R2P: "The Responsibility to Protect" - 2009 UCLA Burkle Center Conference

This conference will assess the prospects and pitfalls of the Responsibility to Protect, and of humanitarian intervention more generally. It will feature keynote speaker Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia, Co-Chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, and President/CEO of International Crisis Group. Among our 21 participants are Gen. Wesley K. Clark (ret.), LA Times Columnist Doyle McManus, Senior Adisover on R2P to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Edward Luck, and numerous experts from around the country.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
UCLA Covel Commons
Los Angeles, CA 90095

In 2001, the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, led by Gareth Evans and Mohamed Sahnoun, published a landmark report on the "Responsibility to Protect." The doctrine addresses the responsibilities an individual state has to protect its populations from genocide, war and crimes against humanity, and also considers the responsibility the international community has to intervene - even militarily - when a state neglects its duty. Since its inception, R2P has been embraced by UN member states at the 2005 World Summit and reaffirmed by the UN Security Council in Resolution 1674.

This conference will assess the prospects and pitfalls of R2P, and of humanitarian intervention more generally, in a post-Iraq world. R2P represents an important milestone in our understanding of sovereignty, intervention, and human rights. The goal of this conference is to consider the origins and likely trajectory of R2P, to take stock of lessons learned from past crises, and to explore the role of R2P with regard to current challenges in Darfur, Burma and Zimbabwe. Though our focus is not exclusively on the role of the United States, we are particularly interested--in light of both the legacy of the Iraq War and the interests and values of many members of the Obama administration--in what role R2P will play in American foreign policy over the next several years.

Keynote Speaker Gareth Evans

We invite you to learn more about this stimulating and timely event featuring a keynote address by Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia and Co-Chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, and now President and CEO of the International Crisis Group. Other conference panelists include General Wesley K. Clark (ret.), Doyle McManus of the LA Times and numerous experts from around the country.

Audio Podcasts

Welcome and Opening Remarks
Panel 1: The Responsibility to Protect: Doctrine, Origins & Limits
Moderator: Kal Raustiala; Panelists: Gary Bass, Roberta Cohen, Stephen Stedman and Balakrishnan Rajagopal
Panel 2: Learning from the Past: Lessons from Kosovo, Rwanda, Bosnia and Beyond
Moderator: David Kaye; Panelists: Deborah Avant, Alan Kuperman, Mary Ellen O'Connell and Dan Posner
Keynote Address: The Responsibility to Protect: Ending Mass Atrocity Crimes Once and For All
Keynote Speaker: Gareth Evans, President & CEO, International Crisis Group, former Foreign Minister of Australia
Panel 3: Current Challenges: Darfur, Burma and Zimbabwe
Moderator: Asli Bali, University of California, Los Angeles
Panel 4: Prescriptions for the Obama Administration
Moderator: Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times
Closing Remarks Unavailable

Videos

Conference Materials

Conference Program, Download File: R2PProgram.pdf
Online Conference Schedule
Online Speaker Bios and Photos
Official conference website: www.international.ucla.edu/burkle/R2P

This Conference will consider the origins and likely trajectory of R2P, take stock of lessons learned from past crises, and explore the role of R2P with regard to current challenges in Darfur, Burma and Zimbabwe.