Preventing genocide and mass atrocities is a core moral responsibility for the United States, and a national security interest, President Barack Obama said Thursday. Obama issued a directive to set up an Atrocities Prevention Board.
He said the interagency will serve several purposes, including raising awareness of and preventing mass atrocities and genocides, notifying decision makers of potential mass atrocities, and rallying allies to share responsibilities.
Obama identified the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda as examples of atrocities to prevent from happening again.
The president said responses to genocide are not limited to taking military action but can range from “economic to diplomatic interventions and from noncombat military actions to outright intervention.”
“America’s reputation suffers, and our ability to bring about change is constrained, when we are perceived as idle in the face of mass atrocities and genocide,” he said.
Obama’s plan generated many positive responses from human rights organizations.
“We are gratified by the recognition that stopping genocide is not only a moral imperative but a crucial element of U.S. national security interests,” said Michael Chertoff, chairman of the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in a statement. “Taking such a bold step firmly establishes America’s leadership in the world on this critical issue.”
Human Rights First’s Elisa Massimino said in a statement that too often it is a case of “everyone cares, but nobody drives action until it’s too late.”
She said, “Finally, there is a concrete effort to put that rhetoric into action and create a standing prevention structure within the U.S. government.”
Amnesty International said they had “not yet formed an opinion” on the initiative and are still reviewing it.
The White House also issued a second document which suspends entry into the United States for all who have participated in violence against any civilian population to “ensure that the United States does not become a safe haven for serious violators of human rights and humanitarian law and those who engage in other related abuses.”
The national security adviser will now lead a study to determine what procedures will prevent genocide, how other agencies should support the Atrocities Prevention Board, and how to create a policy framework to prevent mass atrocities. The Atrocities Prevention Board is expected to be operating within 120 days from Aug. 4.
He said the interagency will serve several purposes, including raising awareness of and preventing mass atrocities and genocides, notifying decision makers of potential mass atrocities, and rallying allies to share responsibilities.
Obama identified the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda as examples of atrocities to prevent from happening again.
The president said responses to genocide are not limited to taking military action but can range from “economic to diplomatic interventions and from noncombat military actions to outright intervention.”
“America’s reputation suffers, and our ability to bring about change is constrained, when we are perceived as idle in the face of mass atrocities and genocide,” he said.
Obama’s plan generated many positive responses from human rights organizations.
“We are gratified by the recognition that stopping genocide is not only a moral imperative but a crucial element of U.S. national security interests,” said Michael Chertoff, chairman of the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in a statement. “Taking such a bold step firmly establishes America’s leadership in the world on this critical issue.”
Human Rights First’s Elisa Massimino said in a statement that too often it is a case of “everyone cares, but nobody drives action until it’s too late.”
She said, “Finally, there is a concrete effort to put that rhetoric into action and create a standing prevention structure within the U.S. government.”
Amnesty International said they had “not yet formed an opinion” on the initiative and are still reviewing it.
The White House also issued a second document which suspends entry into the United States for all who have participated in violence against any civilian population to “ensure that the United States does not become a safe haven for serious violators of human rights and humanitarian law and those who engage in other related abuses.”
The national security adviser will now lead a study to determine what procedures will prevent genocide, how other agencies should support the Atrocities Prevention Board, and how to create a policy framework to prevent mass atrocities. The Atrocities Prevention Board is expected to be operating within 120 days from Aug. 4.
Friends Read Free