ABSTRACT
This chapter is a careful examination of the antecedents of the ethnic and cultural genocide that has been inflicted upon Chaldean and Assyrian Christians and Yazidis among others in Northern Iraq and Syria. It is an ongoing saga of human misery and crimes against humanity. The depopulation of ancient civilizations and willful destruction of diverse cultural and religious identities begs the question, Quo Vadis? There are many fissures in the makeup of governmental and local authority in Northern Iraq and Syria, which has enabled extremists to gain a foothold. Ongoing battles to determine the fate of millions trapped are yet to be concluded. Nevertheless it is necessary to examine the role of ideology, use of media and belief that has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe—where indeed—as noted by Voltaire in a different time and context, “If we believe in absurdities we shall commit atrocities.”
