humanitarian claims to allev iate human suffering” represents a “welcome development.” 279 The rise of human security and consideration for the individual’s wellbeing over state sovereignty is reflected by the UN’s moral obligations to protect. Operations throughout the 1990’s reflect t his process which ultimately led to the Responsibility to Protect doctrine introduced within the 2001 report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS). This outlined the responsibility of firstly the state and secondly the international community to prevent, react and rebuild. 280 Thus when a state government fails to protect its population, the international community, represented by the UN are permitted to carry out military interventions. The new threats of the post-Cold War era therefore represent a transformation of state to international wars, from nationalism to moral obligation, and from imperialism to the Responsibility to Protect. 2.2 The Evolution of humanitarian interventions Following the conclusion of the Cold War, humanitarian military interventions reflect a reformed inclination from international organisations such as the UN to intervene to protect the human rights of civilians at risk of suffering. Perez de Cuellar outlines these developments in a speech made at the University of Bordeaux in 1991; “we are clearly witnessing what is an irresistible shift in public attitudes towards the belief that the defence of the oppressed in the 279 Richard, Falk, ‘The Complexities Of Humanitarian Intervention: A New World Order Challenge’ , Michigan Journal of International Law, 17(2), (1996) 280 World Federalist Movement, ‘Responsibility to Protect: Engaging Civil Society’, The Report Of The International Commission On Intervention And State Sovereignty (ICISS), <http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/files/R2PSummary.pdf> [accessed 14/04/2016]
119
Made with FlippingBook HTML5