Genocide - Preventive Actions

 

  • A Policy for Preventing Genocide

    "It is hard to contemplate man's capacity for inhumanity without feeling despair. The world usually pays attention only after the killing has spun out of control, when ethnic, religious and political divides are rubbed so raw that the furies are infinitely harder to calm. By that point, the United States and others are faced with the agonizing choice of either intervening militarily or allowing the killing to go on. A report by a task force headed by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Defense Secretary William Cohen offers some hope, arguing that it is possible to prevent genocide before it spins out of control." -- from Website

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  • Aegis Trust: Preventing Crimes Against Humanity

    The mission of this news site is "[t]o work towards the prediction, prevention and ultimately the elimination of genocide for the benefit of mankind primarily through research, education and the dissemination of information and advice." -- from Website

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  • AfricaFiles

    AfricaFiles is a network of people committed to Africa through its promotion of human rights, economic justice, African perspectives and alternative analyses.

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  • Arms Embargo

    One of the best ways to limit the destructiveness of a dangerous conflict is to block the flow of additional weapons into an area. Arms embargos attempt to do that.

    Beyond Intractability Essay

  • Articles on Genocide and Genocide Prevention

    Genocide Watch provides a collection of aricles specifically addressing genocide and its prevention.

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  • Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation

    "The Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) is dedicated to building a worldwide community of policymakers with the tools and the commitment to address conflict before it turns into genocide." -- from Website

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  • Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

    The Genocide Convention was adopted by the UN in 1948 and defines genocide in legal terms; the culmination of years of campaigning by lawyer Raphael Lemkin.

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  • Deconstructing Political Will: Explaining the Failure to Prevent Deadly Conflict and Mass Atrocities

    After the Holocaust, many said "never again." But then there was Rwanda. And Cambodia. And Darfur. And no one (at least for a long time) intervened. Why not? "Lack of political will" is a common answer. But what is "political will" and why is it absent when it is so needed? This article explores this question.

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  • Engaging Religion in the Prevention of Genocide

    "The idea of engaging religious leaders and organizations in order to resist the spread of genocide has been ignored by those working in the growing field of genocide prevention. This idea, however, has... potential."

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  • Entrepreneurship, Sovereignty, and Violent Social Conflict

    This paper suggests ways in which the global system of the individual sovereign state can help address violent conflicts around the world. The sovereign state has been long studied in peace studies as being a driving factor in enacting or resolving violent conflicts. This article critiques aspects of the sovereign state model that is based on territorial-bases sovereignty and provides new concepts into global governance.

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  • Envisioning

    Envisioning is a process in which people try to see into the future--not only what they expect to happen, but what they would like to happen. In order to attain "peace," people must have an image of what "peace" would look like. Only then can they figure out what they need to do to get there.

    Beyond Intractability Essay

  • Genocide Prevention Project

    "The Genocide Prevention Project seeks to build the public will to call on the international community to take meaningful actions when 'early warning' indicators signal possible onset of mass-scale atrocity crimes, and to mobilize resources to avert or halt such ongoing crises and protect civilians from mass atrocity crimes. The focus is on public education and advocacy." -- from Website

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  • Genocide Prevention Task Force

    "The Genocide Prevention Task Force was launched on November 13, 2007 and released its report to the public on December 8, 2008. It was jointly convened by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, The American Academy of Diplomacy, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. It was funded by private foundations. Its goals were: (1) To spotlight genocide prevention as a national priority; and; (2) To develop practical policy recommendations to enhance the capacity of the U.S. government to respond to emerging threats of genocide and mass atrocities." -- from Website

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  • Genocide Watch

    Genocide Watch exists to predict, prevent, stop, and punish genocide and other forms of mass murder. We seek to raise awareness and influence public policy concerning potential and actual genocide. Our purpose is to build an international movement to prevent and stop genocide.

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  • How Africa's Internal Wars Ended: Lessons for Prevention?

