Alex J. Bellamy 
Responsibility to Protect 

At the 2005 UN World Summit, world leaders endorsed the
international principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P),
acknowledging that they had a responsibility to protect their
citizens from genocide and mass atrocities and pledging to act in
cases where governments manifestly failed in their responsibility.
This marked a significant turning point in attitudes towards the
protection of citizens worldwide.

This important new book charts the emergence of this principle,
from its origins in a doctrine of sovereignty as responsibility,
through debates about the legitimacy of humanitarian intervention
and the findings of a prominent international commission, and
finally through the long and hard negotiations that preceded the
2005 commitment. It explores how world leaders came to acknowledge
that sovereign rights entailed fundamental responsibilities and
what that acknowledgment actually means. The book goes on to
analyze in detail the ways in which R2P can contribute to the
global effort to end genocide and mass atrocities. Focusing on the
prevention of these crimes and the improvement of the world’s
reaction to them, the book explores the question of how to build
sustainable peace in their aftermath. Alex J. Bellamy argues that
although 2005 marked an important watershed, much more work is
needed to defend R2P from those who would walk away from their
commitments and – in the words of UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon – to translate the principle ‘from words into
deeds’.

This fascinating book will appeal to students and scholars of
international relations, international affairs, human rights and
humanitarian emergencies, as well as anyone concerned about the
protection of civilians on a global scale

Table of Content

Acknowledgements viii

Abbreviations xii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Sovereignty and Human Rights 8

Chapter 2 The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty 35

Chapter 3 The 2005 World Summit 66

Chapter 4 Prevention 98

Chapter 5 Reaction 132

Chapter 6 Rebuilding 167

Conclusion 195

Notes 200

Bibliography 223

Index 236

About the author

Alexander Bellamy is Professor of International Security in the Griffith Asia Institute/Centre for Governance and Public Policy at Griffith University.