The International Politics of Civilian Protection

Speaker: Professor Don Hubert, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa

The talk traced the evolution and convergence of two century long trends seeking to address intentional attacks on civilian populations: the nascent doctrine of humanitarian intervention first articulated in the late 19th century has been transformed over the last decade into the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect; the legal norm of civilian immunity in war also first codified in the late 19th century has been complemented since the mid 1990s to the protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict with emphasis on practical measures to provide for the physical security of populations at risk. The talk concluded with an assessment of where these two converging agendas now stand and their future prospects.

Category:

Education

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• Buffalo Human Rights Center