Announcements and Recent Analysis

State Department Review Names Prevention of Genocide a Priority

Judge Buergenthal on the Challenges of International Justice

On the eve of the anniversary of the genocide convention, the Museum hosted a discussion with Judge Thomas Buergenthal, a Holocaust survivor who has devoted his life to finding justice and protecting human rights for people throughout the world. A pioneer of international law, Judge Buergenthal served for the last decade as the American judge for the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principle judicial organ of the United Nations.  

U.S. and French Holocaust Museums Convene Genocide Prevention Symposium

“We know the unthinkable is thinkable. What do we do with that knowledge?” Sara Bloomfield, director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, asked an audience of human rights experts, conflict prevention specialists, and senior diplomats representing more than 20 governments. The group gathered in Paris on Monday to discuss how members of the international community could work together to prevent genocide and mass atrocities.  

“If there is war, I will be used to it.”

In an op-ed in the Boston Globe, Mike Abramowitz, Director of the Museum's genocide prevention program, and Andrew Natsios, former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, discuss the definitive moment ahead for southern Sudan, as the region prepares to vote in a referendum on independence, and the hopeful possibility that peace is within reach. Abramowitz and Natsios traveled to southern Sudan on a Museum-sponsored bearing witness trip. To learn more about their observations and experiences, read the trip report or view photographs.

Stories from South Sudan: A Film Excerpt

From November 8 to 10, 2010, the Holocaust Museum will project building-size images of life in South Sudan onto the Museum's exterior walls on 15th Street. Taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lucian Perkins on a recent Museum-sponsored trip, these images bear witness to the risks ahead for the Sudanese, as the South prepares to vote in a referendum on independence in January 2011.  

A Report on the Museum’s Bearing Witness Trip to Sudan

From September 19 to October 3, 2010, Mike Abramowitz, Director of the Museum’s Committee on Conscience, and Andrew Natsios, former Special Envoy to Sudan, traveled throughout South Sudan to assess the region’s conditions as it prepares for the January 9 referendum on independence from the North. They were joined by Lucian Perkins, a prize-winning photographer and journalist.  

A Decision for Sudan’s South Has Nationwide Implications

In news coverage of the upcoming referendum on southern Sudan's independence, there has been little discussion about the potential ramifications of this defining political moment for northern Sudan.  

The Borderlands of Sudan

With four months left before South Sudan is scheduled to vote on a referendum for independence, the 1,200 mile border separating the north and south of Sudan has not yet been established. A detailed picture of the complex situation along the line emerges in a new report, commissioned by the U.S. Institute of Peace and produced by Concordis International. The report offers snapshots of the border regions and how local issues could impact surrounding communities and a wider peace in Sudan.  

Bashir Flouts Arrest Warrants on Visit to Kenya

In defiance of two arrest warrants and international demand for his surrender, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Kenya on August 27 to celebrate the nation's new constitution.  

Forward or Backward in the Balkans?

On Thursday, the Museum and the National Endowment for Democracy hosted a conference to mark the 15th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica. Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden, delivered the keynote address. Here are some highlights from the speech: