Does Syria Mean the End of the Responsibility to Protect?

The following article on the Syrian crisis - underscores the difficulty of reconciling humanitarian ideals with geopolitical concerns.

Thirty-five years ago, U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski famously declared that the doctrine of détente " lies buried in the sands of Ogaden ." By exporting revolution to the Horn of Africa, he implied, Moscow had abandoned norms of peaceful coexistence, as well as prospects for the SALT treaty. One wonders if a more recent would-be doctrine, the                "responsibility to protect" (R2P), is destined to suffer a similar fate. Two years ago, the UN Security Council seemed to vindicate this new norm, by authorizing "all necessary means" to protect Libyan civilians against strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi. Today, R2P clings to life support in Syria, as the civilian body count there mounts to appalling levels.

The Atlantic 2013

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