Rules and Laws

In December 2001, the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), supported by the Canadian government, issued The Responsibility to Protect, a report that sought to shift the discourse of international humanitarian action and international security away from debates on the right to intervene towards a discourse of ‘responsibility’ (ICISS 2001). It arose, at least in part, from the frustration of many that while a serious humanitarian disaster was developing in Kosovo, the UN Security Council would not authorize military action, which led NATO to launch an air war to halt the Yugoslav leadership’s attacks on the Albanian/ Muslim community. The release of the document was, however, overshadowed by the American response to 9/11, although it has seen a return in international security debates, particularly those emanating from the UN.