Author: U.S. Ignores Genocide

The American government and its citizens often ignore genocide around the world, according to Samantha Power, director of the Carr Center of Human Rights at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Power, the author of “A Problem from Hell: American and the Age of Genocide,” spoke to nearly 100 faculty members and students at Barristers Hall at the Boston University School of Law yesterday as part of the “Brown Bag Lunch” series.

“A Problem from Hell” chronicles the atrocities committed on Rwandans, Armenians, Cambodians, Bosnians, Jews and Iraqi Kurds, and analyzes American indifference and lack of involvement in spite of Holocaust memories.

Razi Diab, a Foreign Law master’s student at the BU School of Law, said there are many more issues than just the one in Rwanda, which was the focus of the lecture, but prevention of genocide is the main concern.

“There is no point in remembering the Holocaust if we are still going to allow this to happen again and again,” Diab said.

Power said there are two types of U.S. reactions to genocide around the world. Bystanding is the more common response, where denial is the method of ignoring the issue. Upstanding is when action is taken, but this isn’t often invoked, according to Power.

“Many people are afraid once they dip their toe in, their whole body will get submerged,” Power said.

This attitude, she explained, has prevented action from being taken and caused genocide to continue around the world.

The American government has failed to take a role in genocidal situations, Power said. It took 19 years for a genocide convention to be ratified in the U.S., decades after it had been established in other countries, Power said, drawing a gasp from her listeners.

Anne Marie Nicolas, a Foreign Law master’s student, said she feels aware of the genocide because it is more publicized in Europe, specifically in her native France.

“[In France] it is in the newspapers, the magazines, everywhere,” Nicolas said. “The European countries are smaller and close together. Americans are very isolated and have more of an island mentality.”

Rebecca Johnson, a first-year BU law student, had not yet read Power’s book, but said she plans to after hearing Power speak.

“I’d like to know more about what triggers the American government to get involved in some cases of genocide, like World War II, but avoid others like the situation in Rwanda,” Johnson said.

One of two ways to get things done, according to Power, is to have enlightened leadership. Another step to take toward eradicating genocide is to arouse political interest.

“This,” she said, looking out at the crowd, “is where we can come in.”