Logical extensions of the responsibility to protect

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Are violent and non-violent mass atrocities morally different? According to the United Nations,they are. But why? The answer to this question is important as it in part determines our obligationsto people living in other countries. This thesis seeks to determine if violent and non-violentmass atrocities are morally different and, if not, whether the latter should be included under theUnited Nations' doctrine of the responsibility to protect. In order to do this, the thesis first examinesthe conditions under which sovereignty exists in order to understand when interventioncan occur. It also analyzes just war theory to discern when military intervention to halt nonviolentmass atrocities is justified. Having established these two concepts, the thesis then presentsthree arguments for why non-violent mass atrocities are morally indistinguishable fromviolent ones and should also be included under the doctrine of the responsibility to protect. Adiscussion of the feasibility of implementing this extension and the long-term effects of thesetypes of interventions follows. Finally, the thesis contains three case studies in order to apply thearguments presented earlier.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University