Stopping Genocide

Ten years ago, nearly a million ethnic-minority Rwandans died in a government-planned massacre. Political leaders in the United States and the United Nations later admitted they should have intervened and vowed “Never again” — just as they vowed after the Holocaust. But as ethnic killings occurring today in western Sudan make tragically clear, genocide still flourishes. The Bush administration supports sanctions against the Khartoum government, but human-rights activists say an international force is needed to protect civilians. With U.S. troops stretched thin in Iraq, however, the United States has been reluctant to act. Some question whether Americans, preoccupied with terrorism, have the appetite for humanitarian military actions. The U.N. has tried to improve its poor record of mobilizing troops by authorizing Western powers to lead forces in recent crises. But many believe the U.N. is politically paralyzed by the competing interests of the five major members of the Security Council, who can veto any military action.