Time To Call Kyrgyzstan "Unrest" What It Is

The nation of Kyrgyzstan is burning right now. Hundreds of ethnic Uzbeks have died at the hands of marauding bands of ethnic Kyrgyz, with 100,000 more fleeing the country. The eyes of the world have rightly turned to a part of the world normally considered a backwater.

However, few have taken to calling the atrocities what they are -- genocide.

People are being killed and uprooted for no other reason than their genetic makeup -- and the situation shows no signs of de-escalation. The body count at the moment is relatively low, as far as genocides go, but that merely makes it a "small genocide." And small genocides are no small thing.

Maybe it's because Kyrgyzstan isn't a trendy humanitarian destination like Africa, or perhaps because the Kyrgyz seem to lack the raw sadism of the machete-wielding Hutu mobs in Rwanda. It could just be because most people have never heard of the place. But it's time to wise up and realize that this is not your average post-Soviet political violence. This is ethnic butchery -- and the international community will eventually have another Rwanda on its hands if action is not taken.

So, the question becomes, does "never again" really mean "never?"