Definition R2P
an international norm that seeks to ensure that the international community never again fails to halt the mass atrocity crimes of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity
-> all means necessary ot prevent large scale loss of life
when was R2P “founded”
2005 by Kogi Annan (UNSG at time)
R2P UN endorsement
all UN member states
R2P and state sovereignty
only a right provided to States, while having a sovereign responsibility to protect its own people
- if they fail to do so, the UN/the rest of the world have the right to protect vulnerable peoples
- challenges Westphalian principle that the state is above everything
- humanitarian internvention isnt a violation of sovereignty
first pillar of R2P
the responsibility of a state to its own people not to either commit such mass atrocity crimes or allow them to occur
second pillar of R2P
the responsibility of other states to assist those lacking the capacity to protect
third pillar of R2P
the responsibility of the international community to respond with ‘timely and decisive’ action - including ultimately with coercive military force if that is authorised by SC - if a State is ‘massively failing’ to meet its protection responsibilities
where does R2P come from?
concept emerged in failure of international community to respond to mass atrocities in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia in 1990s
Rwanda and R2P
1994 Rwandan civil war
due to Somalia failure/tragedy for US soldiers -> didnt want to intervene in Rwanda -> others followed -> 800,000 killed
Srebrenica
1995
- 8,000 killed
How did Kofi Annan push R2P?
he pushed for a new framework after these atrocities in his Millenium Report to the UNGA -> which led to the production of original R2P report (ICISS 2001)
PROs R2P
- novel and encouraging standard of collective behaviour based on human dignity
- practical global mechanism to avoid mass violence and halt human suffering that is based on SC endorsement (legitimacy)
- shift of paradigm: sovereignty is a responsibility, not a right
- can work in prevention, not only in reaction
- progressive and proportional (military intervention is last resort)
- first time global north and global south found common ground
- has brought more organised attnetion to civilian response capability
CONs R2P
- doesnt cover humanitarian disasters or interstate armed conflict
- inconsistencies, multiple standards of applicability depending on geopolitical interests (alturism is not the main impetus of interventions)
- political gridlocks due to SC agendas and veto rights of superpowers
- legality vs. legitimacy, rhetoric vs. reality
- not 100% clear what form of action to take in a particular case / the extent of action
- difficulty in getting sufficient resources to engage in successful prevention
- how effective is it if done in reaction / if genocide is already underway?
- civilians are often killed through armed forced trying R2P -> is more war the fit instrument for expressing humanitarism? (eg. Libya)
Libya case intro (arab spring)
- began in Tunisia
- spread rapidly across Arab world
- spread into Libya (neighbouring country)
- protests ignited against Ghaddafi -> oustet from power
2011 Libya
long-time leader and dictator Gaddafi responded to protests with extreme violence
- UN feared massacre -> authorised resolution 1970 first, then resolution 1973
Resolution 1970
- Libyan government was no longer capable or willing to protect its people
imposing non-military R2P reaction
- arms embargo
- assets freeze + travel bans on regime officials
- referred the situtation to ICC (first time ever for unanimous referral)
- demanded an immediate end to violence and respect for HR
-> laid groundwork for resolution 1973
Post-Gaddafi execution
- Oct. 2011
- authority collapsed -> massive desabilisation
- civil war began
- spiral of violence
Obama comment
- said he wanted Gaddafi out of power because that is when Libya will be safe
- mission quickly evolved into regime-change operation
- exceeded mandate of UN resolution
Resolution 1973
- russia and china abstained -> vote passed
- NATO had permission to implement no-fly zone over Libya to protect the countries citizens from Gaddafis airfore
a ban on all flights in the country’s airspace
Libya today
failed state
R2P today
- UN has tried over 15x to implement R2P in Syria, but China and Russia continously blocked with Veto power
- they think that the UN overstepped its UN mandate in the Libya case when Obama said that Libya would only be safe until Gaddafi stepped down
