Shop top categories that ship internationally
Buy new:
$26.98
Delivery Tuesday, December 16
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: AasStore
$26.98
No Import Fees Deposit & $15.98 Shipping to Austria Details

Shipping & Fee Details

Price $26.98
AmazonGlobal Shipping $15.98
Estimated Import Fees Deposit $0.00
Total $42.96

Delivery Tuesday, December 16. Order within 23 hrs 15 mins
Or fastest delivery December 3 - 4
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$26.98 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$26.98
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
AasStore
AasStore
Sold by
AasStore
Returns
FREE refund/replacement until Jan 31, 2026
FREE refund/replacement until Jan 31, 2026
For the 2025 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2025 can be returned until January 31, 2026.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$1.92
Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc... Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc... See less
$19.98 delivery December 18 - January 13. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$26.98 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$26.98
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Other sellers on Amazon
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Samantha Power
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide Paperback – September 18, 2007

by Samantha Power (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 954 ratings
Previous page
  1. Pulitzer PrizeWinner, 2003
  2. National Book Critics Circle AwardWinner, 2002
Next page
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$26.98","priceAmount":26.98,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"26","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"98","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"w1207C9kJs%2BI68ZJyelnCgAwzfY6sVrtuJHea70caJFmckmnAP4K1NlK7tzshpdD38hdSFv1zwbU1WY%2BbqI%2Bjr6BCv7Iee9mvRuEK8%2FewBz1gDTtxM9t15PtK398KluB2Qym2rGKunyLGxM3T749b4OZ2ifaT2K6HO%2F8dF8RPKOwW2fwESNw%2F5%2BKI407cHGm","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$1.92","priceAmount":1.92,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"1","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"92","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"w1207C9kJs%2BI68ZJyelnCgAwzfY6sVrt7IHeAPUPxZMwrplqiMCbQe1j3FDAEEP6016XzDPYBr9Of%2F8cJiarSDCuwtgXwBT8tATxT4nbvnzfCgybvSUeOHtKEoNUOnihUoBLs1MCLQr4Tlt%2BnFMiUHgRd3wAehy4pctllwggbd4dZK3aLxoJCwrZI5gfFpUX","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

In her award-winning interrogation of the last century of American history, Samantha Power—a former Balkan war correspondent and founding executive director of Harvard's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy—asks the haunting question: Why do American leaders who vow "never again" repeatedly fail to stop genocide? Drawing upon exclusive interviews with Washington's top policy makers, access to newly declassified documents, and her own reporting from the modern killing fields, Power provides the answer in "A Problem from Hell," a groundbreaking work that tells the stories of the courageous Americans who risked their careers and lives in an effort to get the United States to act.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    688 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 18, 2007
  4. Dimensions
    5.31 x 1.72 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0061120146
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0061120145
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

This item: A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
$26.98
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Dec 16
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by AasStore and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
$11.80
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Woman Confronts the Legacy of Apartheid
$7.88
Only 15 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

What do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start over
Previous set of slides

  1. Most purchased

    in this set of products

  2. Lowest Price

    in this set of products

  3. Highest rated

    in this set of products
  9. Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History after Genocide and Mass Violence
    Martha Minow
     
    Paperback
    $21.08
    Get it as soon as Monday, Dec 15
    $14.53 shipping
    Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Next set of slides

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start over
Previous page
  1. The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir
    Paperback
    $13.65
    Delivery Mon, Dec 15
  5. Chasing the Flame: One Man's Fight to Save the World
    Paperback
    $15.88
    Delivery Fri, Dec 12
  9. Inventing Human Rights: A History
    Paperback
    $13.46
    Delivery Fri, Dec 12
  11. Freedom's Battle: The Origins of Humanitarian Intervention
    Paperback
    $18.65
    Delivery Fri, Dec 12
  12. Machete Season
    Paperback
    $14.86
    Delivery Wed, Dec 17
  13. Genocide
    Paperback
    $33.59
    Delivery Fri, Dec 12
  15. Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice
    Paperback
    $24.17
    Delivery Tue, Dec 16
  17. Genocide: A Reader
    Paperback
    $44.80
    Delivery Fri, Dec 12
  18. Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War
    Paperback
    $9.23
    Delivery Tue, Dec 16
  22. Evil Men
    Paperback
    $17.47
    Delivery Fri, Dec 12
  26. Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War
    Paperback
    $16.85
    Delivery Tue, Dec 16
  27. Fundamentals of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention
    Paperback
    $21.61
    Delivery Tue, Dec 16
  28. The Twilight of Human Rights Law (Inalienable Rights)
    Hardcover
    $27.49
    Delivery Tue, Dec 16
  29. Interventions: A Life in War and Peace
    Paperback
    $20.00
    Delivery Fri, Dec 12
Next page
Loading...

