From Reaction to Resilience in Mass Atrocity Prevention: An Analysis of the 2013 UN Report State "The Responsibility to Protect: State Responsibility and Prevention"

This article analyzes the 2013 UN Secretary-General's report, The Responsibility to Protect: State Responsibility and Prevention. By presenting a
framework for prevention that incorporates both risk factors and sources
of resilience, the report advocates an understanding of why it is that some
states do not experience mass atrocities. By doing so, it is the first policy
document to explore in detail the notion that local and national actors are
the primary agents of long-term (structural) prevention. This article demonstrates how the report is conceptually distinct from previous framings of
structural prevention. It then provides a brief evaluation of the report,
using illustrations from Botswana and Zanzibar to highlight its strengths
and limitations.