While many of us were in our cradles, 800,000 people perished in Rwanda. Hutu extremists launched a campaign of systematic slaughter against Hutu moderates and the Tutsi minority, gripping the country in the single bloodiest genocide since the Holocaust.
At that time, the United States towered atop the international system in a “unipolar moment” of post-Cold War triumph; only three years before, a U.S.-led international coalition had reversed Saddam Hussein’s aggression in the Persian Gulf War, a vigorous defense of Kuwaiti sovereignty. Many believed that the new wave of emerging liberal, capitalist democracies would usher in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity, with one prominent political theorist going so far as to proclaim an “end of history”.
And yet, despite briefings on the turmoil in Rwanda, President Clinton didn’t lift a finger to help. He wrung his hands, insisting that there was nothing he could do. His administration prohibited direct application of the term “genocide.” Susan Rice, then a mid-level bureaucrat serving as the Clinton administration’s point-person on peacekeeping, questioned how intervention would influence the 1994 midterm elections and urged a minimal response.
Although humanitarian crises continue to smolder in Syria, Iraq, Burundi and the Central African Republic, the U.S. government has transitioned out of its hesitance to engage in these conflicts.
In fact, the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities now stands as an essential, bipartisan element of American foreign policy.
In his second term, President Clinton launched an intervention against ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. President Bush, feeling pressure from evangelical Christians on the right and student activists on the left, took an active role in negotiating ceasefires and political settlements to reduce the violence in Darfur and South Sudan. President Obama has appointed Samantha Power, a former war correspondent who literally “wrote the book” on American foreign policy and genocide, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Furthermore, President Obama formally introduced atrocity prevention as a “core national security interest and moral responsibility of the United States” in his 2011 Presidential Study Directive on Mass Atrocities. In the past year, presidential candidates from across the political spectrum have specifically decried the Islamic State’s killing of Christians and Yazidis, an encouraging sign that combatting mass atrocities remains a bipartisan mission.
In 2012, the Obama administration created the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB), an inter-agency entity tasked with monitoring and mitigating mass atrocities by facilitating information-sharing and coordination amongst U.S. government officials. Each month, high-ranking officials from the Department of State, Defense, Treasury, CIA, FBI, USAID and National Security Council convene to discuss emerging crises. The APB itself has the authority to conduct early warning analyses in potential crisis zones and to recommend a coordinated, agency-specific government plan of action.
Preventative institutions and response mechanisms like the APB mark a welcome departure from the United States’ prior record of hesitation and ill-preparedness. But the upcoming presidential transition may be a time of peril for these new institutions.
As it stands, the Atrocities Prevention Board is only a temporary entity within the U.S. government rather than a permanent structure. To permanently institutionalize the APB and solidify the United States’ commitment to preventing genocide and mass atrocities, Congress must act. Ensuring that atrocity prevention does not fall through the cracks in 2017 is the responsibility of both U.S. citizens and our elected representatives.
For this reason, we are pleased that Senators Cardin (D-MD) and Tillis (R-NC) will introduce the bipartisan Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act in the near future. This legislation achieves three key objectives: first, it institutionalizes the Atrocities Prevention Board; second, it reauthorizes the Complex Crises Fund, a USAID initiative that provides dynamic funding to respond to emerging crises; and third, it requires atrocity prevention training for all Foreign Service Officers. This legislation represents a critical step forward in our nation’s atrocity prevention trajectory.
Senator Tillis is a champion of atrocity prevention. As one of two senators from North Carolina, he represents almost 40,000 service members and military families who live and work at Fort Bragg. Tillis understands that the forces of United States Special Operations Command, headquartered at Fort Bragg, would likely be on the front lines of any effort to intervene to stop genocide, war crimes or other crimes against humanity. That’s why, when North Carolina students brought the legislation to Senator Tillis, he quickly grasped the bill’s significance and moved to support it. To safeguard our troops and save countless lives, it’s best to monitor these crises before they escalate.
We urge Senator Burr to stand with Senator Tillis in this noble cause and become an original co-sponsor on this bill. A united front from North Carolina’s senators would send a strong message on atrocity protection: it’s best for our state, our troops and our world.
As students studying at both Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, we are proud of North Carolina’s existing commitment to ending global atrocity crimes and hope to see this trend continue. One of us voted for Senator Tillis in 2014, while the other typically supports Democratic candidates. Regardless, both of us wholeheartedly applaud his leadership and hope that Senator Burr will soon follow suit.
We will continue to press for the United States to leverage its global influence in a proactive, informed, engaged and humanitarian manner. As advocates, students and citizens, we believe this legislation brings the United States one step closer to fulfilling its ethical and strategic commitment to ending the scourge of mass atrocities. Let’s ensure that the 21st century is kinder and gentler than the last.
To thank Senator Tillis for his involvement, call his D.C. office at (202) 224-6342, email him or tweet @ThomTillis.
To urge Senator Burr to follow suit, call his D.C. office at (202) 224-3154, email him or tweet @SenatorBurr.
Matthew King is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs alternate Mondays. Savannah Wooten is a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is the Education and Policy Coordinator at STAND: The Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities.
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