The responsibility to protect - an efficient tool to save humanity from the scourge of war

Abstract

The responsibility to protect is both a political and a legal concept inspired by the United Nations commitment to protect humanity from war crimes, genocide and other crimes against humanity. The core of the responsibility to protect consists of a set of principles that were approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 and strengthened in 2009 and 2011. In essence, the responsibility to protect comes down to the commitment of the international community to protect the population of a state against war crimes or mass atrocities when the concerned state is unable or unwilling to fulfill this mission. In this article we aim to determine the genesis, content and role of the principle of the responsibility to protect in the system of international law, as well as to evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of this instrument in maintaining international peace, security and stability.