Sovereignty and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P): Evolving Norms in International Law

This dissertation seeks to analyze the complex interface of State sovereignty and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as concepts in international law at a time when the question of non-intervention shares new ways of life with the emergent principles of humanitarian intervention aimed at preventing and halting genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. It starts from the historical and legal point of view for state sovereignty as an absolute right till sovereignty as responsibility. On this backdrop, the study examines the evolution and normative-legal construction of R2P from the ICISS report of 2001 to its adoption at the 2005 UN World Summit. Drawing on key case-studies – Libya, Syria and Myanmar – the research assesses the effectiveness and problems with R2P’s utilization, the ethical issues, geopolitical factors and the inconsistencies that undermine its claims to be a moral imperative. As such, a key objective of the research is to address the existing literature gaps when it comes to sovereignty and R2P and, on this basis, assess contemporary realities to be able to pinpoint the directions for their further evolution. These recommendations are aimed at improving the cooperation with relevant international organizations, the explanation of the legal conditions for intervention and the development of objective and effective mechanisms for punishment and prevention, as well as the improvement of the theoretical debate on the possibilities and limitations of international law as well as the function of world citizenship in a globalized world.