Brevi riflessioni sulla Responsibility to Protect nel quadro del sistema di sicurezza collettiva delle Nazioni Unite

The responsibility to protect is a doctrine now entrenched in the theory and practice of the United Nations. To some extent this doctrine seeks to bypass the restraints placed on political and military interventions within foreign countries by the UN Charter and general international law. The claimed exception rests on the noble concern for the protection of the lives of individuals that are (or are at risk of) being victims of international crimes. Based on a review of the practice of the United Nations and of States, this paper suggests that the responsibility to protect doctrine has promised more than it has delivered. It argues that a critical rethinking of that doctrine, both as a political and a legal concept, is required in an increasingly multipolar and dystopian world.