Humanitarian Intervention Essay -- Human Rights

The debate of humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect have been discussed in international relations discourse more seriously within the last 60 years. The major historical developments which have led to an increase in the intensity of these debates have had beneficial and detrimental effects on Earth within the last 20 years. Several factors have contributed to this including; globalization, the rise in international accountability, an increase humanitarian consciousness to prevent major atrocities from occurring, the expansion of territorial to global responsibility of the western world, and the realization of the western world that regional sovereignty no longer accounts for national security. To develop an opinion on the subject of humanitarian intervention and how beneficial it has been to global justice one must examine the institutions which were created to achieve peace, justice, deterrence, and international stability. The military tribunals following WWII for Germany and Japan called the Nuremburg and Tokyo trials enlightened the victors of the great war. As a result the Allies felt it was essential to create an over-arching legal system of governance in the international spectrum. These trails established that human rights violations which once only gave rise to state responsibility now could be prosecuted against individuals. These trials also brought about the realization in the international community that international law can over-ride domestic law. In 1945 the United Nations was established with the goal of creating international principles and policies which would bring order to the chaotic international political and legal reality. Following WWII nations around the world recognized the nee... ...asure of justice if it is applied to all victims of the Earth not only ones in which major powers have vested interests. Works Cited â€Å"The Failure to Protect, Again: A Comparative Study Of International And Regional Reactions Towards Humanitarian Disasters In Rwanda And Darfur† Hagar Taha http://soas.academia edu/HagarTaha/Papers/609868/The_Failure_to_Protect_Again_A_Comparative_Study_Of_ International_And_Regional_Reactions_Towards_Humanitarian_Disasters_In_Rwanda_And_Darfur â€Å"War Crimes Law Comes of Age† Theodore Meron â€Å"Counter-hegemonic International Law† Balakrishnan Rajagopal â€Å"Essentials International Criminal Law† Slye and Van Schaack â€Å"R2P Alive and Well After Lybia† Thomas Weiss â€Å"The R2P Controversy† Ramesh Thakur and Mary Ellen O’Connell â€Å"Reflections on the Legality and Legitimacy of NATO’s Intervention in Kosovo† Nicholas Wheeler