1. US Government Statements on Genocide: A report exploring how, when, and why determinations of genocide are made
- Author:
- Todd F. Buchwald and Adam Keith
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Abstract:
- This report reviews the experience of the US government across recent decades in making decisions to say—or not to say—that genocide has occurred in a country. It reviews the political, policy, and legal difficulties that the US government has encountered in considering whether or not to do so. The report goes on to describe the circumstances in which the US government has considered and made such statements, the objectives to which supporters of such statements have pointed as reasons for making such statements, including to show solidarity with victims and to help mobilize a response to prevent further atrocities, and concerns and criticisms that have been offered of pursuing such statements. It then offers a series of recommendations aimed at helping US officials and congressional, civil society, and other advocates address future atrocity situations. To address these issues, the authors reviewed the public record concerning US policy regarding large-scale mass atrocities in recent decades, focusing on situations where available documents (including public remarks, internal US government documents that have been publicly released, and other studies) provided insight into whether and how the US government considered the applicability of the term “genocide.” The authors also reviewed a handful of recent situations where statements about genocide appear not to have been considered but arguably could have been. This research was supplemented by consultations with more than 60 individuals who were personally involved in the relevant situations, focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on former and current US government officials, as well as by reflections upon the authors’ experiences while working in the government on efforts to prevent and respond to genocide and other mass atrocity crimes.
- Topic:
- Genocide, International Law, and Atrocities
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America