17 June 2010
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R2P and the use of violence for humanitarian ends
Should military forces be dispatched to a foreign country to save its population from massacre, famine, epidemics, or oppression? Debated in the 1990s as the "right or duty to intervene", the application of military might to rescue populations in danger is today debated as the "responsibility to protect" (R2P) - a doctrine considered by most humanitarian NGOs as the "best normative framework to address the protection needs of civilian populations."
On April 4, 2010, Fabrice Weissman was invited to Toronto by Munk University to debate with former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations Allan Rock the advantages and drawbacks associated with the R2P framework. A stimulating discussion ensued, exposing two controversial views on the legitimacy of the use of force for humanitarian purposes.