SPIN METER: Atrocities Prevention Board's curious benchmark

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Barack Obama in 2011 announced he planned to establish an Atrocities Prevention Board, the mission of the board seemed straightforward: preventing atrocities.

Senior Obama administration officials briefing reporters on a new executive order said the purpose of the board is to "look over the horizon" and identify potential conflicts that need to be kept on the government's radar.

[...] officials said the board had given the government new tools to address atrocities in the longer term, including an annual assessment of atrocity threats that helps the U.S. better focus resources on places like Burundi, which is facing a surge in violence including torture and disappearances.