"A Problem From Hell:" America and the Age of Genocide Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

"A Problem From Hell:" America and the Age of Genocide Plot Summary

Preview of "A Problem From Hell:" America and the Age of Genocide Summary:

"A Problem from Hell:" American and the Age of Genocide focuses on the instances of twentieth century genocide and examines how the United States reacted to these situations. Power discusses the genocides that occurred in Turkey, Germany, Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Kosovo. She also discusses the development of international laws against genocide and the dedication of activists, such as Lemkin, Proxmire, Dole, and others, who attempted to compel the United States to ratify the Genocide Convention which would have compelled them to intervene when genocides occurred.

Power makes several claims in the book. First, she argues that the United States has been very slow to act in the face of genocidal situations. Although violence in some regions was a distinct possibility, both policymakers and the public assumed that such violence could not occur. The policymakers doubted accounts from survivors and refugees and dismissed them as too sensational to...
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