Mass Atrocity Response Operations

[Ken White]

The following text is from a SWC reader, who was responding to Post 26 and the first linked article (written unlike the others by a non-American):

Your quote contains this summation:

""The reality is that the APB will not drive military decision making in some constructive manner unless the collective western military establishment changes its views on R2P. In the meantime, innocent people will continue to die, cultures will continue to be lost, and national interests may or may not evolve to incorporate humanist interests as they related to the senseless killing of innocent civilians.""

For the first phrase I extracted, I would certainly hope that the collective western military establishment does not change it's views. If they did and start intervening more often, that's the most likely way I can think of to kill more innocent civilians...

As an aside, he mentions Romeo Dallaire -- I am not a fan, not least because he fans this foolishness...

For the last thought in that extracted paragraph above -- as it was in the beginning, is now and forever shall be...

[Bob's World]

Ken,

I had the good forturne to spend a bit of time with Sen Dallaire last December. I picked him up at the airport and shared a couple of meals and conversations over a 2 day period. I agree with you regarding R2P, and shared my concerns with him. As you can imagine, his position on this is deeply personal and heavily shaped by his frustrations over his experience in Rwanda. But being ordered by people far away to stand by and do nothing while atrocities unfold around you and the unit you command is far different than a policy of launching our nation into the middle of every problem regardless of how small our interests or knowledge of why the conflict is hapneing are.

An honorable man of deep conviction. I believe you would be a fan of the man.

[Ken White]

An honorable man of deep conviction. I believe you would be a fan of the man.

You may well be right. My current attitude however, is based on my strong personal penchant for turning off my radios...

Add deep distaste for meddling and one can develop some negativity.

Having said that, I'm also very much aware that one never knows in advance when or if one will indeed turn them off or go ahead and do the unpalatable and then have to live with the result.

[davidbfpo]

Ken White has just commented above:

turning off my radios..

Is that today an option for a unit commander? My question only applies to Western armies; who often have multiple means of communication and redundancy.

A "touch of Nelson" I think is out of date. There are enough people here who have "boots on the ground" experience to comment.

[Ken White]

Is that today an option for a unit commander? My question only applies to Western armies; who often have multiple means of communication and redundancy.

Sadly you're correct -- it is no longer an option. Or at least it's a more hazardous option in several respects due to that redundancy and excessive micromanagement. I knew that when I made the comment, I made it to signify an attitude, knowing those days were gone and you correctly understood that.

A "touch of Nelson" I think is out of date. There are enough people here who have "boots on the ground" experience to comment.

Though I do not believe you're equally correct in that. However, I do acknowledge -- again sadly -- that many will agree that you are. Fortunately for us all, there will always be a few who just get things done in spite of bureaucratic and risk averse impediments. Who dares, wins -- and those who do not dare don't know what they're missing.

Times change, people adapt -- but all change is not necessarily an improvement and hewing to the rules is not always assured, desirable or even sometimes possible...

[Jedburgh]

Col. Arthur D. Simons Center for the Study of Interagency Cooperation, InterAgency Journal 3-2, Special Edition: Prevention of Mass Atrocities

Features

Foreword
by Robert R. Ulin

Introduction: Responding to Genocide in Principle and Practice
by John Mark Mattox

A New Era of Conflict Resolution
by Romo A. Dallaire

The Military Profession and Counter-Genocide Leadership
by Michael H. Hoffman

The Killing Fields, Ethnic Cleansing, and Genocide in Europe
by Hal Elliott Wert

Far From Nuremberg: The United States, War Crimes, and the International Criminal Court
by Mark M. Hull

Humanitarian Frames and Humanitarian Soft Power in Darfur
by Stephen M. Wisniew

Educating Officers on the Prevention of Mass Atrocities
by Charles E. Heller

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to the Australian Lowy Institute:

Last Wednesday Sydney University academic Ben Goldsmith presented to the Lowy Institute his research on forecasting genocides.

After examining data from the early 70s onward, Goldsmith and his fellow researchers found four key factors that determine countries at high risk of genocide: infant mortality, the incidence of previous genocides or 'politicides', the percentage of the population serving in the military, and the incidence of political assassination.

The paper is on:http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.c...act_id=2027396