“When I first went to Rwanda, I was reading a book called Civil War, which had been receiving great critical acclaim. Writing from an immediate post-Cold War perspective, the author, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, a German, observed, “The most obvious sign… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share Image
“Like Leontius, the young Athenian in Plato, I presume that you are reading this because you desire a closer look, and that you, too,… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“…the war about the genocide was truly a postmodern war: a battle between those who believed that because the realities we inhabit are constructs… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“As far as the political, military, and economic interests of the world’s powers go, (Rwanda) might as well be Mars. In fact, Mars is… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“...great and sustained destruction requires great ambition. It must be conceived as the means toward achieving a new order, and although the idea behind… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“An animal will kill, but never to completely annihilate a race, a whole collectively. What does this make us in this world?” — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“Killing Tutsis was a political tradition in postcolonial Rwanda; it brought people together.” — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
The West's post-Holocaust pledge that genocide would never again be tolerated proved to be hollow, and for all the fine sentiments inspired by the… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“My definition of a good book is one that you would read for pleasure despite having no prior interest in the subject. The ostensible… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“Just as a state's police swear to prevent and punish murder, so the signers of the Genocide Convention [in 1948] swore to police a… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“When you're that resigned and oppressed you're already dead. It shows the genocide was prepared for too long. I detest this fear. These victims… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“Colonisation is violence, and there are many ways to carry out that violence. In addition to military and administrative chiefs and a veritable army… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
The people are living seperately together," he said. "So there is responsibility. I cry, you cry. You cry, I cry. We all come running,… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
Political corruption is to Rhode Islanders as smog is to people who live in Los Angeles: nobody complains of its absence, but when it… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
“So there is responsibility. I cry, you cry. We all come running, and the one that stays quiet, the one that stays home, must… — Philip Gourevitch Copy Share
