R2P - A Comparative Study: Between Universalism and Exceptionalism

Abstract

In the wake of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, the stage is set for the international community to take responsibility for the protection and restoration of human rights to the displaced Rohingya community. Could such responsibility take the form of interventionist measures? This paper examines whether any future humanitarian intervention is likely to follow the accepted norms of Responsibility to Protect (“R2P”) or whether there is an Asian exceptionalism in humanitarian intervention. To this end, the R2P doctrine is re-examined from a critical perspective and a historical narrative of its evolution, constructing it as normative universalism is offered. Using a wide range of case studies of the application of R2P in humanitarian crises, this universalism is then problematised to argue that there is an Asian exceptionalism in R2P. The paper concludes that that for a truly sustainable solution to an Asian crisis such as Myanmar, recognising this exceptionalism is vital. It suggests that invigorating Asian regional organisations to offer leadership and to deploy regional cooperation-based models of humanitarian intervention in Myanmar may hold the key to a truly sustainable solution for the actors involved in the crisis.

Keywords: R2P, Asian exceptionalism, humanitarian intervention, Myanmar