"The use or threat of military force by a state (or states) across borders with the intent of ending severe and widespread human rights violations in a state which has not given permission for the use of force."
Humanitarian Intervention refers to the use of military force or other measures by an external entity, usually a state or a group of states, to protect individuals within a sovereign state from gross human rights violations or humanitarian crises.
International Law: The legal frameworks that regulate humanitarian intervention, including the United Nations Charter, International Criminal Law, and International Humanitarian Law.
Human Rights: The principles of human rights that often justify humanitarian intervention, including the right to life, freedom from torture, and freedom from persecution.
International Organizations: The role of international organizations such as the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and NATO in shaping and implementing humanitarian intervention policies.
History of Humanitarian Intervention: A historical perspective on humanitarian intervention, examining past interventions, successes and failures, and the evolution of the concept.
Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing: The concepts and definitions of genocide and ethnic cleansing, and the role of humanitarian intervention in preventing and responding to these crimes.
Responsibility to Protect: The concept of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), which asserts that states have the responsibility to protect their populations from mass atrocities, and that the international community has a responsibility to intervene when states are unable or unwilling to fulfill this responsibility.
Just War Theory: The principles of just war theory and their application to humanitarian intervention, including the criteria for a just cause, proportionality, and the requirement of last resort.
Humanitarian Aid: The provision of humanitarian aid in conflict zones, including the delivery of food, medical supplies, and shelter to displaced populations.
Civil-Military Relations: The relationship between civilian authorities and the military during humanitarian interventions, including issues of command and control, accountability, and post-conflict stabilization.
Media and Propaganda: The role of the media, both domestic and international, in shaping public opinion and influencing humanitarian intervention policies.
Gender and Conflict: The impact of gender on conflict and humanitarian intervention, including the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and the specific needs of women and girls in conflict zones.
Political Economy of Conflict: The economic factors that underlie conflicts and the role of humanitarian intervention in addressing them, including natural resource exploitation, corruption, and poverty.
Regional Challenges: The unique challenges facing humanitarian intervention in different regions of the world, including the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Post-Conflict Reconstruction: The challenges of post-conflict reconstruction, including rebuilding infrastructure, establishing democratic institutions, and promoting reconciliation among conflicting parties.
Contemporary Debates: Current debates in the field of humanitarian intervention, including the legitimacy of military intervention, the effectiveness of R2P, and the role of regional actors in conflict resolution.
Military Intervention: This is when military forces of one or more countries are used to forcibly intervene in a conflict or crisis situation.
Diplomatic Intervention: This involves the use of diplomatic channels to negotiate or mediate peace agreements between warring parties.
Humanitarian Aid: This is the provision of food, shelter, medical care, and other basic necessities to affected populations.
Economic Sanctions: This is where governments impose trade restrictions or other economic measures on a country they believe is engaging in human rights abuses or other unacceptable behavior.
No-fly zones: This is the imposition of a restricted airspace over a conflict zone to prevent the use of military aircraft against the civilian population.
International Criminal Tribunal: This is the establishment of an international court to prosecute individuals responsible for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
Protection of Civilians: This involves efforts to protect civilians from being targeted by military attacks or other forms of violence.
Peacekeeping Operations: This is the deployment of international peacekeeping forces to monitor a ceasefire or other peace agreement between warring parties.
Preventive Diplomacy: This involves the use of diplomatic channels to prevent conflicts from escalating into full-blown crises.
Responsibility to Protect: This refers to the idea that the international community has a responsibility to intervene to protect civilians from mass atrocities such as genocide or ethnic cleansing.
"Humanitarian interventions are aimed at ending human rights violations of individuals other than the citizens of the intervening state."
"Attempts to establish institutions and political systems to achieve positive outcomes in the medium- to long-run, such as peacekeeping, peace-building, and development aid, do not fall under this definition of a humanitarian intervention."
"There is not one standard or legal definition of humanitarian intervention; the field of analysis (such as law, ethics or politics) often influences the definition that is chosen."
- "Humanitarian intervention involves the threat and use of military forces as a central feature." - "It is an intervention in the sense that it entails interfering in the internal affairs of a state by sending military forces into the territory or airspace of a sovereign state that has not committed an act of aggression against another state." - "The intervention is in response to situations that do not necessarily pose direct threats to states' strategic interests but instead is motivated by humanitarian objectives."
"The customary international law concept of humanitarian intervention dates back to Hugo Grotius and the European politics in the 17th century."
"UN Security Council action taken under Chapter VII and self-defense against an armed attack."
"The type and frequency of humanitarian interventions have changed drastically since the 19th century, with a massive increase in humanitarian interventions since the end of the Cold War."
"Historically, humanitarian interventions were limited to rescuing one's own citizens in other states or to rescue ethnically or religiously similar groups."
"Over the course of the 20th century (in particular after the end of the Cold War), subjects perceived worthy of humanitarian intervention expanded beyond religiously and ethnically similar groups to encompass all peoples."
"It highlights the tension between the principle of state sovereignty – a defining pillar of the UN system and international law – and evolving international norms related to human rights and the use of force."
"Normative and empirical debates over its legality, the ethics of using military force to respond to human rights violations, when it should occur, who should intervene, and whether it is effective."
"To its proponents, it marks imperative action in the face of human rights abuses, over the rights of state sovereignty."
"To its detractors, it is often viewed as a pretext for military intervention often devoid of legal sanction... selectively deployed and achieving only ambiguous ends."
"Its frequent use following the end of the Cold War suggested to many that a new norm of military humanitarian intervention was emerging in international politics."
"Some now argue that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the US 'war on terror' have brought the era of humanitarian intervention to an end."