There is a saying that has become common amongst those in the United Nations Human Rights Council. When a tense stand-off arises someone will say "Let’s not play the naming and shaming game – let’s try and work together." Perhaps this "game" played in the most elite policy circles is counter-productive – but it does allow history to identify those in positions of power who were complacent, cowardly, and indecisive at a moment when hundreds of thousands of civilian lives were on the line. In the case of Sri Lanka, there is no shortage of those to blame, and the footage from the civilian carnage in recent weeks should put all of us to shame.