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A review by enklein7
A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power
4.0
Certainly a must read- long but worthwhile. I was very familiar with each case study except for Cambodia, but the initial parts about Raphael Lemkin and the origins of the word genocide and the convention were new and fascinating. It’s deeply researched but never reads like a dense academic text because it is basically one big story and many smaller stories/anecdotes. While the middle sections/meat of the book focus on different genocides in different areas of the world, Power really connects them and illustrates how previous events impacted future ones. This isn’t surprising because the book is centered on the U.S. narrative, mostly on the thoughts and actions government officials, so the linking threads are really related to policy decisions. While this is the main narrative, the most gripping and impactful parts are of course those grounded in the experiences of survivors. Still, although there’s certainly adequate context for each section on different genocides, most offer an introduction to the history and provide the information necessary to understand the U.S.’s position and international decision-making. I initially wanted even more space dedicated to the actual genocides and political history surrounding them, but there are whole books written on each, and this book had a different aim, focusing on the role of the U.S. But it definitely motivates further reading.
Interesting to read 2 decades into the 21st century because there is definitely a hawkish vibe for each genocide case, that the U.S. needed to support and participate in multilateral military activities if it were going to really stand up for human rights. And as the NATO bombings show, it’s always been known that military intervention would have risks, but the general takeaway from this book seems to be if military intervention is done wisely (though it often isn’t) the benefits will outweighs the costs. After the invasions of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya (and questions of what to do in Syria), the destabilizing effects of military intervention are even more prominent, with way bigger costs than benefits, which had made the prospect of humanitarian intervention even less appealing nowadays.
Interesting to read 2 decades into the 21st century because there is definitely a hawkish vibe for each genocide case, that the U.S. needed to support and participate in multilateral military activities if it were going to really stand up for human rights. And as the NATO bombings show, it’s always been known that military intervention would have risks, but the general takeaway from this book seems to be if military intervention is done wisely (though it often isn’t) the benefits will outweighs the costs. After the invasions of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya (and questions of what to do in Syria), the destabilizing effects of military intervention are even more prominent, with way bigger costs than benefits, which had made the prospect of humanitarian intervention even less appealing nowadays.