Global Inaction Puts World at Heightened Risk of Mass Atrocities: 75 Years of Mixed Results with Genocide Convention
Human rights activists warn that the international community's inaction on mass atrocities has led to a heightened risk of such crimes becoming the norm worldwide. The UN's "responsibility to protect" principle and US efforts to prevent atrocities have weakened, while conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, China, Ethiopia, Sudan, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have resulted in civilian deaths and war crimes. The UN Security Council's paralysis and lack of appetite for peacekeeping missions reflect a fading memory of the responsibility to protect vulnerable populations. The US, once a leader in atrocity prevention, has seen a decline in prioritizing the issue under the Biden administration.