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 18, 2007
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reissue
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061120146
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061120145
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.72 x 8 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,900,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 954 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Samantha Power

Samantha Power

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Samantha Power is a leading global voice on human rights and international affairs. She served for four years as President Barack Obama’s human rights adviser and then, from 2013 to 2017, in his Cabinet and as US Ambassador to the United Nations. Power is the author of several books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘A Problem From Hell’: America and the Age of Genocide, and has been named one of TIME’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ and one of Forbes’ ‘100 Most Powerful Women’. Currently a professor of practice at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Cass Sunstein, and their two children. Power immigrated to the United States from Ireland at the age of nine.

Related books

Page 1 of 1Start Over
Sponsored
Previous page
  1. Shop the Store on Amazon ›
    The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945 (The Perfect Christmas Gift for Tolkien and Lewis Fans)
    The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945 (The Perfect Christmas Gift for Tolkien and Lewis Fans)
    5.05.0 out of 5 stars1
    $22.98 List:$29.99
  2. Shop the Store on Amazon ›
    A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Traveling the Hellenistic World: An Odyssey Through Political Dynasties and Cultural Mosaics
    A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Traveling the Hellenistic World: An Odyssey Through Political Dynasties and Cultural Mosaics
    4.64.6 out of 5 stars127
    $16.99
  3. Shop the Store on Amazon ›
    The Last American President: A Broken Man, a Corrupt Party, and a World on the Brink
    The Last American President: A Broken Man, a Corrupt Party, and a World on the Brink
    4.64.6 out of 5 stars117
    $23.25 List:$24.95
  4. Shop the Store on Amazon ›
    Born in Kansas but Made in Africa: An American Man’s Recollections of 50 Years in Africa
    Born in Kansas but Made in Africa: An American Man’s Recollections of 50 Years in Africa
    4.24.2 out of 5 stars5
    $11.99
  5. Shop the Store on Amazon ›
    The Capstone Prophecy: When the Throne of Heaven Comes Down to Earth
    The Capstone Prophecy: When the Throne of Heaven Comes Down to Earth
    4.74.7 out of 5 stars5
    $14.95
Next page

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
954 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book massively researched and well-written, with a compelling narrative and thorough historical analysis of selected genocides. Moreover, the book is thought-provoking, with one customer noting it provides a balanced look at the horrors of genocide. However, the readability receives mixed feedback, with some finding it fascinating while others describe it as very hard to read. Additionally, the pacing draws mixed reactions, with several customers describing it as a sad book.

Select to learn more

Research qualityThought provokingWriting qualityDepthHorror storyNarrative qualityReadabilityPacing
39 customers mention "Research quality"36 positive3 negative

Customers praise the book's research quality, describing it as a massive and thorough history with engaging analysis of selected genocides.

"...This thoughtful, informative and meticulously well researched book provides insight into the answer to that question...." Read more

"Well written and researched, but because of the subject matter a very uncomfortable read...." Read more

"...Very informative but disturbing book. Excellent reference and very easy to read...." Read more

"An excellent historic review of the international genocide law up to this day...." Read more

25 customers mention "Thought provoking"23 positive2 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and insightful, with one customer noting its valuable lessons for every country.

"A painful but important book." Read more

"This is the best and most influential book I've ever read...." Read more

"...Very well written with great insight. Evelyn Pike Rubin, author GHETTO SHANGHAI" Read more

"Very thought provoking and hard hitting. I am very glad this tragic story has been told and told so well...." Read more

20 customers mention "Writing quality"18 positive2 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book.

