According to Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-born jurist who fled Nazi Germany and served as an advisor to the United States War Department during World War II, genocide is defined as “...the systematic murder of an entire citizen, ethnic or religious group” (Vile). Despite the clarity that Lemkin's term genocide brings with it, the world still has difficulty deciding when to apply the word. This is clearly evidenced by the never-ending debate over the crisis in Darfur. To understand that the crisis in Darfur is a genocide, it is necessary to reflect on the history of the crisis, recognize the actions that constitute genocide, and evaluate the responsibility of other countries in relation to the crisis. The beginning of the history of the crisis began with war. There are those who believe that the high number of victims and displacement statistics are the result of a relentless “…gurilla conflict” (Aliprandini) or civil war between the Arab and non-Arab peoples, who are predominantly native African Sudanese, since Sudan gained its independence in 1956 (ProQuest). Arabs, who are mainly pastoralists, and non-Arabs, who are generally farmers, have coexisted for many years (Lerner). In 1984 a brutal drought hit Dafur. Before the drought, farmers let herders use the land for grazing. Due to the drought, there was less land for grazing and agriculture, creating great tension and competition between farmers and herders. As the drought worsened, African farmers stopped sharing land with Arab herders. The Arab shepherds suffered immensely. Some Arab herders attempted to cultivate the land themselves, but without the proper tools or knowledge most were unsuccessful. Other herders stole livestock from African farmers, which turned into a miniature civil war between... middle of paper......February 27, 2011. Kramer, Otis, and Rosalind Montanez-Muhinda. “Counterpoint: US Options Limited in Darfur.” Reference center Points of view. EBSCOhost, 2009. Web. March 6, 2011. 0Lerner, Adrienne, Brenda Lerner, and K. Lee Lerner. "United States Congressional Conditions on the Darfur 'Genocide' Situation" Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources. Global Issues in Context, 2006. Web. 27 February 2011.Mamdan, Mahmood. "Genocide or civil war?" American Conservative Vol. 6 No. 14. SIRS Researcher, 16 July 2007. Web. 28 February 2011. Milkias, Paulos. "Crisis in Darfur: is intervention necessary?" Issues: Understanding the controversy and the company. ABCLIO, 2011. Web. March 2, 2011. ProQuest Staff. "Darfur: History." World conflicts today. SIRS Researcher, 2011. Web. 28 February 2011. Vile, John. "genocide." Issues: Understanding the controversy and the company. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 7 March. 2011.