No closer to 'never again': An analysis of genocide prevention through the lens of ordinary men.

摘要

Since the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948, the United Nations and the international community have been largely unsuccessful at preventing genocide. Why is this the case? I argue that the United Nations and other actors in the international community have failed to recognize fundamental concepts of genocide, rendering themselves ineffective at prevention. In order to prevent genocide, we must be willing to look at genocides from all angles and through all lenses to better understand the conditions that lead to genocide. Analyzing the Holocaust, I will focus on how ordinary citizens become perpetrators in genocide. Using case studies of genocide perpetrators conducted by genocide scholars, I aim to understand how ordinary people become genocide perpetrators. I will demonstrate the importance of understanding this concept and include suggestions for how this representation of genocide can be incorporated into genocide prevention strategies, making them more effective.