"...I read it for a graduate school course about genocide. Well written, easy to understand, and makes you think critically about what needs to be done..." Read more

"Good reference material for my lectures on Holocaust. Very well written with great insight. Evelyn Pike Rubin, author GHETTO SHANGHAI" Read more

"This massively researched and beautifully written book is a masterpiece of a book...." Read more

"...being considered for the UN ambassadors job, overall it is a very well written book on America's "how to deal with genocide" it deals with the human..." Read more

9 customers mention "Depth"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's depth, finding it very detailed and thorough, with one customer noting its remarkable scope and another highlighting its deft handling of complex information.

"It's a good summary of world's worst humanitarian crises and genocides...." Read more

"Thorough compilation of the 20th century history of genocide. Very interesting and not difficult reading." Read more

"Very thorough and well researched." Read more

"Lot's of details and background. Fluent, easy to read. I liked it a lot...." Read more

7 customers mention "Horror story"6 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the horror story aspect of the book, with one review highlighting its balanced look at genocide and another noting its deep dive into historical revelations.

"Certainly a groundbreaking and seminal work in genocide policy work, even read over a decade after its release...." Read more

"...she has led me through the pre-WW1 Turk/Armenian genocide, through the holocaust, and into the Khmer Rouge atrocities in Cambodia, and in a very..." Read more

"A deep dive with historical revelations regarding genocide through the 20th and 21st century. Well written. Deft handling of cumbersome details." Read more

"...It is very well researched, and provides a balanced look at the horrors of genocide and the cold politics of government." Read more

6 customers mention "Narrative quality"5 positive1 negative

Customers find the narrative compelling, with one review highlighting the strong concluding chapter and another noting its good summary of crises.

"...Very good flow and narrative" Read more

"...of the selected genocides that Power decided to cover, and a strong concluding chapter that endeavors to tie together the common themes and lessons..." Read more

"...On the whole, the book is well-written, has several brilliant conclusions drawn from the information it presents, and remains as relevant in..." Read more

"Good Read | Compelling Story..." Read more

42 customers mention "Readability"29 positive13 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it fascinating and a must-read for involved people, while others describe it as harrowing and very hard to read, noting that it reads like a long critique of America.

"...practically killed ALL the Armenians from 1913-1915, this is still a good read and allows you to understand how hate ruins everything in your life..." Read more

"...But still an excellent read." Read more

"This book is very tough to read. I bought it for my Humanitarian Crises of the Modern World class, and it's very hard to read...." Read more

"This was a great read about the United States lack of action during different global genocides...." Read more

17 customers mention "Pacing"9 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the pacing of the book, with some finding it sad and depressing, while one customer describes it as a seminal work in genocide policy work.

"very happy, thanks." Read more

"...Very informative but disturbing book. Excellent reference and very easy to read...." Read more

"Brilliantly written, it moves readers to tears and...exasperation with an unjust and profoundly cruel, senseless world...." Read more

"The saddest book I have ever read. It is a horror story to the full degree...." Read more

Arrived damaged
2 out of 5 stars
Arrived damaged
First ~30 pages and cover arrived damaged. Cool.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Timothy E. Kennelly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read | Compelling Story
    Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Greetings Amazonians,

    Samantha Power’s “A Problem from Hell” is a good read. It is concerned with the history of genocide in the twentieth century and in particular the role that the United State has played in the efforts to deal with the problem. There is a lengthy and interesting discussion of Raphael Lemkin who coined “genocide” and worked for the abolition of genocide and the adoption of the Genocide Convention throughout his adult life.
    The book provides detailed discussions of the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust and genocide of the Slavs during WWII, the Cambodian genocide of the late 1970's, the genocide of the Kurds in Iraq in late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the Rwandan genocide of the ‘90s, and the genocides associated with the Balkans of the ‘90s.
    I was surprised to learn that the Carter administration was disinterested in and unresponsive to concerns about the events in Cambodia even to the point of choosing to support recognition of the KR regime in the UN as opposed to the Vietnamese invaders who had ended the genocide and forced the KR into the mountains.
    In a very similar fashion, the Reagan and Bush administrations ignored events in Iraq until it suited the purposes of the US to do otherwise. The Clinton Administration ignored the genocide in Rwanda and even derailed an early agenda coming from the ground which suggested a genocide was being planned and might be prevented.
    The Clinton Administration eventually responded to the Serbs’ genocides first under Warren Christopher after much blood had been spilled and considerable political pressure applied by Congress, and finally with Madeleine Albright as Secretary of State the US and other Western powers effectively stopped a genocide before it started.
    Warren Christopher ends up looking pretty bad in this narrative. And, until Albright, the US looks like a nation motivated by financial and diplomatic interests to such an extent that we are more than willing to spend days, weeks months, and years splitting hairs over whether or not this or that is genocide while innocent people are raped and murdered by the thousands by way of an established policy.
    This is a good read….by the end one is inclined to think we might have made a little progress.
    Bob Dole looks pretty good in the course of the story and so does George Soros.

