Mark Hanis '05 Urges Administration to
Remain Engaged in Iraq to Prevent Atrocities

by Stacey Kutish
7/20/09

Mark Hanis '05

In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Mark Hanis '05 urges the Obama administration to remain engaged in Iraq to prevent civilian atrocities. Hanis, president of the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net), says:

"We recognize that the Iraq war is unpopular and that U.S. involvement has not always been for good. But we cannot allow politics to blind us to what responsibilities may emerge in the coming months and years. As with U.S. inaction in Cambodia and Rwanda, the clarity of hindsight will eventually leave us shamefaced if political inconvenience prevents us from halting mass atrocities in Iraq." more

Hanis '05, Sam Bell '05, and Andrew Sniderman '07 co-founded what is now GI-Net during their senior year to address the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Using technology in innovative ways, GI-Net harnesses the power of individuals to influence public policy and provides training so advocates become lifelong champions of the cause.