This paper critically examines attempts to conceptualise the use of military intervention on humanitarian grounds, with a focus on the 'responsibility to protect' framework, and offers discussion of the way forward in light of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and the US-led 'war on terror'. 

It traces the history of the concept from its post-Cold War origins through to the UN World Summit of September 2005. The paper concludes with a brief review of the challenges that face the international community in moving forward, and the specific contributions that might be made by the UK government.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Right of Humanitarian Intervention
3. The Doctrine of the International Community
4. Humanitarian Intervention and the United Nations
5. The Responsibility to Protect
6. The 'War on Terror'
7. The Way Forward?
8. The Role of the UK Government