    Enjoy.
    56 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • SR
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly Deserving of its Pulitzer
    Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2011
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book essentially asks one question: should political considerations be divorced from or an inherent part of the consideration as to whether the United States should intervene into a foreign genocide?

    Power, a highly regarded scholar in this field, has compiled a stellar detailing of the genocides of the 20th century. This book is remarkably in-depth as to its scope, and is a perfect introduction into the grisly field of genocide studies. Power details the battles of Raphael Lemkin to get the word "genocide" introduced into common parlance. She then moves to detail the ratification of the genocide convention by the United Nations and the subsequent refusal of the United States to sign it, despite previous genocides (also discussed) in Turkey during WWI and, of course, Nazi Germany during WWII.

    Let me be clear. This is NOT a book about the Holocaust. We have all heard the chilling tales and the despicable actions committed during this period. Power does detail the Holocaust in some respects, but she does so more to explain its place historically as a basis for future genocide considerations. Essentially, then, this book does the following: Power details the establishment of the word "genocide" and the historical context for the term. Then, she details the first case of modern genocide during Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia, followed by the genocide of Saddam Hussein against his own people in Iraq. The plight of the Kurds and Cambodians is discussed as relating to this historical context. In this respect, it is crucial to note that the subsequent assertion that Hussein committed genocide set the standard that one did not need to move beyond one's own country's boundaries to commit the atrocity. Following, Power engages in discussion of the genocides in the Balkans (Yugoslavia, Kosovo, etc.) and, of course, Rwanda.

    What is chilling is that the international community continues to determine whether intervening in a genocide is worth the political capital expended in the effort. Power seeks to remedy this question, asserting not only that genocide should be stopped because it is the morally right thing to do, but also because it provides clear political capital benefits. This book is a chilling introduction to a grisly subject written by a master.
    24 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • wazbud
    2.0 out of 5 stars Well researched but unconvincing
    Reviewed in Australia on June 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Genocide is as old as humanity. Americans are no more guilty than the Romans. I found the analysis repetitive and unconvincing.
    Report
  • Leilur
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
    Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Really great book if you're into the subject matter. It reads easily and I learned a lot. It was actually a textbook for one of my university courses. We were only required to read a few chapters but it was so interesting I read the rest of it on my own time after I finished the class. It shipped quickly, I ordered it while in my first class of the semester and it came before I had that class again the next week, with enough time to get the first reading done as well.
    Report
  • œ
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Ein Problem aus der Hölle" - ein erschütternder Bericht - mit dem Pulitzer Preis ausgezeichnet
    Reviewed in Germany on October 2, 2008
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Dieses Buch ist ein Denkmal für die vergessenen Helden im Kampf gegen den Genozid, ebenso wie eine Chronik der Ereignisse an zu vielen Orten unserer und vergangener Zeiten. Man möge mir die Länge der Rezension vergeben, aber dieses Buch war aufwühlend und erschütternd. Die Rezension fällt diesmal etwas ausführlicher aus.

    Am 14. März 1921 tötete ein vierundzwanzigjähriger Armenier namens Soghomon Tehlirian in Berlin Charlottenburg den ehemaligen türkischen Innenminister Talaat Pasha, welcher in 1915 für den Tod von fast einer Million Armeniern verantwortlich war. Der damalige amerikanische Botschafter am Bosporus Henry Morgenthau Sr. versuchte vergeblich seinen Einfluss in Washington geltend zu machen, um das Massaker zu unterbinden. Als die Vereinigten Staaten im April 1917 Deutschland den Krieg erklärten, verweigerte Präsident Wilson eine ähnliche Kriegserklärung gegenüber dem Osmanischen Reich. Ja, er wollte noch nicht einmal die Beziehungen abbrechen. Wir gehen dorthin wohin uns die Notwendigkeiten tragen - so sprach Wilson zum Kongress (S. 13 gebundene Ausgabe). Das amerikanische Nicht-Handeln gegenüber dem stattfindenden Horror sollte sich wiederholen. Immer wieder zögerten die USA wenn es darum ging einzugreifen, auch wenn die Fakten bekannt waren.