    This paper asks what might be learned about prevention, or mitigation, from the ways in which continental Africa's internal wars ended. By comparing information on 19 internal wars in post-colonial Africa, this article makes conclusions on the outcomes of such internal conflicts, some of which have not yet ended, as well as makes observations on the future of peacemaking in these areas.

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  • Institute for the Study of Genocide

    "The Institute for the Study of Genocide is an independent nonprofit organization chartered by the University of the State of New York, located at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. The ISG exists to promote and disseminate scholarship and policy analyses on the causes, consequences, and prevention of genocide. It was founded in 1982 to fill a gap in both the scholarly and the human rights communities which did not recognize the continued prevalence of genocide. To advance these ends, it publishes a semi-annual newsletter and working papers, and initiated study of life-integrity violations cross-nationally. It holds periodic conferences, maintains liason with academic, human rights, and refugee organizations, provides consultation to representatives of media, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and advocates passage of legislation and administrative measures related to genocide and gross violations of human rights." -- from Website

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  • International Association of Genocide Scholars

    "The International Association of Genocide Scholars is a global, interdisciplinary, non-partisan organization that seeks to further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, and advance policy studies on prevention of genocide. The Association, founded in 1994, meets to consider comparative research, important new work, case studies, the links between genocide and other human rights violations, and prevention and punishment of genocide. A central aim of the Association is to draw academics, activists, artists, genocide survivors, journalists, jurists, public policy makers, and other colleagues into the interdisciplinary study of genocide, with the goal of prevention." -- from Website

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  • Nation-Building and Conflict in Modern Africa

    Nation-building has long been seen as an important focus for post-colonial African governments. However, up until now there has been no empirical analysis of either the origins or consequences of these policies. Here we compile an original dataset measuring nine different types of nation-building policies. Using Ordinary Least Squares regressions, we first show that nation-building policies are correlated with larger states and British colonialism. We then use logistic regressions to test the effect of such policies on civil wars using two different datasets of civil wars, and and no evidence that such policies have helped to prevent civil war.

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  • New Steps to Prevent Genocide

    Lawrence Woocher discusses President Barack Obama's recent announcement on new steps to prevent mass atrocities, including the creation of initiatives like the Atrocities Prevention Board. Woocher explains the significance of the announcement as well as the implications for U.S policy with regards to the responsibility to protect.

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  • Options for the Prevention of Genocide: Strategies and Examples for Policy-Makers

    This article explains the process of genocide as well as the process of prevention, explaining the proper instances of prevention at particular violent stages. The authors use case study examples to illustrate the idea of the mitigation and prevention process.

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  • Peace Operations and the Prevention of Genocide

    "This article discusses the potential and limitations of peace operations in the prevention of genocide. Peace operations encompass a wide range of military and police actions with nontraditional military goals, typically taken under multilateral auspices. These operations have grown in number and complexity in recent years, and current trends point to their playing an ever-growing role with respect to genocide prevention." -- from Website

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  • Prevent Genocide International

    "Prevent Genocide International is a global education and action network established in 1998 with the purpose of bringing about the elimination of the crime of genocide. The organization makes particular use of the Internet as a way of linking persons around the world in a transnational network of global civic engagement and action." -- from Website

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  • Preventing Genocide: How the Early Use of Force Might have Succeeded in Rwanda

    "Based on the presentations by the panel and other research, the author believes that a modern force of 5,000 troops, drawn primarily from one country and sent to Rwanda sometime between April 7 and 21, 1994, could have significantly altered the outcome of the conflict. Although the organized combatant factions in Rwanda were fairly capable light infantry and such an operation would have entailed significant risk, the introduction of a combat force large enough to seize, at one time, key objectives all over the country would have, in the words of one senior officer, 'thrown a wet blanket over an emerging fire.' More specifically, forces appropriately trained, equipped, and commanded, and introduced in a timely manner, could have stemmed the violence in and around the capital, prevented its spread to the countryside, and created conditions conducive to the cessation of the civil war between the RPF and RGF." -- from Website

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  • Preventing Interpersonal Violence

    This essay examines what can be done to prevent violence at the interpersonal and small group level (as opposed to the international level). The prevention of family violence, gang violence, and violence in the schools are examples of topics considered in this essay.

