Russia, Georgia and the Responsibility to Protect

Abstract

In this article, Gareth Evans argues that the Russian claim that the intervention in Georgia was justified by reference to ‘Responsibility to Protect’ principles is superficial. Per Evans – who was instrumental in drafting the Responsibility to Protect Report – its doctrine does not provide a basis for the protection of citizens outside of one’s own borders. According to Evans, even if this aspect were overlooked, the threat to the South Ossetian population was nonetheless not of a sufficient nature and scale to render military force necessary.