Averting Genocides

The Will to Intervene Project at the Montreal Institute and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University has issued a report which asks the world to find a way to intervene before genocides like the ones in Rwanda and Darfur occur. The report suggests that when one considers the dangers and risks, whether from pandemics, from pirates in Somalia, or from the requirements of genocide after they occur, that averting those crises is far less risky. The report also proposes to rethink the notion of not intervening on the basis of national sovereignty, suggesting the concept, no longer efficient, may be becoming outdated.
Whether we like to admit it or not, genocides will occur. We can usually anticipate where. If the report holds any truth, to avert them is not only preferable politically, economically and socially, it is also a way to prevent a lot of suffering—something that ought to give averting genocide priority status.