Mongol Trial

                Overall, I really enjoyed this project. In my opinion, this project was a little bit harder for me because I’ve always been a nervous person when it comes to oral presentations or talking in front of people, but I was really impressed with myself. I managed to get up there, and although my voice was a bit shaky at first… I pulled it together and became much more confident and relaxed as it progressed and used a lot of historical evidence to back up my story! I was really happy with the way I presented my case as TWO witnesses, which wasn’t easy : ( but I have no regrets with my testimonies. However, what I do regret is the first cross-examination with Subedei because, I have to admit, it was sort of nerve-racking and although I held up my case, Billy proved some really good points. My second cross-examination went over a lot better and I think my responses helped our case regain some credibility, and I was sort of proud of myself with my whole, “ I WAS DEAD” comment : ). I was also extremely pleased with my team. Everyone did AWESOME! Sabrina’s statement was convincing, Mark and Nick did a good job at stumping the opposing witnesses, and my fellow witnesses did a good job at helping the defense.

                I came to a decision that I honestly think the Mongols were not horrible monster, in fact, I thought they were more along the lines of typical empire builders. Any empire and its leaders take risks and engage in wars in order to gain land and expand their growing society, it’s just the way things worked back then. It was inevitable. Yes, the Mongols did kill many in order to achieve their aspirations, but so did the Persians, Greeks, Romans and so on. They were aggressive and relentless, but also reasonable and fair at the same time. They never surprised attacked anyone, they used diplomatic approaches, civil interactions, and benevolent leadership to enlarge their empire.

                Completely disregarding the trial as a whole, I do not think the Mongols are guilty of the crimes of genocide, kidnapping, and terrorism. Although I’m generalizing a bit, these things are bound to happen during a state of war and it wasn’t just the Mongols who did it. I thought they proved themselves to be fair and humane leaders who did not persecute any racial group  and they were understanding of those who they conquered. Yes they killed, but they never did so without reason, provocation, or after genuinely attempting to attain diplomatic relations prior to the killing.