Despite the handwringing and promises of "never again," the grim recurrences of genocide and crimes against humanity around the world have made it emphatically clear that the international community has been largely ineffective in stopping mass atrocity crimes. Drawing on candid interviews with eighty key figures involved in American and Canadian responses to the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the Kosovo crisis of 1999, Mobilizing the Will to Intervene explains why and provides a roadmap for change. Since appeals to the "moral law" carry little weight in the political calculations of modern states, the authors argue that civil society must persuade governments that the prevention of mass atrocities around the world is in every country's national interest. In a globalized world, violence, disease, and instability triggered by mass atrocities in one place affect the security, health, and prosperity of all other regions. No nation is an island. Impassioned, insightful, and determined, Mobilizing the Will to Intervene is a direct appeal to American and Canadian politicians, NGOs, journalists, and the public to participate effectively in the prevention of mass atrocities by pressuring their leaders to act. With simple, practical recommendations, this book shows how civil society can participate in preventing future mass atrocities and help repair a ruined system of international aid.

Frank Chalk's profile page

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Carla Barqueiro holds a PhD in international politics from Aberystwyth University and has written extensively about Canada's human security foreign policy.

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Simon Doyle is a journalist who has covered lobbying in Ottawa and the shaping of Canadian government policy.

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"Mobilizing the Will to Intervene [...] challenges government to think big, for once." The Toronto Star

“Mobilizing the Will to Intervene […] challenges government to think big, for once.” The Toronto Star
“These people deserve our attention when they talk about genocide. Although perhaps tilting more liberal than conservative in their outlook, they are not mushy-headed idealists obsessed with soft power. They know that in a brutal world it is often necessary to use force. They want to marry the liberal notion of humanitarian intervention with the conservative conception of national interest.” Tom Flanagan, The Globe and Mail
"It is the kind of book that can change the world." Montreal Review of Books

"Mobilizing the Will to Intervene […] challenges government to think big, for once." The Toronto Star

"A major policy initiative in the field of foreign affairs, the Will to Intervene Project has now become a book and deserves Canadians' serious attention." The Literary Review of Canada

"Mobilizing the Will to Intervene challenges us to take the critical next step in activating the Responsibility to Protect doctrine. Rhetoric rings hollow to victims of mass atrocity in the absence of action. Rights must be mobilized to be real." Stephen

"It is the kind of book that can change the world." Montreal Review of Books

"Mobilizing the Will to Intervene shows that inaction is not inevitable and argues that preventing genocide and mass atrocities is in the national interest of states. This book is a must-read for scholars, activists, policymakers, and concerned citizens e