Preventing mass atrocities and serious human rights violations is both a powerful moral imperative and a compelling strategic interest for the United States. The new interagency Atrocities Prevention Board announced by President Obama today will develop cross-cutting strategies to prevent atrocities and ensure that senior officials throughout our government are warned about emerging threats. And for the first time, we will explicitly bar persons identified as organizing or participating in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and certain serious violations of human rights from entering the United States.
These steps, accompanied by a thorough interagency review of our practices and capabilities, will improve our ability to prevent and respond to future mass atrocities and human rights violations. They will help us put our principles into practice and protect more people in more places.