    Diese Buch wurde auf Basis zahlreicher Interviews erstellt. Quellen und Bibliografie sind am Ende abgedruckt. Sie belegen wieviel Politiker und Verantwortliche wirklich wussten. Sie belegen menschenverachtende Aussagen, Leid, welches durch Nicht-Eingreifen entstand. Nicht nur zu den Geschehnissen des 1. und 2. Weltkrieges, sondern bis in unsere Zeit hinein: Bosnien, Srebenica, Kosovo - um nur einige zu nennen. Samantha Power zeigt wie US-Bürger innerhalb und außerhalb der Regierung zur Seite sahen, als sie mit dem Leid der Flüchtlinge konfrontiert wurde. Wie sie versuchten sich einzureden, dass ein Eingreifen sinnlos sei. Die Dokumentation ist ergreifend. Samantha Power zitiert nicht nur die Verantwortlichen, sondern lässt auch die Opfer zu Wort kommen. Akribisch hat sie recherchiert. Vorurteilslos und sachlich reiht sie Fakten aneinander. Jeder muss selber daraus seine eigenen Schlüsse ziehen.

    Während Tehlirian auf seinen Prozess wartete, studierte Raphael Lemkin - polnisch-jüdischer Herkunft - in Lemberg (Lwow) Sprachen. Als er von dem Tehlirian-Fall hörte, fragte er einen seiner Professoren: Es ist ein Verbrechen für Tehlirian einen Mann zu töten, aber es ist kein Verbrechen für seinen Unterdrücker mehr als eine Million Menschen zu töten? Dies ist inkonsequent (S. 17). Später sollte Lemkin noch in Heidelberg und nach Lwow zurückgekehrt dort Jura studieren, um Staatsanwalt in Polen zu werden. Bereits in 1929 begann er nebenbei an einem internationalen Gesetz zu arbeiten, welches die gezielte Zerstörung von ethnischen, nationalen und religiösen Gruppen verhindern sollte. Er präsentierte es seinen europäischen Kollegen 1933 in Madrid.

    Sechs Tage nach dem Einmarsch der Wehrmacht in Polen verließ er Warschau, um seine Eltern und den Bruder aufzusuchen. Diese wollten aber nicht fliehen und so zog er alleine zunächst nach Schweden und dann weiter in die USA. Sein Leben aber widmete er nur dem einen Ziel, seine Botschaft zu verkünden, und zögerte auch nicht Präsident Roosevelt direkt anzusprechen. Jener versicherte Lemkin, er würde die Nazis verwarnen, ansonsten sei aber Geduld notwendig.

    Im Jahr 1944 war es Lemkin, der den Begriff GENOZID erstmals prägte. Er beklagte aber weiterhin, dass seine Ansprechpartner in Behörden und Regierung nur höflich wären, und dass deren Aufmerksamkeit von anderen Dingen aufgesogen wurde. Dennoch gelang es ihm - nach der Teilnahme an den Nürnberger Prozessen - dass die Vereinten Nationen endlich am 9. Dezember 1948 die Konvention für die Verhinderung und die Bestrafung von Genoziden umsetzten (Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genozid). Bis zur Ratifizierung in den USA sollte aber noch eine lange Zeit vergehen. Als Randbemerkung sei erwähnt, dass einen Tag später am 10.12.1948 die Menschenrechtserklärung festgestellt wurde - Lemkin sorgte sich darum, ob diese nicht seine Genozid-Konvention überschatten würde.

    Lemkin selber wurde in 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958 und 1959 erfolglos für den Nobelpreis vorgeschlagen. Er starb verarmt am 28. August 1959 an einem Herzinfarkt. Zwei Tage später veröffentlichte die New York Times eine kurze Meldung zu seinem Tode, wonach Diplomaten dieser und anderer Organisationen sich Ausreden wegen dem andauernden Fehlschlag der Ratifizierung nicht mehr ausdenken müssten.

