According to Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-born jurist who escaped Nazi Germany and served as an advisor to the U.S. War Department during World War II, genocide is defined as “…the systematic murder of an entire national, ethnic or religious group” (Vile). Despite the clarity that Lemkin's term genocide brings, the world still struggles to decide when to apply the word. This is clearly evidenced by the endless debate over the crisis in Darfur. Understanding that the crises in Darfur constitute genocide requires reflecting on the history of the crisis, recognizing the actions that constitute genocide, and assessing the responsibility of other countries for the crisis. The beginning of the history of the crisis began with the Civil War. war. Some believe that the high casualty and displacement statistics are the result of an incessant “…gurilla conflict” (Aliprandini) or civil war between Arab and non-Arab people, who are predominantly Sudanese of African origin , since Sudan gained its independence in 1956 (ProQuest). Arabs, mainly herders, and non-Arabs, generally farmers, 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 ranchers. As the drought worsened, African farmers stopped sharing land with Arab herders. Arab breeders suffered enormously. Some Arab shepherds tried to cultivate the land themselves, but without the proper tools and knowledge, most were unsuccessful. Other herdsmen stole the livestock of African farmers, which turned into a miniature civil war between the ...... middle of paper ...... February 27, 2011. Kramer, Otis and Rosalind Montanez -Muhinda. “Counterpoint: American options are limited in Darfur. » Point of view reference center. EBSCOhost, 2009. Web. March 6, 2011. 0Lerner, Adrienne, Brenda Lerner, and K. Lee Lerner. “The US Congress describes the situation as a “genocide” in Darfur” Human and civil rights: essential primary sources. Global Issues in Context, 2006. Web. February 27, 2011. Mamdan, Mahmood. “Genocide or civil war? » American Conservative Vol. 6 No. 14. SIRS Researcher, July 16, 2007. Web. February 28, 2011. Milkias, Paulos. “Crisis in Darfur: is intervention necessary? Issues: understanding controversy and society. ABCLIO, 2011. Web. March 2, 2011. ProQuest Staff. “Darfur: history.” World conflicts today. SIRS Researcher, 2011. Web. February 28, 2011. Vile, John. "genocide." Issues: understanding controversy and society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. March 7. 2011.