ABOUT PAUSA
Promoting Public Accountability for U.S. Contributions to Mass Atrocities through Rigorous Research and Analysis and Public Engagement
In 2024, I co-founded the Mass Atrocity Research Initiative at American University's School of International Service. Then, in 2025, as part of MARI, I founded the Project for American Foreign Policy Accountability. With my move to Keene State College, I am beginning a new project: Public Accountability for U.S. Atrocities (PAUSA). The need for such a project is found in the unequivocal evidence that the United States is directly responsible for, or shares responsibility for, atrocities committed in Indonesia, East Timor, Guatemala, Iraq, Yemen, and Palestine, to name but a few.
U.S. perpetration of and contributions to atrocities are reflected in polls concerning perceived greatest threats to international peace. In July 2025, the Pew Research Center reported that, in response to the question of who poses the greatest international threat, the United States was among the top three most common responses in 20 of the 25 countries polled. The United States was the most common response in seven countries, the second most common in ten countries, and the third most common in three. For context, China was the first (3) or second (7) most common response in 10 countries and Russia was the first (8) or second (4) most common response in 12. Among the 24 countries polled other than the United States, the U.S. was the first or second most common response, compared to nearly 42 percent for China and 50 percent for Russia. Such views of the United States are not limited to the current international political climate. In a 2014 Win/Gallup poll, the United States was also identified as the greatest international threat. Twenty-four percent of those polled in 65 countries named the United States as the greatest threat. Pakistan was runner-up at 8 percent. In Russia and China, 54 percent and 49 percent of respondents, respectively, viewed the United States as the greatest threat to peace, but they were far from alone. Bosnia (49 percent), Argentina (46 percent), Greece (45 percent), Turkey (45 percent), Mexico (37 percent), Ukraine (33 percent), Brazil (26 percent), and Peru (24 percent) did the same. Though the percentages were lower, demonstrating more equal distribution about perceived international threats, Germany still ranked the United States as the greatest threat, while the United Kingdom had the United States tied with Iran.
It is with information like the above in mind that, with PAUSA, I aim to: (1) address the disconnect between how Americans and others understand the role of the United States in the world; (2) address the associated lack of public accountability in the United States for atrocities committed or facilitated by the United States; and (3) promote downstream prevention of U.S. contributions to global violence by raising awareness through education, recognition, and memorialization.
My first step in support of PAUSA is completion of my new book project Dirty Hands and Spotless Minds: How Americans are Shielded from the Reality of U.S.-Sponsored Atrocities.
In 2024, I co-founded the Mass Atrocity Research Initiative at American University's School of International Service. Then, in 2025, as part of MARI, I founded the Project for American Foreign Policy Accountability. With my move to Keene State College, I am beginning a new project: Public Accountability for U.S. Atrocities (PAUSA). The need for such a project is found in the unequivocal evidence that the United States is directly responsible for, or shares responsibility for, atrocities committed in Indonesia, East Timor, Guatemala, Iraq, Yemen, and Palestine, to name but a few.
U.S. perpetration of and contributions to atrocities are reflected in polls concerning perceived greatest threats to international peace. In July 2025, the Pew Research Center reported that, in response to the question of who poses the greatest international threat, the United States was among the top three most common responses in 20 of the 25 countries polled. The United States was the most common response in seven countries, the second most common in ten countries, and the third most common in three. For context, China was the first (3) or second (7) most common response in 10 countries and Russia was the first (8) or second (4) most common response in 12. Among the 24 countries polled other than the United States, the U.S. was the first or second most common response, compared to nearly 42 percent for China and 50 percent for Russia. Such views of the United States are not limited to the current international political climate. In a 2014 Win/Gallup poll, the United States was also identified as the greatest international threat. Twenty-four percent of those polled in 65 countries named the United States as the greatest threat. Pakistan was runner-up at 8 percent. In Russia and China, 54 percent and 49 percent of respondents, respectively, viewed the United States as the greatest threat to peace, but they were far from alone. Bosnia (49 percent), Argentina (46 percent), Greece (45 percent), Turkey (45 percent), Mexico (37 percent), Ukraine (33 percent), Brazil (26 percent), and Peru (24 percent) did the same. Though the percentages were lower, demonstrating more equal distribution about perceived international threats, Germany still ranked the United States as the greatest threat, while the United Kingdom had the United States tied with Iran.
It is with information like the above in mind that, with PAUSA, I aim to: (1) address the disconnect between how Americans and others understand the role of the United States in the world; (2) address the associated lack of public accountability in the United States for atrocities committed or facilitated by the United States; and (3) promote downstream prevention of U.S. contributions to global violence by raising awareness through education, recognition, and memorialization.
My first step in support of PAUSA is completion of my new book project Dirty Hands and Spotless Minds: How Americans are Shielded from the Reality of U.S.-Sponsored Atrocities.