Data Limitations as an Impediment to Genocide Intervention

This chapter begins with the basic contention that accurate data on violence are needed for a military intervention to halt genocide. Tactics of intervention include economic sanctions, mediation and dispute resolution, and diplomatic as well as military intervention. The chapter also focuses on data limitations as an impediment to military intervention once genocide is ongoing and argues that before intervention of any type is possible it is first necessary to gather a minimum threshold of data on the actors and actions at work. It explores the ways in which the reliability, or lack thereof, of conflict data can be an impediment to military intervention. The chapter explores these limitations within the case of Rwanda and discusses the ways in which data limitations complicated efforts toward rapid military intervention. It presents a series of recommendations to help activists and policymakers attempt to overcome these limitations.