Splinters

The memorial services to mark the 10th anniversary of the genocide in the central African country of Rwanda have begun. Up to a million people died within a hundred days across Rwanda as the US and the UN debated the definition of the word "genocide" and whether they were obligated to intervene. Bill Clinton and Kofi Annan have subsequently publicly apologised. Philip Gourevitch's We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families is a superlative peice of journalism, examining the complex historical and social reasons that led to the genocide, the lack of Western help until it was too late, and the aftermath for the country and its people. It is a savagely unsentimental book but deeply compassionate: the author refuses to indulge in liberal handwringing or offer pithy platitudes (unlike CNN's current coverage of the memorial services). Instead, he shoots down numerous myths about Rwanda that led so many to ignore the genocide as the unstoppable work of barely human savages. Gourevitch's book functions on many levels - as an analysis of the genocide, as an insight into the mechinations of European and American aid giving, and as a witness to the stories of the survivors. I'd say it's essential reading.

Also worth noting is William Shawcross' Deliver Us From Evil, which is effectively a history of the UN and an analysis of whether peacekeeping actually works within the countries it professes to help.