Representing Mass Violence: U.S. Versus European Varieties

How do UN Security Council and International Criminal Court interventions in mass violence, both part of the "Justice Cascade," color representations of mass violence in a variety of European countries as compared to the United States? And what pattern does the comparative analysis of narratives in news media yield? Answers to these questions matter as representations affect responses to mass violence, including genocide. Zooming in on the case of Darfur in the early 21^st century, comprehensive media analysis of 3387 news reports and opinion pieces and in-depth interviews with Africa correspondents of leading newspapers, NGO experts from Amnesty International and Doctors without Borders and with foreign ministry officials provide the evidence. Analyses show that judicial interventions affect the representation of mass violence in all countries. They simultaneously document that the inclination of subscribing to the criminalizing frame and using the genocide label varies substantially. Patterns are most distinct for the United States, while variation across Europeaan countries is also substantial. Conditions for such variation are being explored in the realms of civil society, government institutions and policy practices as well as cultural sensibilities as rooted in collective memories. The presentation, highlighting results from a forthcoming book, contributes to our understanding of how the world, especially the Global North, acknowledges and frames violence in the Global South, specifically in Africa.