A Problem from Hell: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''''"A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide''''' is a [[Book|book]] by [[Samantha Power]], [[Professor]] of [[Human rights|Human Rights]] [[Practice]] at [[Harvard University|Harvard]]'s [[John F. Kennedy]] [[School]] of [[Government]], which explores the [[United States|U.S.]]'s [[Understanding|understanding]] of, [[Response|response]] to, and [[Inaction|inaction]] on [[Genocide|genocide]]s in the [[Twentieth century|20th century]] from the [[Armenian genocide]] to the "[[Ethnic cleansing|ethnic cleansing]]s" of the [[Kosovo War]]. It won the [[Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction]] in [[2003]]. |
'''''"A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide''''' is a [[Book|book]] by [[Samantha Power]], [[Professor]] of [[Human rights|Human Rights]] [[Practice]] at [[Harvard University|Harvard]]'s [[John F. Kennedy]] [[School]] of [[Government]], which explores the [[United States|U.S.]]'s [[Understanding|understanding]] of, [[Response|response]] to, and [[Inaction|inaction]] on [[Genocide|genocide]]s in the [[Twentieth century|20th century]] from the [[Armenian genocide]] to the "[[Ethnic cleansing|ethnic cleansing]]s" of the [[Kosovo War]]. It won the [[Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction]] in [[2003]]. |
||
Power observes that U.S. [[Policymaker|policymaker]]s have been consistently reluctant to condemn mass [[Atrocity|atrocities]] as genocide or take [[Responsibility|responsibility]] for leading an international [[Military intervention|military intervention]]. She argues that without significant pressure from the U.S. [[Public|public]], policymakers avoid the [[Term|term]] "genocide" altogether. Instead, they appeal to the priority of [[National interest|national interest]]s or argue (without [[Merit|merit]], she contends) that a U.S. response would be futile and accelerate [[Violence|violence]] as a [[Justification|justification]] for inaction <ref name="book"> Power, Samantha. A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. pp. xvii-xviii. Basic Books, 2002. I.S.B.N. 0-465-06150-8 </ref>. |
Power [[Observation|observes]] that U.S. [[Policymaker|policymaker]]s have been consistently reluctant to condemn mass [[Atrocity|atrocities]] as genocide or take [[Responsibility|responsibility]] for leading an international [[Military intervention|military intervention]]. She argues that without significant pressure from the U.S. [[Public|public]], policymakers avoid the [[Term|term]] "genocide" altogether. Instead, they appeal to the priority of [[National interest|national interest]]s or argue (without [[Merit|merit]], she contends) that a U.S. response would be futile and accelerate [[Violence|violence]] as a [[Justification|justification]] for inaction <ref name="book"> Power, Samantha. A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. pp. xvii-xviii. Basic Books, 2002. I.S.B.N. 0-465-06150-8 </ref>. |
||
== Summary == |
== Summary == |
||
Power begins with an [[Outline|outline]] of the international response to the [[Armenian Genocide]] ([[Chapter]] 1), and then describes [[Raphael Lemkin]]'s efforts to lobby for U.S. action against [[Nazi]] atrocities in [[Europe]] (Chapter 2). Then she describes further the [[Difficulty|difficulties]] of [[Individual|individual]]s' efforts to convince U.S. [[Representative|representative]]s and other members of the [[Allied Powers]] to [[Recognition|recognize]] the [[Holocaust]], which she explains were compounded by the focus on [[World War II]] and [[anti-Semitism|anti-Semitic]] [[Indifference|indifference]] (Chapter 3). She continues in Chapter 4 to describe how Lemkin brought genocide to the forefront of [[Foreign policy|foreign policy]] [[Issue|issue]]s, leading to the [[1948]] [[United Nations|U.N.]] [[Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide]]. Chapter 5 describes Lemkin's mounting |
Power begins with an [[Outline|outline]] of the international response to the [[Armenian Genocide]] ([[Chapter]] 1), and then describes [[Raphael Lemkin]]'s efforts to lobby for U.S. action against [[Nazi]] atrocities in [[Europe]] (Chapter 2). Then she describes further the [[Difficulty|difficulties]] of [[Individual|individual]]s' efforts to convince U.S. [[Representative|representative]]s and other members of the [[Allied Powers]] to [[Recognition|recognize]] the [[Holocaust]], which she explains were compounded by the focus on [[World War II]] and [[anti-Semitism|anti-Semitic]] [[Indifference|indifference]] (Chapter 3). She continues in Chapter 4 to describe how Lemkin brought genocide to the forefront of [[Foreign policy|foreign policy]] [[Issue|issue]]s, leading to the [[1948]] [[United Nations|U.N.]] [[Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide]]. Chapter 5 describes Lemkin's mounting disappointments and multiplying [[Adversary|adversaries]] until his [[Death|death]] in [[1959]], whereupon [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] [[William Proxmire]] and others picked up the [[Torch|torch]]. She shows how Senator Proxmire and President [[Ronald Reagan]] worked to gain [[Support|support]] for the [[Ratification|ratification]] of the [[Genocide Convention]] (Chapter 7). In the rest of the book, she mainly focuses on individual genocides and the U.S. response in [[Cambodia]], [[Iraq]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Srebrenica]], and [[Kosovo]]. |
||
== Awards == |
== Awards == |
||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
* [[Human rights]] |
* [[Human rights]] |
||
[[Category: Books by Samantha Power|A Problem from Hell]] |
|||
[[Category: Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction|A Problem from Hell]] |
[[Category: Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction|A Problem from Hell]] |
||
Revision as of 10:10, 27 July 2007
"A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide is a book by Samantha Power, Professor of Human Rights Practice at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, which explores the U.S.'s understanding of, response to, and inaction on genocides in the 20th century from the Armenian genocide to the "ethnic cleansings" of the Kosovo War. It won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 2003.
Power observes that U.S. policymakers have been consistently reluctant to condemn mass atrocities as genocide or take responsibility for leading an international military intervention. She argues that without significant pressure from the U.S. public, policymakers avoid the term "genocide" altogether. Instead, they appeal to the priority of national interests or argue (without merit, she contends) that a U.S. response would be futile and accelerate violence as a justification for inaction [1].
Summary
Power begins with an outline of the international response to the Armenian Genocide (Chapter 1), and then describes Raphael Lemkin's efforts to lobby for U.S. action against Nazi atrocities in Europe (Chapter 2). Then she describes further the difficulties of individuals' efforts to convince U.S. representatives and other members of the Allied Powers to recognize the Holocaust, which she explains were compounded by the focus on World War II and anti-Semitic indifference (Chapter 3). She continues in Chapter 4 to describe how Lemkin brought genocide to the forefront of foreign policy issues, leading to the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Chapter 5 describes Lemkin's mounting disappointments and multiplying adversaries until his death in 1959, whereupon U.S. Senator William Proxmire and others picked up the torch. She shows how Senator Proxmire and President Ronald Reagan worked to gain support for the ratification of the Genocide Convention (Chapter 7). In the rest of the book, she mainly focuses on individual genocides and the U.S. response in Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Kosovo.
Awards
- National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction
- Raphael Lemkin Award (Institute for the Study of Genocide)
- Robert F. Kennedy Book Award
References
- ^ Power, Samantha. A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. pp. xvii-xviii. Basic Books, 2002. I.S.B.N. 0-465-06150-8
See also
 | This article about a political book is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |