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from International Security

Rousing a Response: When the United States Changes Policy toward Mass Killing

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Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry Morgenthau Jr., February 9, 1934.
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry Morgenthau Jr., February 9, 1934.

Summary

When do U.S. presidents strengthen the government’s response to mass killing? Three factors account for such shifts: dissent within the president’s inner circle; congressional pressure; and the threat of personal political costs for the president. The 1944 creation of the War Refugee Board, which saved 200,000 Jews during the Holocaust, is a clear example of such a policy shift.

Recommended citation

Amanda J. Rothschild, "Rousing a Response: When the United States Changes Policy toward Mass Killing," International Security, Vol. 42, No. 2 (Fall 2017), pp. 120–154, doi:10.1162/ISEC_a_00295.

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