Pledge to Join the Movement to Prevent Genocide
This is a guest-post from Mark Hanis, the Founder and President of the Genocide Intervention Network.
You’ve probably heard George Clooney speak about the genocide in Darfur. You might have seen the atrocities in Eastern Congo outlined on 60 Minutes a few nights ago. Those crises – some of the worst in the world – have dragged on for years, despite being in full view of the public eye.
In response, hundreds of thousands of people have come together to declare collectively that genocide must end. The movement has been successful to some degree. It has demonstrated to policymakers that citizens do care about protecting people half a world away and will hold them accountable for their action or inaction in the face of ongoing atrocities. It has forced the issue of genocide out of the foreign policy abyss and into the spotlight of political relevance for the first time in history.
But what would happen today if another genocide or mass atrocity were to break out somewhere across the globe?
The sad truth is – probably nothing, at least not until the fatalities grew so large that they reached “Darfur status” or became “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” Only after hundreds of thousands of lives were lost and homes ruined would a new conflict become “bad enough” to warrant our attention.
The reality is that it is extremely difficult – and much costlier - to solve a crisis of such magnitude once it is in full bloom. For example, the United States has invested nearly $15 billion in Bosnia to support peacekeeping forces in the years since we belatedly intervened to stop mass atrocities.
Recognizing this, on December 8, 2008 – exactly one week short of a year from today - a bipartisan task force of former top government officials, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, released a report detailing how the United States government could better prepare itself to prevent genocide and mass atrocities: "Preventing Genocide: A Blueprint for U.S. Policy Makers."
One of the key principles of the report –I’m paraphrasing here – was the idea that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is, it’s much cheaper and easier to protect people by applying resources in the first few days or weeks of an unfolding crises than it is to intervene down the line, when the situation is intrenched.
The report was groundbreaking because it identified, for the first time, ways in which the US government could better prepare itself to prevent genocide. The recommendations, made by former executive officials, are specific and tangible.
The movement to end genocide and mass atrocities must continue to exert pressure to bring peace to Sudan, Eastern Burma, Democratic Republic of Congo, and each of the ongoing areas of concern around the world. But it would be shortsighted not to look ahead and recognize that to truly build a world without genocide, we must ensure that our government is equipped with the tools and resources to effectively prevent genocide, not just react to it.
Adopting the recommendations made in the task force’s report - released almost a year ago – is crucial to preventing future crises. Unfortunately, since last December there has been very little progress made.
It is unacceptable to me that the US government – led by a President who pledged to address the ongoing genocide in Darfur with “unstinting resolve” - remains unprepared to effectively prevent another genocide from breaking out.
That is why, starting today, Genocide Intervention Network is hosting a national canvass to prevent genocide. This week, people all across the country will be talking to neighbors, organizing community events, and doing everything they can to raise the public awareness and the support we'll need to build the movement to prevent genocide.
Already, more than 30,000 people have pledged to join the movement to prevent genocide. I am asking you to join the movement and make your pledge. It’s as simple as adding your name.
To lead or join a canvass in your area: http://www.ipledge2protect.org/canvass
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