Genocide: n. Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. (1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article 2).

On June 12th, over 150 people gathered in the United Nations’ Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium to listen to genocide expert David Hamburg talk about his new book, Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps Towards Early Detection and Effective Action. The event was organized by the United Nations University.

“It’s encouraging that there is so much interest in such a grim subject,” Dr. Jean-Marc Coicaud, the head of the United Nations University said while introducing Dr. Hamburg. “The fact that we have such a large crowd here is a true testament to peace.”

For the next hour, Hamburg argued against the widely held belief that genocide is inevitable and affirmed that it is indeed preventable. He explained that while much research has gone into documenting and analyzing genocides, experts have said little about prevention.

“It’s widely accepted among political leaders that genocide cannot be detected until the last minute,” Hamburg explained. “However, research shows that early signals always provide ample time for response options, provided that we have focal points for mobilizing the best practices.”

Hamburg credits United Nations’ former Secretary Generals Dag Hammarskjold for introducing the concept of genocide prevention and Kofi Annan for proving that humanitarian help can be provided quickly and efficiently. Because of these two men, Hamburg said, the United Nations has "started to get the ball rolling" in formulating a set of genocide prevention tools. Hamburg identified six tools in preventing genocide, including pro-active help in prevention of mass violence, fostering equitable socio-economic development, promoting education for human survival, and preventing human rights infractions through forms of international justice.

Yet while Hamburg applauded the UN for “setting a favorable trend” in genocide prevention, he acknowledged that there is still much room for improvement.

“Agencies can do more in prevention than they are now doing,” Hamburg said. He pointed out that United Nations genocide prevention efforts are constrained by the threat of a Security Council veto and by nations’ fear of overriding sovereignty in the General Assembly. Additionally, departments that deal with genocide prevention are usually “underfunded and understaffed.”

The book also identified patterns that can be found at the roots of genocides. Hamburg made the point that genocides usually occur when one group blames a weaker group for its own problems and cultivates intergroup hatred. If left untouched, the stronger group may incite violence that will grow over the years, from periodic outbursts, to civil war, to genocide. It’s for this reason, Hamburg says, that we need to focus on early and mid-range genocide prevention tactics and not wait until it’s too late.

Along with identifying the early steps of genocide, Hamburg called upon policy makers to create environments where genocide is less likely to occur. “A fundamental responsibility of policy makers is to …promote factors of political process in violence-prone societies,” he said.

“It’s hard to understand how decent human beings can commit genocide,” the author concluded. “If we can’t learn to live together, then all of our efforts won’t be of much value.”

Dr. Hamburg's book can be purchased here.