of interstate action today. Increasingly, however, nonstate actors—
ranging from movements for national independence such as the Kosovo Liberation Army
and the African National Congress, to alliance systems such as the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, to terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda or Jema’ah Islamiya, to international
bodies like the World Health Organization or the International Committee of the
Red Cross—are also considered as actors within international relations, though they do
not possess the same status as do states and are consequently often frozen out of negotiations
(or accorded only observer status) in multilateral dialogues. The roles of actors in
international relations are as multifaceted as the types of actors themselves, and it is anticipated
that the number of such roles will increase as the twenty-first century unfolds.