Testing Boundaries: Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the Scope of R2P

“…In the wake of Nargis, the slow progress in the government-led response led to calls by some NGOs and western diplomats for a military intervention to open humanitarian access under the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP). This however was opposed by Southeast Asian countries and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which argued that RtoP did not apply to natural hazards (Junk, 2016). In the case of Libya in 2011, countries that initially supported or acquiesced in the airstrikes by NATO became critical, such as China, Russia and South Africa (Paris, 2014: 581).…”

Section: Humanitarian Diplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Humanitarian diplomacy as an instrument for China’s image-building

Gong

2021

Asian Journal of Comparative Politics

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Image-building has been an important goal of China’s foreign policy. Humanitarian diplomacy provides a useful instrument to build a benign international image, given the altruistic nature of humanitarian action. China’s humanitarian diplomacy has undergone changes in recent years, such as substantial increases in humanitarian spending, institutional reforms and the emergence of Chinese non-state actors. The existing literature on China’s humanitarian activities is scant due to the country’s limited engagement in global humanitarian action previously. This article aims to contribute to the scholarship by examining China’s humanitarian activities in Southeast Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of image-building. Specifically, it answers the questions of how China uses humanitarian action to improve its international image and how effective such efforts have been. This article finds that the outcome of China’s image-building through humanitarian activities is influenced by the severity of the crisis, the national response of the country affected and the perceived legitimacy of China’s action. It concludes that China’s humanitarian diplomacy has achieved mixed outcomes in Southeast Asia. While China has been recognized as a major provider of help during the pandemic, its assistance has not substantially improved its image in the region.

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“…The adoption of the R2P doctrine was received with both excitement and scepticism among policy makers and researchers alike (Newman, 2013;Junk, 2016;Bellamy, 2022). Researchers have sought to examine the impact of R2P on, among other issues, conflict resolution, state sovereignty, and humanitarian interventions (Martin, 2011;Zimmerman, 2022;Berg, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Civil War between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front: A Challenge to Implement the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine

Nyadera,

Osedo

2023

Afr. j. confl. resolut. (Online)

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How does the 2020-2022 civil war in Ethiopia contribute to our understanding of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine? This study seeks to revisit the debate over the effectiveness of the R2P doctrine in the wake of increased intrastate conflicts. The objective is to assess the dilemma that arises with the implementation of R2P when governments are involved in the conflict and the international community is reluctant or unable to intervene. The study adopts the systematic review approach (PRISMA) to identify the shortcomings, trends, and debates around R2P. It uses the Ethiopian civil war to contribute further to the existing body of literature. The paper finds that, indeed, the R2P doctrine is facing serious challenges with its implementation. It shows that when governments fail to acknowledge the other actors as legitimate combatants and instead describe them as terrorist groups, it becomes difficult to uphold the R2P doctrine. The paper also identifies a lack of leadership and coordinated efforts at regional and international levels as contributing factors, which further undermine the effectiveness of R2P. The paper concludes that the Ethiopian civil war exposes serious shortcomings in the R2P doctrine that need to be reviewed and reformed urgently. It proposes the adoption of a systems-thinking approach that can streamline the actors and processes of response during civil wars.

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Testing Boundaries: Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the Scope of R2P

Cited by 51 publications

References 3 publications

The Responsibility to Protect: a Bibliography

The Responsibility to Protect: a Bibliography

Humanitarian diplomacy as an instrument for China’s image-building

Civil War between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front: A Challenge to Implement the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine

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