Just as the cenotaphs act as a lasting memorial to the sacrifice of fallen troops in wartime ("lest we forget"), Auschwitz is a lasting, and graphic, reminder, focal point and symbol, of "mans inhumanity to man".Hideous and macabre it may be, but as a species we have a regretably short memory for some things, and lasting symbols are important.
The world needs such graphic reminders of just how inhuman societies and cultures can be, leading to a stated aim of genocide.Military actions in recent years from around the globe, in Bosnia and Serbia, in Darfur, in Iraq, all show that xenophobia, distrust of others and tribalism are still the visceral driving force of humankind. Whilst this remains, symbols such as Auschwitz remain indispensable.