Michael N. Barnett

Eyewitness to a Genocide The United Nations and Rwanda, by Michael Barnett (read 14 Nov 2016) Having come to know someone from Rwanda, I decided to read this 2002 book by a professor who was working at the United Nations in 1994, when the genocide in Rwanda happened. The author, while calling his book "Eyewitness to a Genocide" was never in Rwanda, but has studied carefully the events which resulted in he United Nations failing to stop the genocide. The book carefully dissects the events and show more concludes there are various persons who failed in regard to the horrendous event. The Canadian general who was the head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Rwanda sought to prevent the atrocity but the will to prevent it was lacking on the part of the people at the United Nations. The Secretary-General, Boutrus Boutrous-Ghali, shares some of the blame, as does the U.S. The book is thought-provoking in its earlier part but the learned study as to blame does get less interesting--especially since there seems to be enough blame to ascribe to many--besides, of course, the evil perpetrators themselves. show less

Read for a class. This book is composed with a general introduction to international organizations from the liberalist perspective (geared toward an audience with at least a basic knowledge of international politics), followed by several case studies examining the creation and evolution of IOs. Much is devoted to sociological aspects of bureaucracies as defined by Weber.

While interesting to the initiated, it would be a dull exercise for those with only a passing interest in its subject.