Running Head: GEOGRAPHY CASE STUDY 1

Geography Case Study

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Date 4
GEOGRAPHY CASE STUDY 2

Geography Case Study

Question 1

In explaining the arguments of the article, the authors employ a theoretical approach of

that extensively examines the issue of mass killing in different world states and then devising

proper ways of dealing with the issue. The authors in their article outline a number of countries

like Syria, Rwanda, and others that have encountered the issues of mass atrocity crimes. The

authors examine a policy termed as the responsibility to protected (R2P), which the international

community as devised to help reduces or stop cases of mass killing in different countries. The

article claims that since the emergence of the international R2P in the year 2001, in the wake of

benevolent tragedies in Rwanda, Darfur, Kosovo, and Bosnia, R2P has been accepted as a mean

of solving what is currently termed as the problem from hell. The authors further outline some

of the duties that states had as part of their struggles to protect populations from mass killing.

Through a well laid theoretical approach, the article holds the opinion that the individual states

involved in mass atrocity have a primary responsibility of securing its people. This is termed as

the responsibility to protect by getting rid of the root sources of mass killing. If for instance, the

individual countries fail to protect their populations, then the international community will have

to respond. The authors call this responsibility to react. In executing its duties on the states with

mass atrocity crimes, the international community is required to employ peaceful methods only,

unless or otherwise, it has exhausted the peaceful strategies. Additionally, the article states that

in case the international community applied force to stop mass killing in a state, the international

community should then provide assistance to the state, to support recovery efforts, reconciliation,

and reconstruction. This is termed as the responsibility to rebuild.

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Additionally, in expressing the argument of the article, the authors utilize case studies.

For instance, in explaining the pillars of R2P that the international community as laid out since

history, the authors use a case study of Libya. The authors explain the 2011 political crisis in

Libya was led to the killing of numerous people including the President of Libya Muammar

Qaddafi. Qaddafi's government committed a number of crimes on its population something that

the international community did not take well. In its efforts to prevent the crimes, it employed

peaceful measures which failed to restore peace and order. The article then outlines that after the

peaceful measures had failed, the international community then decides to use force to stop the

then government's atrocity crimes. According to the article, in just a period of less than one year,

by the use of force, the NATO forces managed to end the atrocity crimes which were being

carried out by Qaddafi's governments on the citizens of Libya. The authors as well use the case

study of Syria in their efforts of explaining the international policy of R2P which is focused on

preventing mass atrocity crimes in the globe.

Question 2

Based on the components of Neo-realism, it is not possible for the idea of responsibility

to protect to be applied in Syria to protect its people from humanitarian violations. Generally, in

its quest to end the crisis in Syria, the international community can reform its policies of

responsibility to protect and come up with ways that they can apply minimal force in protecting

populations. As per the article, in the face of Security Council procrastination, a regional society

or alliance of the willing should be capable of authorizing and undertaking the restricted use of

force to safeguard people from mass massacre crimes. The Security Council is experienced a

number of challenges in its struggle to ensure that the people are Syria are protected from mass

killing. One of the major factors that are making hard for the international community to control
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the crisis in Syria, is the issue of opposition from countries like China and Russia which are

totally against the idea. One of the major components of neo-realism states that countries seek to

make sure that they are as firm as possible while also safeguarding that their competitors are

weaker. This is exactly what is being exhibited in Syria's crisis as countries like China and

Russia are against the use of this concept of responsibility to protect in the state. In doing this,

China and Russia have self-interests of maintaining the status quo. According to the article, even

though Russia maintains that its opposition is based in the concerns that R2P might be misused

by influential countries, the actual reason is possibly tactical; Russia has strong relations with the

government of Syria and a concern in upholding the status quo. The article further claims that,

for example, the one of Russia's naval base is hosted by Syria at Tartus. Therefore, due to

China's and Russia's oppositions, the Security Council is not able to pass resolutions approving

peaceful measures to stop the crisis in Syria. For instance, the authors of the article point out that

in the year 2012, the governments of China and Russia banned a UK – drafted resolution

supported by the governments of France, Germany, and America that threatened sanctions unless

the government of Syria took out heavy weapons from occupied regions in a period of ten days.

Additionally, according to the components of neo-realism all countries fear for their

survival and as a matter of facts, they don't trust other countries. This component is applicable to

the crisis of Syria. The government of Syria is against the concept of R2P by the international

community because it fears that countries like Germany, France, and the US which are

supportive of the policy may have hidden agendas. An article by Stewart and Barrington (2018),

claims that defense secretary of the US has previously dismissed concerns by the Syrian

government, that America was being pulled into a border fight in Syria, after a major clash with

pro-Syrian regime soldiers that left more than 100 individuals dead. This clearly shows that the
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Syrian government cannot trust the international community in applying the concept of

responsibility to protect (R2P) in fighting mass killing crimes in the country. Even as the global

society has apparently abandoned struggles to end Syrian crisis through Security Council

activity, violence continues to grow even more.

Question 3

Despite the fact that the responsibility to protect (R2P) policy is vital for the protection of

populations in the globe, it should not be replaced with the concept of non-intervention in the

internal affairs of all countries (or what is termed as international sovereignty) by becoming a

law at the international level. For the past numerous decades, state sovereignty or non-

intervention has been a defining principle of regional relationships and basis of global peace and

order (Chandler, 2004). State independence signifies the proficiency, freedom, and legal equality

of countries. The concept is usually used to incorporate all matters in which every country is

allowed by global law to adopt and act minus interruptions from other independent countries.

Therefore, succeeding this concept of state sovereignty or non-intervention with the concept of

responsibility to protect will to some extent disrupt world order. The concept of R2P is focused

on protecting populations from mass atrocity crimes, by either utilizing peaceful of forceful

methods. This is totally against the international rules and norms which support the idea of state

freedom. Through the concept of R2P, powerful states in the world like the US, China, Russia,

and France, tend to misuse their powers by disrupting order in third world countries. In countries

like Darfur, Libya, and Rwanda, the international community was reported to use excessive force

which is causing the countries' problems up to date. Therefore, superseding the concept of

intervention will be against the international rules and norms.

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Additionally, succeeding the concept of state sovereignty in the international law with the

concept of R2P will impact the human rights of individual states. The international human rights

law support independence of countries, therefore, the responsibility to protect concept will have

serious consequences on state independence. In numerous countries where the concept of

responsibility to protect has been applied, populations have complained of their rights being

violated. For instance, in Libya, a number of individuals complained of excessive use of force

from the UN soldiers who intervened in the crisis. Individuals rights are very important

according to the international law, thus, this idea of R2P should not be included in the

international law as it will be against human rights. The concept of responsibility to protect

should come at the request of trustworthy opposition groups that represent sufferers of mass

killing crimes. Thus, this concept of responsibility to kill should not be included in the

international laws but instead, it should only be applied in nations where reliable opposition

groups in the countries request for it. Succeeding the concept of sovereignty and non-

intervention with the responsibility to protect concept is more likely to disrupt world order.

Therefore, R2P should not be incorporated in the international laws.

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References

Stewart, P. & Barrington, L (2018). U.S. dismisses fears of wider war after deadly Syria clashes.

Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-syria/u-s-dismisses-

fears-of-wider-war-after-deadly-syria-clashes-idUSKBN1FR3BB

Chandler, D. (2004). The responsibility to protect? Imposing the ‘liberal peace'. International

peacekeeping, 11(1), 59-81.