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The word “genocide” was coined in 1944, and granted international legal status in 1948. Its meaning, legal significance, and relevance to actual conflicts continue to evolve. Learn more by exploring what expert analysts have said in lectures, panel discussions, films, and interviews sponsored by the Committee on Conscience. You can also find news, photos, and more information about the history and concept of genocide.

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Negotiating with Killers: Expert Insights on Resolving Deadly Conflicts Negotiating with Killers: Expert negotiators offer insights based on their research and field experiences in some of the world's most violent conflict zones. READ MORE Genocide: Lessons from the 20th Century Lessons learned from the "age of genocide" about prevention. READ MORE Fulfilling a Responsibility to Protect: What Will It Take To End the 'Age of Genocide'? Keynote address by Samantha Power, winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide. READ MORE Raphael Lemkin's History of Genocide and Colonialism Dr. John Docker analyzes the connections between the development of the word and law of "genocide" and colonial history. READ MORE Freedom on Fire: Human Rights Wars and America’s Response John Shattuck, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, offers an inside view on the role that responding to human rights abuses plays in policy decisions. READ MORE Lemkin’s War: Origins of the Term “Genocide” James Fussell from Prevent Genocide International discusses Raphael Lemkin’s life and contributions to legal history. READ MORE Is Genocide Preventable? Professor Thomas Cushman of Wellesley University presents his research on conceptual challenges to preventing genocide. Discussants include: Professor Joyce Apsel, New York University and President, International Association of Genocide Scholars; Professor Eric Markusen, Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Anita Sharma, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. READ MORE Genocide and Humanitarian Response From the decision of the Red Cross not to publicize what it knew about the Holocaust through more recent incidents of massive human rights abuses, the humanitarian aid community has been on the front lines of international response to genocide, a position which has produced its worst dilemmas. David Rieff, addresses this history in the context of what he describes as "humanitarianism in crisis." READ MORE Genocide Prevention, Morality, and the National Interest After the succession of crises in the 1990s in places such as Bosnia, Rwanda, and Kosovo, where policymakers grappled with whether and how to respond to genocide and threats of genocide, there seemed to be a broadly held view that preventing genocide is in America’s national interest. This symposium takes the next step by considering how this interest relates to other national interests and how it can be promoted realistically in the future. READ MORE Samantha Power on America and the Age of Genocide Samantha Power, author of "'A Problem From Hell:' America in the Age of Genocide," addresses the diplomatic, military, and political reasons that have historically blocked U.S. action to prevent genocide. READ MORE Perpetrators in the Holocaust, Cambodia, and Rwanda: "The Evil That Men Do..." Panelists examine the perpetration of genocide and mass murder in Africa, Europe, and Cambodia. Speakers include: Bill Berkeley, author and journalist, The New York Times; Christopher R. Browning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Stephen R. Heder, University of London. READ MORE Eliminating Genocide: Interview with Committee on Conscience Staff Director, Jerry Fowler Keith Porter, of National Public Radio’s Common Ground, interviews Committee on Conscience Staff Director Jerry Fowler about preventing genocide. READ MORE Remembrance and Conscience: A Sacred Bond Rabbi Irving Greenberg, Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, addresses the historical and philosophical background of the Museum’s Committee on Conscience. READ MORE The Legacy of Raphael Lemkin Polish-Jewish jurist Raphael Lemkin, whose family was annihilated in the Holocaust, coined the word “genocide” in 1944. On the 100th anniversary of Lemkin's birth, Michael Ignatieff describes Lemkin’s contribution. READ MORE Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity: Early Warning and Prevention Bringing together top experts from policy planning, media, human rights organizations, international organizations, and the military, this conference provides an overview of the major debates and issues of genocide prevention. READ MORE Genocide and Mass Murder in the Twentieth Century: A Historical Perspective A series of lectures on a number of the major genocidal events of the 20th century, providing a historical perspective and addressing some of the most vital issues facing the field of genocide studies today. Lecture topics include: genocide, Armenia, the Ukraine famine, Rwanda and Burundi, the Holocaust, China, and rescuing endangered peoples. READ MORE