Advancing Transatlantic Linkages on R2P and Mass Atrocity Prevention

The international community is in urgent need of successful, cooperative strategies for preventing and stopping mass atrocities. As recent crises have highlighted, effective international cooperation to save lives and preserve peace and security remains aspirational at best. The right starting point for the cooperation is between like-minded, politically influential, and militarily capable allies and partners, starting with the longtime transatlantic partners of the United States and others who have a record of supporting common security objectives. Those who share the view that preventing atrocities is “a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility” must assess their individual national efforts and coordinate their activities.

In an effort to move toward that objective, Tod Linberg, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and Lee Feinstein, former US Ambassador to Poland, in collaboration with the Center for the Prevention of Genocide of the Holocaust Museum, will coordinate a project designed to evaluate and assess the capabilities and gaps of key national and institutional actors on the issue of international action to prevent and halt mass atrocities.  They will review the degree to which national governments, the European Union (EU) and its constituent components, and relevant regional and subregional partnerships have established policies and dedicated resources to the prevention of atrocities.  They will further assess actual diplomatic, military, and development policies of leading governments in specific cases that have tested the will and capacity of the international community to act swiftly and effectively.

This analysis will form the basis for the project’s final report containing findings and recommendations for transatlantic and other like-minded institutions to strengthen cooperation in preventing and responding to atrocity situations.

The European meetings will be held in four capitals to include Brussels, Paris, London, and Berlin.