Never Again?: The United States and the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide Since the Holocaust

Peter Ronayne's Never Again? provides the reader with a provocative and comprehensive first look at American foreign policy as it relates to the prevention and punishment of genocide since the Holocaust. In the aftermath of World War II the United States and the world pledged to 'never again' allow genocidal atrocities. Never Again? reveals that too often this bold promise has been a failed promise. The book chronicles how the United States has repeatedly missed opportunities or 'ethical leadership moments' to stand up for human rights and save hundreds of thousands of lives when faced with genocide in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. At the same time, Ronayne explores how the U.S. has taken important action to bring about justice in the aftermath of genocidal crimes, despite its initial reluctance to even ratify the Genocide Convention. From this dual record of striking failures and important accomplishments emerge provocative questions about the United States' leadership on the world stage, global ethics and morality, and America's commitment to genocide prevention and punishment in the 21st century.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Introduction: The United States in an Age of Genocide Chapter 3 An Unconventional Debate: The United States and the Genocide Convention Chapter 4 The United States and the Cambodian Tragedy Chapter 5 The United States and Genocide in Bosnia Chapter 6 Eyes Wide Shut: The United States and the Rwanda Genocide Chapter 7 Conclusion: "Thus Can We Make It" Chapter 8 Appendix Chapter 9 Index

About the Author :
Peter Ronayne is senior faculty member at the Federal Executive Institute, in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is adjunct professor at the University of Virginia.

Review :
Peter Ronayne has provided us with a mirror. With unflinching candor, in the harsh light of reality, he has measured our behavior against our stated goals. While he does not like all that he sees, he does not succumb to despair. Skillfully avoiding the shoals of self-righteous moralism and self-defeating cynicism, this study is itself a moral act-a genuine inquiry into who we are and who we want to be. This is a well-written, measured, and reflective survey of how far the United States' actions have fallen short of its rhetoric and potential, and the standards it applies to other states. This book very usefully illustrates both the negative and positiveconnections between US domestic and foreign policy issues. Despite the startling failures he documents, Ronayne also shows that important progress has been made, however slowly. His book is a sobering account of some of the human disasters of the lastcentury, but thankfully not despairing of the next... In Never Again?, Peter Ronayne has, with feeling, insight, and extensive research, laid bare one of the tragic contradictions in modern U.S. foreign policy: the conflict between Americans' professed abhorrence of genocide and their resistance to action in the face of reality. Beginning with the 40 year delay in the U.S. ratification of the Genocide Convention, Ronayne demonstrates how politics, fear of involvement, and rationalization impeded immediate, forceful, and possibly effective intervention in the cases of Cambodia, Bosnia, and Rwanda. His book should be read by everyone who wants to understand these recent tragedies and share in Ronayne's indictment of the failure of a nation, rhetorically committed to human rights, to act to prevent some of the most brutal violations of those rights. Peter Ronayne offers a sophisticated, balanced view of U.S. foreign policy in relation to genocide. Because it is so emotionally charged, genocide is often approached in ideological terms. Ronayne's great virtue in this book is that his observations are equally free of indifference and cant. He can, in other words, be trusted. Those who care about the ambiguities of U.S. diplomacy will find this policy-oriented study invaluable. Ronayne provides a solid introduction to both the Genocide Convention and the difficulties inherent in the relationship between international criminal law and US foreign policy. He presents the issues clearly and accessibly and gives an objective portrayal of the multifaceted domestic and foreign concerns facing the US since the Second World War. Prevention of genocide has become an accepted goal of U.S. foreign policy. This book is the first serious effort to understand how that norm evolved into a treaty. This is a well-written, measured, and reflective survey of how far the United States' actions have fallen short of its rhetoric and potential, and the standards it applies to other states. This book very usefully illustrates both the negative and positive connections between US domestic and foreign policy issues. Despite the startling failures he documents, Ronayne also shows that important progress has been made, however slowly. His book is a sobering account of some of the human disasters of the last century, but thankfully not despairing of the next. ...a valuable work.