Genocide In Rwanda
The more you improve in any of the habits that lead to independence, the more effective you will be in independent situations. Synergy simply defined means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Covey, 2004). The genocide has left a legacy of unanswered questions and uncorrected failures. The international community cannot hide behind euphemisms.
The reluctance to use the word “genocide” because of the moral horror it carries and the intervention it demands does not change realities on the ground. It did not spare the United States accusations of shameful paralysis during the Rwandan genocide, and it will not protect the international community from the judgment of history for mass murder now or in the future. Recognizing the need to respond appropriately to such situations, President Obama created the Atrocities Prevention Board in 2012 (Board, 2014). President Obama, who was not President during The Genocide in Rwanda, saw the need as a leader to take the lead in a situation that to some was still being ignored by international leadership.
The way that Steven Covey speaks on synergy can be applied to leadership in the case of leaders taking action after the Genocide such as President Obama did. Valuing the social, mental, and emotional differences between citizens of the U.S. and those of Rwanda could be the source of creating an environment that is completely fulfilling for each person that nurtures the self-esteem and self-worth of each that creates opportunities for each to mature into independence and then gradually into interdependence (Covey, 2004).
The prevention board formed by President Obama post era of the Rwandan Genocide yet is a proactive measure to future genocide. The Atrocities Prevention Board was formed on April 23, 2012, to ensure that genocide and mass atrocity prevention are a priority at the highest levels of the U.S. government. It is meant to provide a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to identify and address atrocity threats and oversee institutional changes to prevent genocide and mass atrocities (The Atrocities Prevention Board, 2015). Once again Synergy creates an environment that is truly fulfilling and nurtures self-worth.