US Government Statements on Genocide

The adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide marked a turning point in world history. Today, 150 nations including the United States are parties to the Genocide Convention.

In 2018, in recognition of the convention’s 70th anniversary as well as the 30th anniversary of its ratification by the United States, the Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide and Ferencz International Justice Initiative invited former Ambassador Todd Buchwald, the Tom A. Bernstein Genocide Prevention Fellow, and Adam Keith to explore how, when, and why the US government has decided to say genocide has been committed. 

About This Report

By Any Other Name: US Government Statements about "Genocide" compiles, for the first time in one place, the many instances in which senior US government officials have publicly invoked the term, describes the behind-the-scenes decision-making process leading to these decisions, and the lessons learned from this process. 

The appendix provides a chronological, detailed discussion of each situation using publicly available documents concerning US policy statements and deliberations, as well as interviews with individuals who were personally involved in the relevant situations. 

Contents

• Section 1: Overview of US Practice and Process in Making Genocide Determinations

• Section 2: What Does the Word Genocide Actually Mean?

• Section 3: The Power and Importance of the Word Genocide

• Section 4: International Legal Consequences of Genocide

• Section 5: Observations

• Section 6: Recommendations

• Appendix (Case Studies):

  • Cold War and Historical Cases: Armenia, Biafra, Bangladesh, Burundi, Soviet Union, Central America, Iraq, and Cambodia

  • Cases from the 1990s: Bosnia, Rwanda, Burundi, Iraq, and Kosovo

  • Cases from the 2000s to Today: Darfur, ISIS, and Burma (Myanmar)