Rhetoric and Practice of Humanitarian Intervention Under the International System: The Case of Darfur
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2011-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This thesis deals with the international response to the Darfur crisis. It seeks to examine the responses of the international community to the crisis through the prism of humanitarian intervention and the emerging norm of the responsibility to protect. The study employed explanatory qualitative research methodology. The study method includes primary and secondary method of data collection. The primary data elicited through in-depth interview with key informants as well as studying resolutions and communiqués while the secondary sources include books, articles, official documents and other pertinent publications. This study has come up with five major findings. First, international organizations (such as AU and UN) and major powers are not yet ready to prevent mass atrocities for purely humanitarian purpose even if there exist wider acceptance of the principle of protecting civilians both in rhetoric and practice. Second, neither Sudan nor the international community has carried out the responsibility to protect civilians that Responsibility to Protect (R2P) documents stipulate as core principles. Third, the Darfur crisis have crossed the just cause threshold, which should have prompted military intervention as per R2P documents and the just war tradition. Fourth, military intervention in Darfur was possible since the major criterion of just cause is satisfied and most of the precautionary criteria have been fulfilled. Fifth, there are three major gaps that underpin the norm of humanitarian intervention and its practice in the Darfur crisis. There is a big gap between norm of intervention and sovereignty. Despite the existence of humanitarian intervention norm and practices the international community has failed to intervene in Darfur; secondly, there is a wide acceptance of protecting civilians through revitalizing peacekeeping operations but the international community has failed to bring about a robust peacekeeping force with a task of protecting civilians; and lastly, there is a huge gap between expectations and outcomes in protecting civilians
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International Relation