Publication

This report looks at how the United Nations (UN) tries to prevent mass atrocities and highlights the inherent deficiencies in the current approach. In grappling with the latter problem, the report tries to answer three basic questions. Why does atrocity prevention often fail? What are the principal obstacles to effective prevention efforts? And what strategies should the UN adopt to facilitate effective anti-atrocity operations? After some thought, the report's authors conclude that the prime problem is the UN's ad hoc approach to atrocity prevention. Indeed, what's needed is a comprehensive, system-wide strategy that will nix this type of crime in formalized and methodical ways.