Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps toward Early Detection and Effective Action

Dr. David Hamburg’s groundbreaking book, Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps toward Early Detection and Effective Action, approaches the problem of mass violence from three perspectives. It examines the roots causes of genocide, using illustrative case histories frm the nineteenth century to the present to identify recurrent patterns. A basic theme is that clear warnings always appear long before a genocide erupts and that there are practical ways to prevent its outbreak. It describes pillars of prevention: how human societies can develop strong, long-term potential for preventing mass violence of all kinds. It considers what various organizations and institutions can do to build and maintain the pillars of prevention. It concludes that focal points of knowledge and skill in prevention are essential to identify warning signals and to prepare and propose appropriate responses before a genocide begins. For this purpose it recommends the establishment of international genocide prevention centers in strong institutions and outlines their tasks.

This book is highly interdisciplinary and international in scope, continuously linking research with policy making. Work on the book has already stimulated significant movement in the United Nations and the European Union.

Watch or read David Hamburg's interview with The Open Mind: The Interview

A documentary film, Preventing Genocide, extends the work of the book and includes interviews with more than twenty luminaries including Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu, and Sir Bruan Urquhart, among others. See Stanford University's website for the documentary at htttp://lib.stanford.edu/pg

This revised and updated edition includes:

David A. Hamburg, M.D., is DeWitt Wallace Distinguished Scholar at Weill Cornell Medical College. He was President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1982 to 1997. He has been Professor at Stanford University and Harvard University, President of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Among his many publications are Today's Children (1992), No More Killing Fields (2002), and Learning to Live Together (2004).
Dr. Hamburg was a member of President Clinton's Defense Policy Board and the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. He was the founder of the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government. He cochaired with former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. He is currently chairing two distinguished parallel committees at the United Nations and European Union on the prevention of genocide, reporting to Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon, and Javier Solana. Dr. Hamburg's many honors include the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal (its highest award) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award of the United States).