Holy shit... I can't believe I finished this book. I started this book over a year ago and had to stop because it was too depressing. The author of "A Problem From Hell," Samantha Power, asks the question: "Why do American leaders who vow "never again" repeatedly fail to stop genocide?" By drawing on hundreds of interviews with Washington's top policymakers, thousands of declassified documents, and her reporting from Bosnia, Power explores the world’s response (or lack thereof) to genocide over the past fifty years---beginning with the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust and Raphael Lemkin's creation of the word "genocide," and then through the genocides of the Cambodians, Kurdish, Bosnian Muslims, Rwandans, and Kosovar Albanians. While Power assigns some of the blame on the UN and NATO, she focuses most of her criticism on American leaders who vowed “never again,” yet refused to get involved in almost all cases of genocide in the 20th century.   

Here is Power's thesis: The real reason the United States did not do what it could and should have done to stop genocide was not a lack of knowledge or influence but a lack of will. Simply put, American leaders did not act because they did not want to. They believed that genocide was wrong, but they were not prepared to invest the military, financial, diplomatic, or domestic political capital needed to stop it. The U.S. policies crafted in response to each case of genocide examined in this book were not the accidental products of neglect. They were concrete choices made by this country's most influential decision-makers after unspoken and explicit weighing of costs and benefits

This book is extremely dense, and I listened to most of it on Audible and, thus, struggled to take in all the information. But also, can you blame me?!?! This book is a massive endeavor. One of its most impactful elements is Power's reporting on the many courageous Americans who risked their careers and lives to get the United States to act. Additionally, it provides fascinating biographical information about Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide and devoted his life to ensuring it became an international crime. Depressingly, the United States took over 40 years to ratify this United Nations resolution, long after many other countries had done so. 

One significant shortcoming of this book is its failure to address how we can respond more swiftly and effectively to prevent genocide in the future. What measures can be taken to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and ensure that the promise of "never again" becomes a reality? Unfortunately, the themes and issues discussed remain as relevant in 2025 as they were when the book was first published. Another notable omission is the lack of focus on the suffering caused by American militarism and complicity abroad. The book does not sufficiently examine how the U.S. has not only been complicit but, in some cases, has acted as a driving force behind genocidal actions across the globe. This gap leaves an important dimension of the discussion unexplored, limiting the book's scope and impact.

This quote really stuck with me:  "When, on September 12, 2001, the United States turned for help to its friends around the world, Americans were gratified by the overwhelming response. When the Tutsi*** cried out, by contrast, every country in the world turned away." 

***and the same could be said for Armenians, Jews, Cambodians, Bosnians, and Kurds. 

I just finished this book like 10 minutes ago so I have a lot more thoughts and probably should have waited to write this review but oh well! I think the Introduction and Conclusion to this book are phenomenal and should be required reading. That's all for now!!!!!