Genocide Prevention

The Genocide Prevention Task Force led by co-chairs former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen recently released Preventing Genocide: A Blueprint for U.S. Policymakers. A joint project of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Endowment of the United States Institute of Peace, the goal of the report is to "identify practical steps to enhance the capacity of the U.S. government to prevent and respond to genocide and mass atrocities. " The year 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the 20th anniversary of its ratification by the United States. The report discusses five domains for the U.S. government to consider in developing and deploying effective prevention strategies:

• Early warning: assessing risks and triggering action.
  
• Early prevention: engaging before the crisis.
  
• Preventive diplomacy: halting and reversing escalation.
  
• Employing military options.
  
• International action: strengthening norms and institutions.