Perspectives on the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine
Antonin Scalia Law School
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 | 6:00 PM | Founders Hall Auditorium

On November 1, 2016, the National Security Law Journal, in partnership with the George Mason University Association of Public Policy PhD Students, hosted its fall symposium, Perspectives on the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine.  The event featured four panelists: Mr. Steven Groves, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Mr. Christopher “Kip” Hale, international atrocity crimes lawyer and former senior counsel at the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, Ms. Tahmika Jackson, Attorney-Advisor at the Department of Defense, and Mr. J. Trevor Ulbrick, Law Fellow with the Public International Law and Policy Group. Jeremy Rabkin, Professor of Law of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, served as the moderator.

The panel discussed the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, which was endorsed by all member states of the United Nations at the 2005 World Summit and serves as a global political commitment to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.  R2P is based on the premise that sovereignty does not exclusively protect States from foreign interference; rather, sovereignty is a charge of responsibility that holds States accountable for the welfare of their people.  This event provided diverse perspectives on the R2P doctrine and its role in national security and international law.