Theme 3: The International Community Has Often Failed

The international community has failed to prevent or stop the major genocides of the twentieth century. Even after the Genocide Convention of 1948, mass killings continued. Rwanda is the most notorious case but not the only one. The reasons for failure include the institutional structure of the UN (which depends on great-power consensus), the calculation of national interests by major powers, and the genuine difficulty of intervention. Maria should be able to argue that the framework has often been inadequate while also recognizing what it has accomplished.