An International But Especially American Event

The report of the Genocide Prevention Task Force (the Albright-Cohen Report), prepared under the auspices of the US Institute of Peace (USIP), is of great significance to the field of genocide studies. I do not hesitate to say that this report is an international event. Indeed, this is the first time that a group of experts - mainly former high officials, former diplomats, generals, and members of Congress - have worked together to propose a coherent and well-argued list of recommendations to a state so that its government can play a major role in preventing genocide throughout the world. One may certainly regret that so few genocide scholars and NGO members were consulted; it seems clear that the report has been written for a public policy audience rather than an academic audience. Nevertheless, to my knowledge, there has been no equivalent document - directed to a particular state rather than to an organization such as the United Nations - in the young field of genocide studies or in international affairs. In particular, such reports cannot currently be found in the United Kingdom or in France. [Résumé de l'éditeur