Lawrence's review
A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power
What to say about a book that gets you angry, makes you feel guilty, gives you hope, and inspires you to strive to do better all at once. This is an angry, depressing polemic about America's passivity in meeting the challenge of its commitment to and responsibility for human rights around the world. In humanitarian crisis after crisis, we pledge "Never again." Yet we look for every excuse in the book to keep from acting: "We didn't know. We didn't realize the extent of the slaughter. Both sides are equally bad. We've can't really change the situation. It's not in our strategic interest. This situation doesn't meet the definition of genocide." And our failure to act allows the situation to worsen. This is not just about systemic failures and collective guilt, it's also about individual responsibility. And in that aspect, it's a challenge to each of us to stand up for what's right, to make our society live up to its commitment to make human rights a key par...more
