Slowing or Stopping Genocide

A note for future policy makers.

A study published in the latest issue of International Studies Quarterly is the first to examine the effectiveness of military action on the severity of ongoing instances of genocide and polititcide. The study reveals that only overt military interventions that explicitly challenge the perpetrator appear to be effective in reducing the severity of the brutal policies.

On the one hand this is good news in that we know what works and what doesn't work. On the other hand what works is that one thing we are often slow to do. However in light of the fact that we are now throwing away lives in Iraq, risking them to really do something effective may be easier to sell in the future.