Protecting civil populations from mass atrocity crimes - A case study investigation of the international community's ability to utilise policy tools of the 'Responsibility to Protect' to protect the civil population in Ethiopia from mass atrocity crimes
Author
Nielsen, Cecilie Lundsgaard
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-10-13
Pages
69
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, i hvilket omfang FN’s Sikkerhedsråd, som FN-organ der handler på det internationale samfunds vegne, kan bruge normen Responsibility to Protect (R2P) til at beskytte civile i Etiopien mod massive forbrydelser som krigsforbrydelser, forbrydelser mod menneskeheden og etnisk udrensning. Det gennemgår syv værktøjer, fra ikke-tvang til tvang: mægling og politisk dialog; offentlig fortalervirksomhed; strafferetlige undersøgelser, faktaindsamlingsmissioner og undersøgelseskommissioner; henvisning til Den Internationale Straffedomstol (ICC); overvågnings- eller observatørmissioner; Sikkerhedsrådets bemyndigelse til magtanvendelse efter FN-pagtens Kapitel VII; samt sanktioner. Analysen anvender to teoretiske perspektiver. Institutionel liberalisme ser internationale regler og institutioner som noget, der kan forme staters adfærd og fremme fælles interesser. Realisme fremhæver, at stater prioriterer egeninteresse, suverænitet og magt, hvilket kan begrænse fælles handling. Undersøgelsen finder, at både ikke-tvangsmæssige og tvangsmæssige R2P-værktøjer er væsentligt begrænsede. Respekt for staters suverænitet—forankret i FN-pagten—begrænser ekstern indgriben uden Etiopiens samtykke. Fordi mange ikke-tvangsværktøjer afhænger af værtsstatens samarbejde, reducerer den etiopiske regerings manglende incitament til at samarbejde yderligere mulighederne. En ulige magtbalance i det internationale system, især de fem faste medlemmers vetoret i Sikkerhedsrådet, kan blokere handling; i denne sag har Den Russiske Føderation og Kinas modstand mod international indgriben udgjort en særlig hindring. Resultatet er, at det internationale samfunds evne til at påvirke Etiopiens adfærd er udfordret. Specialet diskuterer, hvordan det internationale systems opbygning former R2P’s praktiske rækkevidde og responsen på konflikten i Etiopien.
This dissertation examines how far the UN Security Council, acting on behalf of the international community, can use the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) to shield civilians in Ethiopia from mass atrocity crimes—war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. It reviews seven tools, from non-coercive to coercive: mediation and political dialogue; public advocacy; criminal investigations, fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry; referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC); monitoring or observer missions; Security Council–authorized use of force under Chapter VII of the UN Charter; and sanctions. The analysis applies two perspectives. Institutional liberalism holds that international rules and bodies can shape state behavior and advance common interests. Realism emphasizes that states prioritize self-interest, sovereignty, and power, which can constrain collective action. The study finds that both non-coercive and coercive R2P tools are significantly constrained. Respect for state sovereignty—anchored in the UN Charter—limits external involvement without Ethiopia’s consent. Because many non-coercive tools rely on host-state cooperation, the Ethiopian government’s lack of incentive to cooperate further narrows what can be done. Power asymmetries in the international system, especially the vetoes of the five permanent members of the Security Council, can block action; in this case, opposition by the Russian Federation and China to international intervention has been a particular obstacle. As a result, the international community’s capacity to influence Ethiopia’s behavior is challenged. The dissertation discusses how features of the international system’s architecture shape the practical reach of R2P and the response to the conflict in Ethiopia.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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