Justification and Limits of Applying ‘Responsibility to Protect’ on the Syrian Crisis

초록

This study begins with the question, “Why was Responsibility to Protect(R2P) not applied to the Syrian crisis, which objectively appears to be more severe than the Libyan crisis?” Based on a theoretical review of the emergence and development process of the R2P theory, it compares and analyzes the Syrian crisis against the Libyan crisis, which was the first case to apply the R2P theory. The inhumane crimes observed in the Syrian crisis had fallen within the scope of activating R2P as crimes against humanity, and Syria had reached the concept of failure. Therefore, the Syrian crisis met the conditions for R2P activation, but R2P was not invoked. The reasons for the non-activation of R2P in the Syrian crisis can be found in Russia’s willingness to intervene independently, the US’s passive behavior to intervene indirectly and structural flaws in the United Nations that render it powerless against the veto power of permanent members. This study is significant in that it examines the implications and limitations of R2P in the international community through research on the Syrian crisis.

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