Enforcing human rights through the Doctrine of Responsibility to Protect

Abstract

The happenings of the last 30 years have brought the International Community to seek a solution to avoidable human catastrophes through the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect. This article seeks to give insight into the cases that lead up to the creation of said doctrine, as were the events of Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Afterwards, the basis and leading documents of Responsibility to Protect are examined as they shed a light to need of the actions by it permitted. However, as the doctrine permits the use of force, the Charter of the United Nations is later examined in order to conclude that the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect should be permitted under the Charter as it seeks to protect human rights, one of the corner stones of the UN. Finally, the conclusion reached in the article is that by practicing the doctrine the opening phrase of the UN Charter is put into practice.