Description
The presentations addresses debates on ‘responsibility’ continue to be a significant issue in 21st century International Relations, in particular in relation to humanitarian intervention, Just War Theory, and the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP). Many RtoP proponents consider the international community as a whole to be the bearer of this responsibility. However, the resulting position that ‘whoever can act, should’ ignores many of the traditional concerns about legitimate authority to engage in warfare.
This presentation contends that a more refined understanding of responsibility is needed. Responsibility (Verantwortung) includes the concepts of obligation (Verpflichtung) and duty (Pflicht). Obligation is context-specific, i.e. dependent on a commitment to an act or condition. Duty is likewise context-specific, and can apply even in the absence of any formal declarations of intent, for example in cases of remedial responsibility for past injustices (e.g. reparations).
With critical reference to the wider RtoP literature, I show that the mere ability to act does not necessarily confer the right to do so. Different types of responsibility come with distinctive rights and duties relating to intervention. A more comprehensive understanding of responsibility ensures the continued relevance of RtoP to 21st century international ethics and our understanding of the ‘Just War’.
