Routledge Reviewing the Responsibility to Protect: Origins, Implementation and Controversies (Global Politics and the Responsibility to Protect)

This volume is a collection of some of the key essays by Ramesh Thakur on the origins, implementation and future prospects of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) norm. The book offers a comprehensive yet accessible review of the origins, evolution, advances and shortcomings of the R2P principle. A literature review is followed by an overview of the background, meaning and development of R2P. With a focus on the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), Part I analyses the features of, and explains the factors that make for success and failure of commission diplomacy. Part II discusses the controversies surrounding efforts to implement R2P, including the role and importance of emerging powers. Part III describes the remaining protection gaps and explains why R2P will remain relevant because it is essentially demand driven. Finally, the book concludes with a look back at the origins of R2P and looks ahead to possible future directions. This book will be essential for students of the Responsibility to Protect, and of much interest to students of global governance, human rights, international law and international relations. Review 'In a world of increased conflict, mass atrocities and political turmoil – and at a time when many academic writers have retreated into despair – Ramesh Thakur always writes with impressive passion, power and clarity of vision. His words are much-needed intellectual ammunition for those of us who are trying to prevent mass atrocities and build a better world at the United Nations and beyond.'--Simon Adams, Executive Director, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, New York, USA 'Starting with his service as a commissioner and a principal author of the original ICISS report, and continuing afterwards as an analyst and advocate, no one has been more insightful than Ramesh Thakur about R2P’s normative and operational impacts.'--Thomas G. Weiss, Presidential Professor of Political Science and Director Emeritus, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA 'Over two decades, Ramesh Thakur has made an immense contribution to the development, implementation, and analysis of the Responsibility to Protect principle. In this volume, he brings his keen analytical eye to the most important questions surrounding the global campaign to prevent and end atrocity crimes. Combining the unique insights of one of the principle’s key progenitors with wisdom derived from years of practical experience and painstaking research, this volume sheds important light on the campaign to end atrocities thus far and the lessons that must be learned for the future.' --Alex J. Bellamy, The University of Queensland, Australia 'The book is an excellent introduction to the Responsibility to Protect for all those unacquainted with the subject-matter; but it is also immensely valuable for those familiar with the field, providing an insider’s account of the early days of the conceptualization of the principle and a detailed history of almost two decades of sustained advocacy. The book blends sophisticated scholarly analysis with the wisdom derived from practice. It is highly recommended reading.'--Noele Crossley, International Affairs 'ideally suited for postgraduates interested in global goverance, human rights, international law and international relations who have sufficient cognitive priors in respect of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of R2P. It is also applicable to practitioners who are immersed in the policy and political debates surrounding the principle-cum-norm.'--Anthony Bizos, South African Journal of International Affairs, 26(4), 2019 About the Author Ramesh Thakur is Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, Canberra. He is a former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and was a Responsibility to Protect Commissioner. He is the author of numerous books and artic