Samantha Power rose to prominence as the author of Problem from Hell, a study of the U.S. response to genocide. She wrote the book against the backdrop not only of the slaughter in Bosnia but also Rwanda. It not only won her a Pulitzer but also brought her to the attention of a freshman senator, Barack Obama, whose coattails she rode to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Once in office, however, Power engaged in the same moral compromises she once publicly condemned. She created the Atrocity Prevention Board but stood largely quiet as Obama chose to ignore the acceleration of a small political uprising into the Middle East’s worst sectarian slaughter of the 21st century. Rather than resign when Obama chose to stand down in the face of genocide, Power let her ambitions get the better of her, sacrificed her moral authority, and remained. Now, as USAID administrator, history repeats.