Bystanders to Evil: The Failure of the United States’ Foreign Policy towards Genocide

Bystanders to Evil: The Failure of the United States’ Foreign Policy towards Genocide

Since the Armenian Genocide in the early twentieth century, the United States’ policy towards genocide has been, at best, delayed and, at worst, intentionally indifferent. This study will examine America’s historic reaction to genocide, as well as the radically different results that might have been achieved with even minimal efforts. To understand American action, research will focus on four examples of mass killing: the extermination of Jews and other undesirables by Nazi Germany, the widespread ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims by Serbian nationalists, the conflict between rivaling Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda, and the ongoing war plaguing Southern Sudan. The analysis will reveal that though asserting its role as a symbol of universal equality and guarantor of liberties, in the face of genocide, the United States has knowingly and willingly maintained a policy of nonintervention with catastrophic results. Furthermore, when the United States has taken positive steps to prevent genocide, the results affirm the country’s ability to cause positive change.