On the 20 ^th anniversary of the responsibility to protect: Can small states save R2P from failure and oblivion?

This article presents the background for and some main themes emerging from a research project on small states and atrocity prevention at the United Nations. The UN norm of the responsibility to protect (R2P) is widely considered to be struggling due to a tense global political climate and a lack of political will among member states to commit to the norm. The articles in this special issue address the role of small states in promoting the norm. Small states are often seen as norm entrepreneurs, and all the states studied in this special issue are strong advocates of human rights and the multilateral system. The analyses of Ghana, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Slovenia show that small states nonetheless have different approaches to R2P. While the small states under review all provide rhetorical support for the norm, their role in norm advancement varies considerably, even among European and Nordic small states. Thus, while small states certainly can find arenas where R2P can be promoted, they cannot be seen as guarantors of the norm. Moreover, the articles illustrate that norm promotion may be more viable outside the UN Security Council, despite the Council’s role as the only authority that can implement R2P by force.