The history of humankind is riddled with acts of violence and brutal massacres. Humans have found innumerable ways to inflict pain and torture upon one another and countless ways to murder targeted groups of people. Individuals and organizations have studied this baser nature of man and are struggling to understand it with the hope that a solution for its elimination will be found.

          The act of genocide was not referred to as "genocide" until 1943 when the renowned international jurist, Raphael Lemkin, coined the word from the Greek "genos" meaning race or tribe and the Latin suffix "cide" meaning to kill. Lemkin described a number of cases throughout history in which a group was targeted for extermination by means of a calculated systematic plan, simply because of its religion, ethnic, or racial origin.

          Although other authorities have modified Lemkin's definition in a number of ways, with this one simple word he succeeded in raising the consciousness level of many human rights advocates, scholars, jurists and the world at large, into examining what many people consider to be the darkest side of human nature.

          The Genocide Factor will cover in-depth organized massacres that occurred in America, Argentina, the Balkans, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, China, Croatia, East Timor, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Herero, Iraq, Ireland, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mexico, Nazi Germany, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tibet, Turkey, as well as organized killings of innocent bystanders recorded in the Bible and documented in history.

          With the aid of scholars, experts and survivors, The Genocide Factor examines the definition and complex dimensions of genocide by reviewing its history, its present status, and contemplating its future.