A problem from hell

In Samantha Power’s “A Problem From Hell”, she describes the terrifying and devastating effects of genocide. She thoroughly explains occurrences of genocide throughout history in nations such as Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Kosovo. The other subject of this book is related to the subtitle, “America and the Age of Genocide”. Power describes the invention of the word genocide due to Lemkin, and also the struggles of Lemkin, Proxmire, and other leaders to acquire U.S. involvement in foreign affairs dealing with Genocide. Power uses examples to criticize the government for their inability to break their usual neutrality policy. Power’s title, “A Problem From Hell”, comes from a statement Warren Christopher made in response to the hatred between the groups in Yugoslavia. Power was a young reporter in Bosnia during the War in 1993 and left in 1996 having seen genocide’s destruction with her own eyes. This book conveys incredibly detailed and accurate information regarding major genocides in several countries. Power’s experience in Bosnia shows through her book as it is evident that she is strongly against genocide and believes every nation, especially powerful ones like the United States, should be willing to prevent this atrocious crime. However, she does not believe that military actions are the only ways to help in these instances. This book is intended for an audience wanting to know about the devastating genocide cases that have occurred in the past and the inability of other nations to denounce and prevent this crime. Even though Power’s bias against genocide is clearly evident, I believe she presents great examples and thoroughly satisfies her audience. Next, I believe Power failed to present her argument without letting here personal bias get in the way. Power’s years in Bosnia clearly affected her overall perception of the word “genocide”. Not only her literal understanding of the word, but also her feelings on the subject. We can