Abstract

The world’s attention was recently focused on the International Criminal Court?s arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. His indictment comes at a time when the United Nations is refining the issues inherent in the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), as well as legal issues regarding various states? responsibilities and culpability for inaction or indifference towards mass atrocity crimes. This Alert is the first of two issues focused on the R2P. This issue seeks to 1) provide a basic understanding of the R2P by looking at its development and principles, 2) clarify the myths and debates surrounding the doctrine, and 3) identify existing challenges in the application of R2P. Finally, with an eye towards the application of R2P in ASEAN, we look at the attempts of the African Union to incorporate the R2P within its regional framework.