Fundamentals of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention

by Scott Straus

Fundamentals of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention presents key insights into US and international efforts to prevent genocide and mass atrocities worldwide. Since the Holocaust and World War II, an international community of policy makers, scholars, and activists has developed a loose network of norms, institutions, and policy tools to prevent and respond to acts of mass violence against civilians. Fundamentals analyzes the normative, legal, and operational opportunities and challenges associated with preventing genocide and mass atrocities to date, and identifies unresolved issues in this nascent field of study and practice. It also offers important insights into opportunities to strengthen both our understanding of and our ability to implement policies and programs to stop the world’s worst violence.

Geared toward practitioners and students seeking a preliminary introduction to key issues, this volume surveys research and policy questions at the heart of efforts to prevent genocide and mass atrocities. Among these questions are:

How are genocide and mass atrocity defined?
Why do genocide and mass atrocities occur?
What are the tools available to policy makers to prevent genocide and mass atrocities?
How can societies be rebuilt after genocide and mass atrocities?
How has the international community responded to atrocities in the past, and how can we think about trends in violence that might drive more effective future responses?

This volume will make these dilemmas approachable for an expanding community of activists, graduate and undergraduate students, scholars, policy makers, and civil society leaders.

"In this timely and engaging book, Straus surveys the theory and practice of atrocities prevention and response. Demonstrating his breadth as a scholar, Straus draws from the interdisciplinary academic research and a range of real-world case studies to catalog the various legal and policy tools available to those working in at-risk or emerging atrocity situations. This text is essential reading for anyone committed to the atrocities prevention imperative, as a policymaker, aid worker, diplomat, or academic."

–Beth Van Schaack, Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor in Human Rights, Stanford Law School, and former Senior Adviser, Office of Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State

About the Author

Scott Straus is professor of political science and international studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His most recent book is Making and Unmaking Nations: War, Leadership, and Genocide in Modern Africa (Cornell University Press, 2015).

Genres: History

281 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent breakdown of the differnt levels and depths of how atrocities occur, who promulgates them, and the different tools and mechanisms that can be used to prevent/stop them. I do wish that the author spent more time dsicussing the nuances of state sovereignty and how that conflicts with the international laws and norms he spends a chapter discussing. Overall, informative and well received.

[Nathan Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the study of genocide prevention. It was broad to the extent that I often got lost. Would have liked more focus on examples and specific references to other authors. I thought the book's strongest point was the chapter on Justice and Accountability which talked extensively about South Africa's Truth Commission. Great graphs and charts!!!