Genocide, after all, is an exercise in community building. A vigorous totalitarian order requires that people be invested in the leaders' scheme, and while genocide may be the most perverse and ambitious means to this end, it is also the most comprehensive. In 1994, Rwanda was regarded in much of the rest of the world as the exemplary instance of the chaos and anarchy associated with collapsed states. In fact, the genocide was the product of order, authoritarianism, decades of modern political theorizing ans indoctrination, and one of the most meticulously administered states in history.
The quote highlights the paradox of genocide as a tool for community building within a totalitarian regime. It suggests that for such regimes to maintain control, there must be a strong communal investment in the leaders' objectives. While genocide is an extreme method, it effectively enforces loyalty and unity among the perpetrators while fulfilling the totalitarian leaders' vision.
In the context of Rwanda in 1994, the genocide was misinterpreted as a result of disorder; however, it stemmed from a highly organized and authoritarian state. This event reveals that genocide can arise from a structured society, influenced by decades of political theory and indoctrination, making it one of the most systematically executed atrocities in history.
