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Testing boundaries: Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the scope of R2P
[journal article]
Abstract On 3 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit the shores of Myanmar. The government of
Myanmar refused to grant international humanitarian relief efforts access to the
devastated regions. This triggered an impactful debate on whether aid should be delivered
coercively, and whether this was a case in which th... view more
On 3 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit the shores of Myanmar. The government of
Myanmar refused to grant international humanitarian relief efforts access to the
devastated regions. This triggered an impactful debate on whether aid should be delivered
coercively, and whether this was a case in which the principle of the Responsibility to
Protect (R2P) applied. This article traces the evolution of these disputes, as well as
their impact on the testing and delineation of the boundaries of R2P. The main impact
of the Myanmar debate was a return of R2P to its roots by re-centring the emerging
norm on the original four core crimes, excluding the consequences of natural disasters
and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Furthermore, in the Myanmar debate, the effectiveness of the R2P frame in international coalition building was brought to its limits, with
some actors highlighting the potentially incendiary nature of using this frame. Hence,
this article argues that Myanmar proved to be the first test case for demarcating the
core of R2P.... view less
Keywords
Myanmar; domestic security; intervention; humanitarian intervention; humanitarian aid; civil defense; natural disaster; international cooperation; crisis behavior; Southeast Asia
Classification
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Free Keywords
Einmischung in die inneren Angelegenheiten von Staaten; Responsibility To Protect; Katastrophenschutz; Verhalten in den internationalen Beziehungen; Regeln internationalen Verhaltens
Document language
English
Publication Year
2016
Page/Pages
p. 78-93
Journal
Global Society, 30 (2016) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/13600826.2015.1092423
ISSN
1469-798X
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0