Never Again

In class on Friday, we briefly talked about the phrase "never again." This reminded me of a book I read last year, The Blue Sweater. In this book, Jacqueline Novogratz shares the journey she took trying to make a difference in third world countries, specifically Rwanda. In an effort to give poverty-stricken women a sense of success, she created a microfinance company in Rwanda.

Before the Rwandan Genocide she was able to impact a significant number of women in the country. However, following the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, Rwanda was left in terrible condition. Those who had lived in poverty prior to the Genocide were worse off then they had ever been. Immediately following the Genocide, Jacqueline reevaluated her contribution to poverty-stricken nations, as well as her ability to help them. She states,

“It is against the backdrop of the horror of genocide that I now concentrated on understanding the potential of philanthropy to effect change in the world. Rwanda would always remind me of how serious the work of change is, how we have to build accountability into all aspects of development—and of philanthropy—and how the world really is interconnected. I would feel ashamed when I would hear people say ‘never again’ in the media, feeling that these words would be empty unless we helped build a stronger world economy in which all people could feel they had a vested interest in society” (137). 

As a country, we have the ability to put meaning behind this phrase. With the resources we have in the United States, do you think we are doing all we can to ensure that “never again” is a realistic goal, or do you think that genocides are likely to continue in third world countries and “never again” is a meaningless phrase?