Genocide has happened often enough that it is a legitimate field of study, and a very important one at that. Dr. Gregory Stanton has made a study of it --all 55 instances of it he has identified.  Like hurricanes, they can be predicted. Unlike hurricanes, they can be prevented. And Iran is following the pattern. Mitch Ginsburg, in the Times of Israel, presents a fascinating and chilling description of what Stanton has discovered. Over the years Stanton realized that all genocides follow eight stages. They are, in this order: classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination and denial. Iran, he said, had classified and symbolized Israel through exclusionary ideology and hate speech; dehumanized it - "overcoming the normal human revulsion against murder" - by portraying the potential victims as a "cancer" in need of eradication; organized fanatical militias (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps); polarized the society by...(Read Full Post)