    Ein anderer nahm sich des Themas an: William Proxmire. Als er - nach drei vergeblichen Versuchen Gouverneur von Wisconsin zu werden - endlich die Wahl in den amerikanischen Senat gewann, hielt er am 11. Januar 1967 seine erste Genozid-Rede und versprach von nun an täglich sich zu diesem Thema zu Wort zu melden bis zur Ratifizierung. Seine beste Quelle für die täglichen Ansprachen war die Tageszeitung: 1968 das nigerianische Vorgehen gegen den christlichen Ibo-Widerstand, 1971 der Tod von 1-2 Millionen Bengalen in Pakistan ... nie griff die US-Regierung ein.

    Nach 19 Jahren und 3.211 Reden (S. 166) sowie schließlich auch der Unterstützung von Ronald Reagan war es in 1986 soweit: der amerikanische Senat stimmte zu. Aber erst in 1988 beendete der Kongress die Arbeiten am sogenannten Proxmire-Act (Genocide Convention Implementation Act). Der Durchbruch veränderte aber nichts an den politischen Realtitäten: US-Bürokraten wurden nur vorsichtiger in der Verwendung des Begriffes.

    Für all die folgenden Genozide, die aufgeführt und ausführlich beschrieben werden, will ich nur einen Auszug im Zusammenhang mit Bosnien zitieren:

    Senator Joseph Biden hatte zusammen mit Dole noch unter Präsident Bush Sr. ein Paket verabschiedet, um den belagerten Muslimen in Bosnien zu helfen. Nach einem Besuch im April in Sarajevo warf er der Clinton Regierung vor, Friedenswächter an einen Ort zu senden, wo sie nichts zu suchen hatten, und dies als Entschuldigung für Untätigkeit heranzuziehen. Im Mai 1993 entwarf daraufhin Clinton seine Lift-and-strike Politik und Außenminister Christopher wurde auf Europareise geschickt, um dies zu verkaufen: das Waffenembargo gegen die bosnischen Muslime sollte beendet werden, die Serben sollten bombardiert werden. Christopher betonte aber in Gesprächen mit NATO Generalsekretär Manfred Wörner (nach dessen Erinnerung) die Nachteile. Wörner erkannte, dass er dieses Vorgehen ablehnen sollte. Die lift-and-strike Politik wurde nach Rückkehr Christophers in die USA abgelehnt, stattdessen wurde eine Politik der safe-areas vereinbart. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, der UN-Generalsekretär verlangte 30.000 Mann zum Schutz dieser Zonen. Er bekam einen Bruchteil. Clinton nannte diese safe areas selber "shooting galleries". Das Problem war nicht gelöst. Es folgen Beschreibungen der Haltung von General Colin Powell, damals Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, weitere Reaktionen Clintons, etc. Von Aussenminister Christopher stammt der Satz "The hatred between all three groups ... is almost unbelievable. It's almost terrifying, and it's centuries old. That is really a problem from hell. And I think the United States is doing all we can to try to deal with that problem." (S. 306).

    Im Vorwort beschreibt Power ein Spielplatz-Massaker der Serben in einer dieser safe areas. Insbesondere der Tod eines kleinen Mädchens, welches nach langer Zeit erstmals draussen spielen durfte wird erzählt. Schrecklich.

    Das Ende des Buches ist den Bemühungen in Den Haag gewidmet, die Verantwortlichen gerichtlich zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen. Es wird beschrieben unter welchen Umständen Verhaftungen möglich waren und wie es zur Anklage kam.

    Schlussbemerkung: In den USA war dieses Buch ein Erfolg. Der Rezensent bedauert, dass es nie übersetzt wurde. Es hätte auch in Deutschland ein größeres Publikum verdient.
    Report
  • D.Papas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very well researched
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Very well researched,fluid writing,as impartial as possible given the nature of the subject and the unforgiving denial and/or indifference of the mainly Western powers.
    A must read for anyone who's interested in political history as a whole and the concept/history of genocide.
    Report
  • Dio Chung
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome experience, thank you.
    Reviewed in Canada on December 24, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Awesome experience, thank you.
    Report