Genocide is the deliberate destruction, in whole or in part, of a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group through The crucial element is the specific intent (dolus specialis) to destroy the group, in whole or in part, not just cause general harm like specific acts like killing by Killing members of the group, Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, Imposing measures intended to imposing deadly conditions, preventing births within the group, or forcibly transferring children of the group to another group, causing severe damage, all done with the intent to destroy that group as such. Coined by Raphael Lemkin, the concept became legally defined by the UN Genocide Convention, focusing on targeted mass violence against specific protected groups, not random killings. Genocide requires organized structures (often state-led) capable of planning and executing mass atrocities. Events such as armed conflict or societal upheaval can serve as catalysts, shifting policy toward annihilation stemming from a mix of political factors, such as Resentment towards minority groups (like "middleman minorities") seen as exploiting the majority, coupled with desires for land and property, which fuel mass killings, social, and economic factors. , where weak states, unstable geopolitical environments, and authoritative powers seeking control or national purity often instigate genocide. , and psychological factors, frequently involving deep-seated hatred, extreme nationalism, coupled with ethnic/religious divisions, creates an "us vs. them" mentality where differences become threats to sovereignty, and ideological justifications perpetrators perceive their victims as existential threats where the Victims are portrayed as enemies, criminals, or subhuman, justifying violence as self-defense, punishment, or necessity, leading to dehumanization, scapegoating, and material motives like land or wealth, all enabled by weak governance, conflict, and power structures with the perpetrators often believe their group faces annihilation, making genocide seem like a necessary act of survival, even if based on exaggerated fears.