Humanitarian professionals are frequently confronted – both directly in the field and indirectly through testimonies, images, and reports – with the consequences of extreme violence. Trying to comprehend how people can commit such acts often leaves us grappling with troubling questions about human behaviour, responsibility, and cruelty. This struggle is not only intellectually and morally disorienting; it can deepen emotional shock and contribute to stress, trauma, and burnout.
The 9/11 attacks, as well as the ones in Madrid, London, Paris and Brussels; the genocides in Nazi Germany, Rwanda and Cambodia; the torture in dictatorial regimes; the wars in former Yugoslavia, Syria and Iraq and currently in Ukraine; the sexual violence during periods of conflict, all make us wonder: why would anyone do something like that? Who are these people? Drawing on 30 years of research, Alette Smeulers published the book ‘Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities; Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?’. In it, she explores the perpetrators of mass atrocities such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and terrorism.
In this KUNO session, Smeulers will present findings from the book and place them in conversation with the realities of humanitarian professionals. The session aims to increase the understanding of perpetrators. If humanitarians can grasp some of the dynamics around the violence we are confronted with, then we can place/frame it better, which can in turn be a preventative measure for the wellbeing of humanitarians.
By examining questions of why people kill and torture and how mass atrocities can be explained, Smeulers presents a typology of perpetrators, with different ranks, roles and motives. The book combines insights from academic research with illustrative case studies of well-known perpetrators, from dictators to middlemen, to lower ranking officials and terrorists. Their stories are explored in depth as the book examines their behaviour and motivation.
- Alette Smeulers, Professor in international crimes, University of Groningen
The session is moderated by Benoit de Gryse, Director, Stichting Vluchteling
