Co-founded and co-led by Claudine Kuradusenge-McLeod and Jeff Bachman, the Mass Atrocity Research Initiative (MARI) uses a critical approach to research mass atrocities to provide rigorous academic understanding of the socio-political factors leading to atrocities while delivering policy-related recommendations to improve our political and legal system. Its first two projects: the Mass Atrocity Accountability Project (MAAP) and the United States Atrocities Accountability Project (USAAP) aims to understand how political narratives and actions increase the probability of mass violence occurring.

Have an inquiry about our activities? Reach out to mari_sis@american.edu.

Student Fellows

Solaris Ahmetjan
(they/them)

Solaris is a junior studying international studies with a minor in Korean. Particularly focused on genocide/mass atrocities, international law, and decolonisation, they are incredibly excited to contribute to the Mass Atrocity Research Initiative through project one of the Project for American Foreign Policy Accountability.

Julia Cooper
(she/her)

Julia is a senior studying international studies and French with concentrations in justice, ethics, and human rights and peace, global security, and conflict resolution. She is particularly interested in human rights law, remedial practices, and institutionalization of accountability measures.

Lucia Fishel
(she/her)

Lucia is a graduate student in the ethics, peace, and human rights program interested in human rights politics and sociopolitical challenges facing the field. As an undergraduate, she studied peace and conflict, the Middle East and North Africa, and the Jewish world, focusing on questions of identity, nationalism, and experiences of mass atrocity. She presented at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict in their 2025 spring graduate symposium and is continuing research on strategic human rights diplomacy by Israel and Iran at the UN.

Ben Imershein

Ben is a sophomore and Global Scholars student pursuing a degree in international relations with a double minor in Israel studies and Arab world studies, a regional focus in the Middle East and North Africa, and a thematic area in peace, justice, and global security. He is also pursuing a Medical Faculty Associates EMT certification at George Washington University to better understand all levels of impacts that policy has on human rights.

Aliyah Jaikaran

Aliyah is a senior studying political science and international business, with an interest in researching and promoting accountability mechanisms for world leaders complicit in mass atrocities. 

Komal Kaur
(she/her)

Komal is a second-year graduate student in the ethics, peace, and human rights program. She is also pursuing a certificate in global migration. She earned her BA in political science and women's and gender studies from Chatham University in 2024. She is interested in exploring transitional justice and reframing how we view state accountability in the aftermath of conflict. 

Laura Kennedy

Laura is a graduate student in the intercultural and international communication program. She is passionate about cross-cultural understanding and conflict resolution and looks forward to examining how they intersect with the Project for American Foreign Policy Accountability.

Johanna Suh-Hee Rothe
(she/her)

Jo is an international student pursuing an MA in global governance, politics, and security. Her research focuses on violent extremism and mass atrocities in Africa. She is dedicated to promoting justice and accountability in global affairs by highlighting underreported, forgotten, and denied atrocities.

Sydney Ryan

Sydney is a first-year graduate student in the international peace and conflict resolution program, with a concentration in international negotiation. She has a strong passion for human rights and is committed to extending that passion into the study of mass atrocities. Her academic focus centers on understanding the long-term impacts of such violence and exploring pathways to reconciliation and lasting peace.

Nina Thomas
(she/her)

Nina is a second-year graduate student in the international peacekeeping and conflict resolution program, with a concentration in culture, identity, and peace. She is also pursuing a certificate in global migration, aiming to continue her research on the intersections of identity, migration, and peace. Nina is passionate about working with MARI to advance the representation of narratives of violence, amplifying the voices and histories of diverse identity groups.

Libby Welliver

Libby is a junior pursuing studies in justice, ethics, and human rights. She is a student fellow with the Mass Atrocity Research Initiative, where she works on the Project for American Foreign Policy Accountability to promote awareness of the US's role in global violence and advocate for a more just and transparent foreign policy. Libby is passionate about public engagement and the role of education in advancing human rights and preventing atrocities.