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Responsibility to Protect
UNIT THREE
GLOBAL CLASSROOMS®
HUMAN RIGHTS UNIT
What is R2P?
• Governments have the responsibility to protect their
citizens
• If they fail to do so, the international community has
the obligation to protect people from gross human
rights violations.
• The Security Council can authorize action, including
military force, to protect people’s human rights.
Principles of R2P
• Right Intent: The goal of intervention must be to avert
humanitarian catastrophes.
• Last Resort: Military intervention is only legitimate if all
other options short of military intervention have failed.
• Proportionality: The minimum amount of force necessary
to stop human rights violations should be used.
• Reasonable Chance of Success: Intervention must have
a strong chance of actually solving the problem and not
making things worse.
UN General Assembly Debate
on Implementing R2P
The ICISS Report
• In your own words, what is state sovereignty?
• Under what circumstances does a country have the
right and responsibility to violate another country’s
sovereignty?
• What is a “failed state”?
• Why is the responsibility to protect important?
• What might be some criticisms of the responsibility to
protect?
Crisis in Darfur:
A Case Study in R2P
UNIT THREE: CASE STUDY
GLOBAL CLASSROOMS®
HUMAN RIGHTS UNIT
On Our Watch:
A documentary about genocide in Darfur
Discussion
• Who are the different actors involved in the crisis in
Darfur?
• How are men and women affected differently by the
crisis in Darfur? How about children?
• Are the affected population refugees or IDPs?
• Why do you think it has been difficult to mobilize
countries to fight against the atrocities in Darfur?