Global security today demands effective human protection. Genocide and other mass atrocities reflect more than building levels of severity within a broader context of violence. These crimes are perpetrated with the conscious intent to destroy social structures and generate instability, profiting from chaos that often radiates far beyond national borders. Genocide and other mass atrocities, however, can be strategically addressed—not only through rapid response but also through pre-crisis preventive engagement. The world can secure more effective human protection through acceptance of the mutually reinforcing obligations reflected in the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, and through the development of deliberate, strategic, and balanced approaches to atrocity prevention and response.

As the global multilateral system is subjected to the stress of tectonic shifts in power, influence, and political alignment, the process of G-8 and G-20 summit meetings provides a window into how the system is adjusting. Without the permanent, treaty-based structure of traditional international organizations like the United Nations, the G groupings can more easily adapt and evolve. Still, key questions remain. Will there be an enlarging of summit agendas to take on global challenges beyond economic matters? And will leaders really make best use of these forums to bridge their differences and tackle the numerous urgent problems currently on the international agenda?

There is a clear need to move toward greater nuclear disarmament and better nonproliferation control, as well as preventing loose nuclear material from falling into the wrong hands. US leadership and robust implementation of international agreements such as UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 and 1540 could lead to all global supplies of nuclear material being secured and, where possible, eliminated in the next four years.

Thinking globally, acting locally. The Stanley Foundation organizes and supports a number of international, multicultural, and global education projects, including the Catherine Miller Explorer Awards and The Water in My Backyard. For projects in and near our hometown of Muscatine, Iowa, contact Jill Goldesberry.