Jennifer M. Welsh - Böcker

Among the constitutive elements of the responsibility to protect (R2P), prevention has been deemed by many as the most important. Drawing on contributions from an international group of academics and practitioners, this book seeks to improve our knowledge of how to operationalize the responsibility to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing. The central argument is that the responsibility to prevent should be conceptualized as crimes prevention. The first part of the volume develops a strategic framework, which includes identifying the appropriate scope and substance of R2Ps preventive dimension and distinguishing between systemic and targeted approaches. The second section examines some of the tools that can be used, and have been used, to prevent the escalation of dynamics towards the commission of atrocity crimes (tools such as sanctions, mediation, international criminal justice, and the use of military means), as well as the operational challenges that tend to obstruct global efforts to prevent such crimes. The third and final section draws lessons from actual cases of preventive action, both historical and recent, about the relative success of particular tools and approaches. As the first edited collection of its kind, devoted exclusively to the preventive dimension of R2P, The Responsibility to Prevent intends to inform and shape the growing debate on how to approach atrocity crime prevention and how to build the capacities needed to implement the imperatives at the heart of R2P.

The issue of humanitarian intervention has generated one of the most heated debates in International Relations over the past decade - among both theorists and practitioners. At the heart of the debate is the alleged tension between the principle of state sovereignty, a defining pillar of the UN system and international law, and the evolving international norms related to human rights and the use of force.This edited book investigates the controversial place of humanitarian intervention in the theory and practice of International Relations. Although the subject has gained greater prominence, it continues to have an uneasy relationship with both the major schools of thought in the discipline of IR, and the behaviour of states, international organizations, and non-governmental actors. Many academic discussions focus on the question of whether there is a legal 'right' of humanitarian intervention, giving insufficient attention to the underlying ethical issues, the politics within international organizations and coalitions, and the practical dilemmas faced by international actors - before, during, and after the intervention. The book analyses humanitarian intervention through the lenses of both theory and practice, and assesses the challenges it poses for international society in a post September 11th world. It includes chapters by well-known academics from the disciplines of law, philosophy, and international relations, as well as those who have been actively engaged in cases of intervention during the past decade. The cases cover not only well-known conflicts such as Somalia and Bosnia, but also the recent international interventions in East Timor and Afghanistan.Three main themes emerge from the study. First, the contributors show that the alleged conflict between human rights and state sovereignty has been addressed by two recent developments in international society: an evolution in the notion of sovereignty from 'sovereignty as authority' to 'sovereignty as responsibility'; and an expanded definition of the Security Council on what constitutes a threat to peace and security. Second, despite this new climate of permissiveness, humanitarian intervention remains a controversial norm in International Relations, due to continued opposition from certain members of international society, and concerns about its potentially negative consequences. Finally, while the past decade has seen some successful cases of intervention to address humanitarian catastrophes, the current capability of international organizations to undertake humanitarian interventions remains limited. As the book demonstrates, the issue of humanitarian intervention has the potential to divide international institutions such as the UN and damage their credibility. This raises questions about whether and how individual members of international society should respond to humanitarian crises.

Should states use military force for humanitarian purposes? What are the challenges to international society posed by humanitarian intervention in a post-September 11th world? This path-breaking work brings together well-known scholars of law, philosophy, and international relations, together with practitioners who have been actively engaged in intervention during the past decade. Together, this team provides practical and theoretical answers to one of the most burning issues of our day. Case studies include Somalia, Rwanda, the Balkans, and East Timor, as well as the recent US intervention in Afghanistan. The book demonstrates why humanitarian intervention continues to be a controversial issue not only for the United Nations but also for Western states and humanitarian organizations.

Classical arguments about the legitimate use of force have profoundly shaped the norms and institutions of contemporary international society. But what specific lessons can we learn from the classical European philosophers and jurists when thinking about humanitarian intervention, preventive self-defense or international trusteeship today? The contributors to this volume take seriously the admonition of contextualist scholars not to uproot classical thinkers' arguments from their social, political and intellectual environment. Nevertheless, this collection demonstrates that contemporary students, scholars and policymakers can still learn a great deal from the questions raised by classical European thinkers, the problems they highlighted, and even the problematic character of some of the solutions they offered. The aim of this volume is to open up current assumptions about military intervention, and to explore the possibility of reconceptualizing and reappraising contemporary approaches.