This event is being sponsored by the Holocaust Museum of Houston and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. The Baker Institute's sponsorship of this event was made possible through the generous support of the Shell Oil Company and the Shell Distinguished Lecture Series.
For more information on the Shell Distinguished Lecture Series, please visit bakerinstitute.org/shell-distinguished-lecture-series/.
It is apparent from the mass of killing fields that spanned the 20th century and spilt over into the 21st century that there is an urgent need for an effective system of intervention and prevention of genocide. Recognizing the early indicators and preventing genocide remain challenges that nations and individuals continue to face today.
Lt. Gen. Roméo A. Dallaire, a highly decorated artilleryman, served in the Canadian Army in a series of increasingly demanding command, staff and training appointments. In 1994, as commander of the United Nations mission in Rwanda, he warned of a possible mass murder of the Tutsi minority by Hutu extremists. He witnessed unspeakable horrors and worked tirelessly to save lives in the face of the United Nations Security Council withdrawing nearly all his troops. Dallaire retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2000 with the rank of lieutenant general and has received several meritorious awards for service. He is currently a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 2002 he was invested in the Order of Canada, one of Canada's highest honors. His internationally recognized book, "Shake Hands with the Devil - The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda," has garnered numerous international literary awards and was the basis for a full-length feature film, "Shake Hands with the Devil," released in 2007. Dallaire presently sits in the Canadian Senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.