I. Introduction

Image: Rwanda Mass Grave Sebastio Salgado< http://www.worldservicecorps.us/picture_it.htm>

In 1994 the UN Secretary General stated; ‘we have failed in our response to the agony of Rwanda, and thus have acquiesced in the continued loss of life.’[1] However it can be questioned whether, despite the signs of regret and shame of the international community for its failings in Rwanda, the international community still continued to fail in satisfying its responsibility to protect?

Before examining whether the international community has satisfied its responsibility to protect, it is necessary to understand the options available to them when responding to large scale atrocities. Answering the question requires examining the basis upon which the failures were admitted and the basis upon which promises were made. To assess whether the international community’s response has improved the case studies of Kosovo and Darfur will be used, due to the extreme nature of the atrocities.

It was a pressing challenge for the international community to overcome the tension between traditional principles and new emerging norms, this lead to the successful creation of a new theory; ‘the responsibility to protect’. The international community should be highly commended for the theories development and endorsement. However a theory is meaningless to innocent civilians under attack.

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[1] Report of the Secretary General on the Situation on Rwanda. S/1994/640 31 May 1994