What might have been...

posted by Susan

While the Rwandan genocide happened before the doctrine of R2P was codified, if there were a case in my memory that begged for intervention, Rwanda was it.  And what happened in Rwanda is how I came to my personal belief that we have a responsibility to intervene. There is no “easy” answer in situations like Libya, and apparently world leaders felt the same way about Rwanda.  Frankly, intervening is probably the hard way to go.  It costs money and lives.  It is hard to make a case to citizens that they should be helping people half way around the world. And there’s the issue of sovereignty.  

Despite all that, how many lives could have been saved in Rwanda if the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations had actually united to take action?  This article talks about the early warning signs and lead up to the genocide indicating numerous places where intervention could have stemmed the tide. If we had imagined the full scope and horror of what happened would that have made a difference?

And, next week, we'll be looking at commentary from some pundits who are saying that the “political” ramifications of invoking R2P in Libya may stop it from being used in the future. 

With you all in solidarity.