The Killing Trap seeks to understand both the occurrence and magnitude of genocide, based on the conviction that such comparative analysis may contribute towards prevention of genocide in the future. Equal emphasis is given to the non-occurrence of genocide, a critical element not found in other comparisons.

Offering a comparative analysis of the mass genocides, politicides and ethnic cleansings of the twentieth century, this book sheds light on the occurrence as well as the magnitude of genocide. Based on the conviction that such comparative analysis may contribute towards the prevention of genocide in the future, Manus Midlarsky compares socio-economic circumstances and international contexts and includes in his analysis the Jews of Europe, Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Tutsi in Rwanda, black Africans in Darfur, Cambodians, Bosnians, and the victims of conflict in Northern Ireland.