Undoing the Group’s Fabric: Social Disintegration as a Possible Manifestation of Genocidal Intent

Abstract

The fundamental element of genocide, the special intent “to destroy” a protected group, has given rise to two possible readings of its scope. A narrow view limits intended destruction to physical and biological forms only, while a broad approach dictates that the intent can be manifested in the desired social disintegration of a human group, i.e., destruction as a social unit. This debate as to the potential place of social disintegration within the intent element remains far from being settled in the contemporary law of genocide, and direct and rigorous analysis of the issue in the jurisprudence and doctrine has been relatively rare. The present article aims to remedy this gap by elucidating the essence of genocidal intent through fundamental rules of treaty interpretation. It concludes that nothing in the ordinary meaning of the term “to destroy” in its context, in light of the Genocide Convention’s object and purpose, as well as the travaux préparatoires limits intended destruction to physical and biological forms only. It further explains how, despite seemingly contradictory wording of reasoning common to case-law of international tribunals, the latter, too, intentionally or not, implied a broad reading of the intended destruction in their analysis. The article points to the apparent recurrent and widespread confusion between “destruction” in the sense of modus operandi of underlying acts and “destruction” in the meaning of the intent (i.e., intended outcome). Finally, it provides for important considerations as to why reading social disintegration into the genocidal intent favors the soundest possible interpretation of the law of genocide.