    Beyond Intractability Essay

  • Preventing Mass Atrocities: An Agenda for Policymakers and Citizens

    It is not enough for governments and the world community to agree that genocide and mass atrocities must not happen. Policymakers must be convinced that preventing mass violence is both possible and in their own political interests.

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  • Preventive Diplomacy and International Violence Prevention

    Violence prevention has evolved from being focused almost exclusively on short-term interventions. It now refers to long-term initiatives that target the root causes of conflict.

    Beyond Intractability Essay

  • Problem-Solving Workshops

    In a problem solving workshop, carefully chosen representatives from all sides meet with a third party panel to analyze the conflict and develop possible solutions. The process usually focuses on human needs and is more analytical than other similar approaches.

    Beyond Intractability Essay

  • Revised and Updated Report on the Question of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

    This website provides the full account of the Uniter Nations Economic and Social Council of Commission on Human Rights thirty-eighth session on the prevention of discrimination and protection of minorities.

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  • Risk Assessment and Early Warning and Their Uses for Prevention: Three Mini Case Studies

    This article is included in the Genocide Prevention Advisory Network that discusses the countires that the author feels to be at risk of genocide. The article addresses the gaps concerning prevention and early detection of genocide, as well as describes the early warning risk assessment model. The author provides three case studies to illustrate her point.

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  • Stop Genocide Now

    "Stop Genocide Now (SGN) seeks to change the way the world responds to genocide by putting a face to the numbers of dead, dying and displaced.SGN is a grassroots community dedicated to working to protect populations in grave danger of violence, death and displacement resulting from genocide. Through active education, advocacy and policy change SGN resolves to change the way the world responds to genocide. SGN is currently focused on creating awareness and action to stop the genocide in Darfur and deal appropriately with its aftermath. All of our projects focus on and utilize the strength and power in grassroots connectivity." -- from Website

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  • Task Force on the United Nations

    "How is the United Nations fulfilling its mandate? In December 2004, Congress directed USIP to create a Task Force on the United Nations to assess this vital question and to recommend an actionable agenda." -- from Website

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  • The European Center for Conflict Prevention

    The European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP) is the international secretariat of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), which most of ECCP's activities currently center on.The ECCP is a non-governmental organisation that promotes effective conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies, and actively supports and connects people working for peace worldwide. As the secretariat, the ECCP proactively provides services to the network. It coordinates and supports its activities with particualr attention to priority programmatic areas.

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  • The Genocide Prevention Advisory Network

    The Advisory Group is an informal, international network of experts on the causes, consequences, and prevention of genocide and other mass atrocities. The Group has no staff, structure, or formal links to other organizations. Its members provide risk assessments and advice to all interested parties, including the UN, individual governments, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations, and any other international political grouping that designs and promotes policies aimed at preventing and mitigating mass atrocities that have or may acquire genocidal dimensions.

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  • The Impossible Mandate? Military Preparedness, the Responsibility to Protect, and Modern Peace Operations

    The particular focus of Tori Holt and Toby Berkman is moving from the lofty rhetoric of civilian protection to the practical issues for a military role, such as developing doctrine and training for forces deployed in peace operations. They explain why R2P, for all its compelling logic, actually falls through the cracks of planning and doctrine for peacekeeping missions, and offer some concrete suggestions for preventing such lacunae in the international community's responses to conflict. They also provide a useful guide to the range of concepts associated with civilian protection, and important insight into how military culture and practice translate the concept into actionable guidance to troops in the field.

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  • Truth Commissions

    Truths commissions are official groups endowed with the authority to extensively investigate the human rights abuses and war crimes committed in a specific country or region during a specified time period.

    Beyond Intractability Essay