examples from essay plans

UN founding was to protect people from ‘scourge of war’ and focus on soft power

Nye

Obama Cairo speech 2009

UNSC is less relevant when it comes to superpowers engaging in conflict

Iraq war 2003 US and UK bypassed UNSC

Russia’s annexation of Crimea 2014 and invasion of Ukraine 2022

creation ICC shows heads of states can be held accountable for human rights violations

Arrest warrant issued for Putin 2023

Duterte arrested in 2025 for human rights violations in Philippines in relation to drug crack downs

ICC has very limited jurisdiction

Russia, China, US don’t accept ICC jurisdiction

70% of world population is outside jurisdiction

WTO has limited economic conflict and made trade more predictable

Australia average tariff 0.9%

dispute resolution system

Trump administrations have led to increased economic conflict

blocked appointment of new judges in first term

Trade war with 10% tariffs on EU and total of 145% tariff on China

establishment of an international standard of human rights

UDHR 1948

protects rights like freedom from discrimination and torture

UDHR is seemed to be too Western or Eurocentric

Article 27 - right to own property, goes againist socialist values so USSR didn’t sign it

Focus on individual rights not collective rights which align with Asian Values

• Bangkok Declaration

Use of the UN to endorse intervention and protect human rights has been successful

intervention in East Timor has a strong mandate after UN resolution 1264

intervention in Libya had a robust mandate after UN resolution 1970 and 1973

structure of UNSC has limited humanitarian intervention and protection of human rights

Russia used their veto as a member of the P5 3 times to block intervention in Syria under the Assad regime

ICC has a strong membership

125 countries have signed and ratified the Rome Statute 1998

including all of Europe and South America

international courts create an expectation that justice will be served for victims and against those that commit human rights violations

61 people were convicted as part of the Rwandan Genocide special tribunal

special tribunals were slow to be set up

human rights violations in Cambodia committed between 1975-79 but the trials didn’t begin until 2006

intervention is especially effective when their is a commitment to nation building

Bosnia 1999 - 1 peacekeeper for every 48 people

interventions can become discredited if their is no legal mandate

Iraq 2003

bypassed UNSC

after the end of the Cold War states felt obliged to intervene in the humanitarian crises (especially US as they were the global superpower)

intervention in Somalia 1992-93

intervention in Afghanistan 2001-21 (after 9/11 attacks)

failed interventions mean countries are less willing to intervene in human rights issues abroad

Somalia 1992-93 - failed because Somalia was already a failed state by the point of intervention and US troops weren’t trained in anarchic conditions

led to no intervention in the Rwandan Genocide 1994

example of a successful and legitimate intervention

East Timor 1999-2001

• robust UN mandate 1264

• established a legitimate government in 2001

• and gained independence via a referendum in 2003

some countries are too powerful that preventing or stopping their human rights abuses are impossible

China’s abuses of the Uighur Muslims

• 1 million currently in detention camps

powerful states can be key actors in humanitarian intervention

UK and Sierra Leone in 2000

France and Ivory Cost in 2011 (due to colonial past)

multipolar or bipolar balance of power reduce interventions

since 2008 reduction US led intervention as the world became more multipolar

Increased power of Russia and China meant increased use of the veto (over Syria)

Rhetoric of unipolar period has continued

Clinton Doctrine 1999

Blair Doctrine 1999 - focus on international community and human rights being more important than sovereignty

continue with establishment of R2P 2005

interventions often fail because they don’t consider the importance of nation building

Iraq 2003

• after intervention no Iraqi army, government or civil service

commitment to nation building improves chances of success of intervention

Balkans 1992-95 - 60,000 troops deployed to aid nation building

interventions fail if they lack commitment to success

Afghanistan 2001-21

Obama reduced troops from 100,000 to 8,400 in 2017

lack of resources and experience can lead to failure for interventions

Somalia 1992-93 - not feasible as Somalia was already a failed state

a feasible operation makes intervention more likely to succeed

Sierra Leone 2000

• British troops crushed rebels as superior training made this feasible for British troops

Ivory Coast 2011

• French military intervention to disarm Gbagbo’s military capacity after he refused to accept the defeat of the election

states now have to intervene in all cases of human rights abuses

R2P 2005 (never been used)

Western states only intervene when it benefits them

Blair said violence in Kosovo could quickly spread across Europe 1999

East Timor crisis could have led to possible refugee crisis for Australia

international law and courts help give victims justice for past human rights abuses

2012 convicted Thomas Lubangua Dylio 

• Congolese war lord sentenced for 14 years for recruiting child soldiers

ICC has arrested the majority of people from Africa (biased against African leaders)

only exception is Rodrigo Duterte (Philippines)

all 11 convictions have been from Africa

ICC relies on cooperation

couldn’t prosecute Kony (for war crimes in northern Uganda)

Al-Bashir (for war crimes in Sudan)

what did ICC bias lead to

South Africa and Burundi withdrawing

Rwandan special tribunal only delivered victors justice

only convicted Hutus not Tutsis

different commitment or interpretation of religious beliefs leads to cultural differences of human rights

Orthodox Church is Russia don’t accept gay rights

Saudi Arabia didn’t sign UDHR 1948 as they argue they should be able to punish apostasy